Rank Ladies

“By addressing issues of gender, class, and ethnicity, Rank Ladies reveals an interesting interpretation of vaudeville’s role in the development of mass entertainment, and highlights the centrality of gender to social changes around the turn of the century.” — American Studies

“Kibler displays a masterful command of existing scholarship on vaudeville and the broader trends of theater and popular culture in which it participated.” — American Historical Review

“The great strength of Kibler’s book lies in its meticulous scrutiny of underused primary sources. . . . The result is a complex account of how marginal audiences helped to shape even the most upwardly mobile entertainment forms.” — Journal of American History

“Kibler has an excellent command of her material and knows how to argue for its significance, showing how the question of gender revises conventional interpretations of vaudeville.” — Women’s Review of Books

“Provides useful insights that challenge some analyses by previous writers. . . . Thorough and discursive notes, excellent bibliography.” — CHOICE

“A valuable and entertaining narrative from which [Kibler] draws perceptive insights and conclusions on the culture of the time that are relevant in any age.” — Library Journal

“In this fascinating and thought provoking study . . . Alison Kibler reveals the centrality of female performers in the negotiation of contested cultural categories like 'high' and 'low,' 'respectable' and 'offensive.' Her examination of the intersection of gender, class, and ethnic issues enables her to move beyond the official story of vaudeville as a sanitized entertainment venue to explore a richer and more complex history.” — Susan A. Glenn, University of Washington