Call House Madam: The Story of the Career of Beverly Davis

by Serge G. Wolsey

Call House The Story of the Career of Beverly Davis is a non-fiction book written by Serge G. Wolsey. The book is a biography of Beverly Davis, who was a successful madam in the 1950s and 1960s in the United States. The book provides a detailed account of Davis's life, including her childhood, her entry into the world of prostitution, and her rise to becoming a prominent madam.The book also explores the social and cultural context of Davis's career, including the attitudes towards prostitution at the time, the role of law enforcement in regulating the industry, and the impact of the sexual revolution on the profession. The author draws on a range of sources, including interviews with Davis herself, as well as with former clients and employees, to provide a rich and nuanced portrait of this controversial figure.Overall, Call House Madam is a fascinating and well-researched book that sheds light on a little-known aspect of American history. It will appeal to anyone interested in the history of prostitution, the social and cultural changes of the mid-twentieth century, or the lives of women who defied societal norms to pursue their own ambitions.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

442 pages, Paperback

First published September 10, 2010

Reviews

[Kathryn Bundy]

This was on my antique bookshelf, many books I've collected over the years from family members who have passed on, used book stores, and friends who know I like old books. This one has sat on the shelf for a long time and I finally got around to reading it. What a discovery!

The subject of this memoir describes it as a first-person biography. It was written by someone else, using her own words. Bea Davis was a Madam in San Francisco and then LA/Hollywood during the 1910s-1940, starting when she was sixteen. The account is colorfully written, describing her girls, her clients, their proclivities, her philosophy of life, love and sex, and giving a unique description of life in that time period. The language is straightforward and colloquial, which gives it an air of authenticity, as if it were a conversation over coffee.

I thoroughly enjoyed this peek into a world I've only seen depicted on the screen in Hollywood fashion --- this time behind the scenes and for real.