If you wish to learn more about Polari, there are several resources other than this website which you can use to strengthen your understanding. These include books, dictionaries, and other materials.
Fabulosa!: The Story of Polari, Britain’s Secret Gay Language
Fabulosa! is perhaps one of the most useful books on the topic. Paul Baker – the author – created a PhD thesis on Polari in 2001, and has since continued to write about and promote the language. The book gives great historical details of Polari, details its linguistic sources, details its modern usage, and also provides a glossary at the end.
This book is widely available from any reputable bookstore.
The Man-Eating Typewriter
The Man-Eating Typewriter is a large book which uses a somewhat innovative version of Polari. The book follows the typescripts of an anarchist with a troubled past who plans to commit a scandalous crime. It is not for the faint of heart to read. However, if you can tolerate some extreme crudeness, it serves as a great written example of Polari.
This book is widely available from any reputable bookstore.
Signor Lippo
Signor Lippo follows the story of a street performer by the artist’s name of Don Lippo, who left his factory job and moved to London in order to pursue blackface performances. Whilst the content of the book is distasteful to most people in contemporary times due to its overtly racist themes, the book nonetheless contains dialogue which is invaluable to understanding the form of Polari spoken by performers in the late 19th century.
This book is relatively difficult to obtain, and few bookstores sell it. Depending on where you are in the world, you may need to do some searching. Of all places, if you happen to be in Australia, however, you can get it from Booktopia here.
Parley with Me
Published in 2006 and written by poet and author Micheal O hAodha, Parley With Me is unique amongst this website’s primary sources as it focuses on varieties of Polari spoken in fairgrounds in Ireland. Parley with Me provides crucial information not only on the type of Polari spoken in Ireland, but also regarding Polari more broadly speaking.
This is another difficult book to obtain. You will have the most luck finding this book by looking at online bookstores based in Ireland.
Round the Horne
Round the Horne is a British comedy show on BBC Radio which existed from 1965 – 1968. It included a segment called Julian and Sandy, which involved two characters (i.e., Julian and Sandy) who were played by Hugh Paddick and Kenneth Williams. As both these characters regularly spoke Polari, Round the Horne is attributed to an increased knowledge of Polari amongst people who were not homosexual.
Clips of Julian and Sandy can be found on YouTube. You can find a good playlist here.
The Kenneth Williams Diaries
Kenneth Williams was a famous British comedian and actor who played Sandy in Julian and Sandy (see details for Round the Horne). Appearing to have some sort of knowledge and affinity for gay culture, his published collection of diary entries spanning 46 years contain a number of slang terms, including Polari terms.
This book is widely available from any reputable bookstore.
Green’s Dictionary of Slang
Created by Jonathon Green, Green’s Dictionary of Slang is a great online resource which comprehensively covers slang terms in the English language. By searching any Polari term on the dictionary, you can view the term’s meaning, its etymology, as well as historical examples of the term’s usage.
The dictionary can be accessed online here.
Boyno Polari 