The Circus: 1870s - 1950s

Изданието е триезично - на английски, немски и френски език. Daredevils and scantily clad starlets, fearless animal trainers and startling freaks: This behind-the-scenes look at the American circus brings together original posters and lithographs as well as remarkable circus photography to explore the glamour and the grit of what was once the largest showbiz industry on earth.

The history and legacy of the circus. In its heyday, the American circus was the largest showbiz industry the world had ever seen. From the mid 1800s to mid 1900s, traveling circuses performed for audiences of up to 14,000 per show, employed as many as 1,600 men and women, and crisscrossed the country on 20,000 miles of railroad in one season alone. The spectacle of death-defying daredevils, strapping superheroes and scantily clad starlets, fearless animal trainers, and startling freaks gripped the American imagination, outshining theater, vaudeville, comedy, and minstrel shows.

This book sheds fresh light on the circus phenomenon. With photographic gems of early circus performers, as well as original posters, lithographs, sideshow banners and engravings from the 16th to 19th centuries illustrating the worldwide roots of the circus, readers are transported to a world of thrill and skill, grit and glamor. Highlights include iconic circus photographs by Mathew Brady, Cornell Capa, Walker Evans, Weegee, and Lisette Model, and little-known circus images by Stanley Kubrick and Charles and Ray Eames.

Foreword: The Birth of American popular culture
Introduction: Something wicked this way comes
Worldwide roots of circus invention, performance, and play
Wonders of the world await you
Venuses of the age: The female performer emancipated
Strange Beasts from foreign lands
Circus acts: Controlled Mayhem to dazzle and delight
Eating fire, throwing knives: Freaks and wonders of the sideshow
Tent city: Backstage at the circus
Seconds from death: Risking life and limb for the crowd
Appendix
Index
Credits
Authors' Biographies
Acknowledgements