Brilliantly constructed and exceptionally moving, The Circus Fire is history at its most compelling.

Even today, Davis contends, the influence of the circus continues to resonate in popular representations of gender, race, and the wider world.

The book provides an innovative synthesis of the history of performance with a wider study of culture, science, and religion from the antebellum period to the present.

American Sideshow chronicles the lives of truly amazing performers, examining these brave and extraordinary curiosities not just as sideshow performers but as people, delving into the lives they led and the ways they were able to triumph ...

An exciting history of gladiators, chariot racing and other Roman games, investigating their function and significance within society, and what they reveal about the Roman mentality.

Robert Bogdan’s fascinating social history brings to life the world of the freak show and explores the culture that nurtured and, later, abandoned it.

Struggles and Triumphs is the autobiography of P. T. Barnum, famous American businessman and showman.

With revealing insight into the personal lives of the men and women billed as freaks, Nickell unfolds the captivating story of the midway show.

A short history of the earliest clowns -- The despicable rogue Mr. Punch -- The unnatural nature of the evil clown -- Coulrophobia: Fear of clowns -- Bad clowns of the Ink -- Bad clowns of the Screen -- Bad clowns of the Song -- The carnal ...

This is a fascinating work of the strange and seemingly inexplicable made plain and understandable.