Spirit of America Bookstore

brief history books about the circus movies & TV stageplays, other media toys & games legendary circus people American circuses circus music links

“Damn everything but the circus!” — poet E.E. Cummings

“Every country gets the circus [that] it deserves. Spain gets bullfights. Italy, the Church. America, Hollywood.”
— Erica Jong

“Time is a circus, always packing up and moving away.” — Ben Hecht

'circus' entry at Wikipedia
search DVDs & Blu-ray on keyword 'circus' at Amazon returns 1,600+ titles

Spirit of America Bookstore's Circus Film Festival Page

Spirit of America Bookstore's P.T. Barnum [1810-91] Page

Selected  Books  About  The  Circus
search books on keywords 'circus history' at Amazon returns 1,000+ titles
search books on keywords 'circus fiction' at Amazon returns 2,300+ titles

http://www.amazon.com/Circus-Age-Culture-Society-American/dp/0807853992/
http://www.amazon.com/Circus-By-The-Sea-ebook/dp/B00CKM8D6Y/
http://www.amazon.com/Circus-Rider-history-American-circus/dp/0615429289/
http://www.amazon.com/Clowns-John-H-Towsen/dp/0801539625/
http://www.amazon.com/Jumbo-Being-Greatest-Elephant-ebook/dp/B00AY06XI4/
http://www.amazon.com/Old-Bet-Start-American-Circus/dp/0688106420/
http://www.amazon.com/Peru-Capital-Postcard-Postcards-Looseleaf/dp/0738560200/
http://www.amazon.com/Rise-American-Circus-1716-1899-ebook/dp/B00BTDCFKU/
http://www.amazon.com/Seeing-Believing-Americas-Side-Shows/dp/1550225294/
http://www.amazon.com/The-Ordinary-Acrobat-Journey-Wondrous/dp/0307271722/
http://www.amazon.com/The-Tattooed-Lady-History-ebook/dp/B0033E14MI/
http://www.amazon.com/Toulouse-Lautrecs-The-Circus-Thirty-Nine-ebook/dp/B00A735BWC/
http://www.amazon.com/Wild-Weird-Wonderful-1901-1927-Photographer/dp/0971454841/

"Center Ring: The People of The Circus" [1956] by Robert Lewis Taylor
http://www.amazon.com/CENTER-RING-PEOPLE-CIRCUS-First/dp/B004U6T7VI/
http://www.amazon.com/Center-Ring-Robert-Lewis-Taylor/dp/B0007DMUGW/

"Josser: The Secret Life of A Circus Girl" [1999] by Nell Stroud
A modern day true story of what happened when Stroud ran away with the circus
http://www.amazon.com/Josser-Secret-Life-Circus-Girl/dp/1860496954/
http://www.amazon.com/Josser-Secret-Life-Circus-Girl/dp/0316848395/

"The Victorian Clown" [8/2006] by Prof. Jacky Bratton & Ann Featherstone
http://www.amazon.com/Victorian-Clown-Professor-Jacky-Bratton/dp/1107666678/
http://www.amazon.com/Victorian-Clown-Professor-Jacky-Bratton/dp/0521816661/

"The Advance Man: A Journey Into The World … " [2010] by Jamie MacVicar /1593932030/

"The Circus Book, 1870-1950" [11/2010] Dominique Jando
http://www.amazon.com/The-Circus-Book-1870-1950-25/dp/3836520257/

"Professor Risley and The Imperial Japanese Troupe: How An American Acrobat Introduced Circus To Japan
-- and Japan To The West" [12/2012] by Frederik L. Schodt
http://www.amazon.com/Professor-Risley-Imperial-Japanese-Japan-ebook/dp/B00B6U9ECS/
http://www.amazon.com/Professor-Risley-Imperial-Japanese-Japan--/dp/1611720095/

	"Through The Back Door of The Circus with George Brinton Beal: The Inside Story of The Big Top" [1938] McLoughlin Bros, Inc. 9x6 hardcover [1938] out of print/scarce McLoughlin Bros, Inc. 9x6 hardcover [1938] out of print/scarce
	"Circus Trains (Trains Album of Photographs, Number 19)" [1947] by Charles Philip Fox Kalmbach Publng hardcover [1947] out of print/scarce
	"The Big Top: My Forty Years With The Greatest Show On Earth" [1952] by {ringmaster} Fred Bradna as told to Hartzell Spence Simon & Schuster 8¼x5½ hardcover [1952] out of print/used Simon & Schuster 8¼x5½ hardcover [1952] out of print/used
	"Circus Parades: A Picture History" [1953] by C.P. (Charles Philip) Fox, Introduction by H. Ringling North Century House 10¾x7½ hardcover [1953] out of print/used
	"Come To The Circus: An Easy-To-Read Photo-Story Book For Children" [1960] by Charles Philip Fox Reilly & Lee Co. hardcover [1960] out of print/scarce Reilly & Lee Co. hardcover [1960] out of print/scarce
	"The Circus In America" [1969] by Charles Philip Fox Hennessey & Ingalls 9½x12¼ hardcover [9/2002] for $0.00 Hennessey & Ingalls 9½x12¼ hardcover [9/2002] out of print/used Country Beautiful 12x12½ hardcover [1969] out of print/40+ used
	"The Circus Moves By Rail" [1970] by Tom Parkinson & Charles Philip Fox Carstens Press 7¾x10 pb [9/93] out of print/used Pruett Publng 8¼x10¼ hardcover [6/70] out of print/used
	"No Performances Today: Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus June 22, 1918" [1972] by Warren A. Reeder, Jr. The locomotive driver of a deadheading troop train fell asleep and his train plowed into the rear of the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus train of 26 cars, five miles east of Hammond, Indiana; many victims died instantly, then the train caught fire; 86 people died, 127 were injured • entry at Wikipedia North State Press pb [1972] out of print/used
	"The Great Circus Street Parade in Pictures: 183 Rare & Unusual Illustrations" [1978] by Charles Philip Fox & F. Beverly Kelley Dover Publns 9¼x8½ pb [1990] out of print/used Dover Publns pb [8/78] out of print/used
	"American Circus Posters (in full color)" [1978] Edited by Charles Philip Fox Kindle Edition from Dover Publns [9/2012] for $9.99 Kindle Edition from Dover Publns [1978 edition] for $11.30 Dover Publns 14¼x10¼ pb [11/1978] for $11.89
	"The American Circus: An Illustrated History" [1990] by John Culhane Henry Holt & Co. 9¼x7½ pb [5/91] out of print/used Henry Holt & Co. 9x6¼ hardcover [4/90] out of print/used

"America's Great Circus Parade: Its Roots, Its Revival, Its Revelry" [1993]
by Charles Philip 'Chappie' Fox
Reiman Assocs 10¾x8¼ pb [7/93] out of print/used

	"Under The Big Top: A Season With The Circus" [1995 classic] by Bruce Feiler The author ran away with the circus and spent eight months traveling America working as a clown with the Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus. Kindle Edition from HarperCollins e-books [10/2009] for $9.78 Harper Perennial 8x5¼ pb [3/2003] for $13.49 Scribner's 9¼x6½ hardcover [6/95] out of print/many, many used
	"Freaks, Geeks & Strange Girls: Sideshow Banners of The Great American Midway" [1995] by Randy Johnson, Jim Secreto & Teddy Varndell Last Gasp Press 9x6 pb [2/2015] for $29.52 Last Gasp Press 9x6 pb [3/2005] out of print/used Last Gasp Press 9x6 pb [12/2004] out of print/used Hardy Marks Publns 8¾x11½ hardcover [10/95] out of print/used
	"Trains of The Circus, 1872-1956" [2000] by Fred Dahlinger, Jr. and Circus World Museum Iconografix 8¼x10 pb [6/2000] out of print/used
	"Show Trains of The 20th Century" [2000] by Fred Dahlinger, Jr. and Circus World Museum Iconografix 8¼x10 pb [10/2000] for $26.96
	"Circus & Carnival Trucks: 1923-2000 Photo Archive" [2001] by Bill Rhodes Iconografix 8½x10 pb [10/2001] for $11.69
	"Circus & Carnival Tractors: 1930-2001 Photo Archive" [2002] by Bill Rhodes Iconografix 8½x10 pb [11/2002] for $17.29
	"Step Right Up: Stories of Carnivals, Sideshows, and The Circus" anthology [2004] Edited by Nathaniel Knaebel Anthology of both fiction and non-fiction; contributors include Kevin Baker, Michael Chabon, Susan Dickinson, Katherine Dunn, Lee Durkee, Robert Hough, Ellen Hunnicut, Joseph Michell, Flannery O'Connor, Fred Rosen, Jim Tully, and Eudora Welty Carroll & Graf 9x6 pb [4/2004] for $14.40
	"Carny Folk: The World's Weirdest Side Show Acts" [2005] by Francine Homberger Citadel Press 9x6 pb [4/2005] out of print/used Citadel Press 9x6 pb [4/2005] out of print/used
	"Secrets of The Sideshows" [2005] by Joe Nickell (Senior Research Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry) Kindle Edition from Univ Press Kentucky [2005 edition] for $9.99 Univ Press Kentucky 9x6 pb [9/2008] for $19.95 Univ Press Kentucky 9x6 hardcover [9/2005] for $50.00 Univ Press Kentucky hardcover [9/2005] out of print/used
	"Spangles, Elephants, Violets, and Me: The Circus, Inside Out" [2007] by Victoria B. Cristiani Rossi iUniverse 9x6 pb [4/2009] for $17.42 iUniverse 9x6 pb [9/2007] for $19.95 iUniverse 9x6 hardcover [9/2007] out of print/used
	"Fall of The Big Top: The Vanishing American Circus" [2007] by David Lewis Hammarstrom McFarland & Co. 10x7¼ hardcover [10/2007] for $34.98 McFarland & Co. 10x7¼ hardcover [10/2008] out of print/used
	"Circus and Carnival Ballyhoo: Sideshow Freaks, Jabbers, and Blade Box Queens" [2010] by A.W. Stencell Kindle Edition from E.C.W. Press [8/2010] for $17.41 E.C.W. Press 10x8 pb [8/2010] for $18.33
	"The Great Circus Train Wreck of 1918: Tragedy On The Indiana Lakeshore" [2010] by Richard M. Lytle Kindle Edition from The History Press [11/2011] for $9.99 The History Press 9x6½ pb [7/2010] for $15.86
	"Funnymen: Life and Times On The Greatest Show On Earth" [2010] by {former clown} Joe Wood Kindle Edition from Rosedog Press [8/2011] for $9.99 Rosedog Press 9x6 pb [12/2010] for $14.00
	"Cradle of The American Circus: Poems (and Essays) From Somers, New York" [2012] by Jo Pitkin Kindle Edition from The History Press [9/2012] for $9.99 The History Press 9x6 pb [9/2012] for $16.60
	"America's Greatest Circus Train" [2013] by Bruce C. Nelson, Foreword by Fred Dahlinger, Jr. The annual circus parade in Baraboo, Wisconsin began as a small test in 1963, but the response was enormous, so they added taking the circus by train to Milwaukee and then to Chicago; but the Bush economy took its toll, and the last such circus train was in 2003; 335 mostly-color photographs. Heimburger House Publng 10½x10½ hardcover [9/2013] for $49.46
	"Beneath The Big Top: A Social History of The Circus In Britain" [2014] by Steve Ward Pen and Sword 9¼x6 pb [11/2014] for $18.66
	"The Greatest Shows On Earth: A History of The Circus" [2014] by Linda Simon Kindle Edition from Reaktion Books [5/2015] for $25.56 {sic} Reaktion Books 8¾x6¾ hardcover [11/2014] for $26.90 Reaktion Books 8¾x6¾ hardcover [11/2014] out of print/used Reaktion Books 8¾x6¾ hardcover [11/2014] out of print/used Reaktion Books 8¾x6¾ hardcover [11/2014] out of print/used
	"Big Top Burning: The True Story of An Arsonist, A Missing Girl, and The Greatest Show On Earth" [grades 5-8; 2015] by Laura A. Woollett At Hartford, Connecticut in 1944, the Ringling Brothers main circus tent burned to the ground in ten minutes; 167 people died and many more were injured. The author examines the long-unsolved arson case with the purpose of asking the many questions that remain unanswered. Kindle Edition from Chicago Review Press [6/2015] for $9.99 Chicago Review Press 8¾x5¾ hardcover [6/2015] for $14.79
	"Staging The Great Circus Parade (Images of Modern America)" [2016] by Jim & Donna Peterson Kindle Edition from Arcadia Publng [5/2016] for $7.99 Arcadia Publng 9¼x6½ pb [5/2016] for $19.54 History Press Library 9½x6¾ hardcover [5/2016] for $19.87
	"Big Top Typewriter: My Inside Adventures Through The World of Circus" [2017] by David Lewis Hammarstrom CreateSpace 9x6 pb [4/2017] for $17.94

¨                         ¨

Spirit of America Bookstore's Circus Fiction Page
still another section that grew rapidly, so it was split off in April 2017.
top of page • selected circus fiction • books for young circus fans

Movies & Television

Another section that just kept growing, so Circus Movies & TV Shows information was split off
to the Circus Film Festival Pages in May 2013.

Circuses & Sideshows claims the largest list of circus-themed movies, but displays only 48.

"The Circus"  [United Artists Jan 1928]

The cops at a circus think that the Little Tramp is a pickpocket; Charlie runs into the big tent and his attempts to elude the cops are a big hit with the crowd; but Charlie is unable to be funny on purpose, so the circus owner hires him as a sweeper • Produced, written, directed & edited by and starring Charles Chaplin; co-starring Al Ernest Garcia, Merna Kennedy, Harry Crocker, George Davis, Henry Bergman, Tiny Sandford, John Rand & Steve Murphy; won Honorary Oscar Warner b&w Special Edition DVD [3/2004] 2 disks for $50.12 full credits from IMDb

"Charlie Chan At The Circus" [Fox March 1936]

On vacation with his wife & twelve children, Honolulu detective Charlie Chan visits a circus just as someone murders one of the owners. Directed by Harry Lachman; starring Warner Oland (as Chan}, Keye Luke, Boothe Howard, Drue Leyton, Maxine Reiner, George & Olive Brasno, Francis Ford, J. Carrol Naish & Shia Jung b&w DVD available as part of color/b&w DVD available as part of box set Volume 2 11"x17" poster from Amazon for $9.99 full credits from IMDb

"The Greatest Show On Earth" [Paramount Pictures Jan 1952]

Filmed in 35mm three-strip Technicolor; the manager of a major 'railroad circus' convinces the owners to allow him to keep the show going as long as it brings in a profit; he hires a star trapeze act, which upsets his trapeze artist girlfriend; other problems include a crooked midway concessionaire, and love triangles & professional jealousy aplenty. The fired crook robs the box office and stages a railroad wreck to cover his tracks, which injures the manager, so the girlfriend rallies the troops and the show goes on . . . Co-produced by Cecil B. DeMille & Henry Wilcoxon; directed by Cecil B. DeMille; written by Frank Cavett, Fredric M. Frank, Jack Gariss, Barré Lyndon & Theodore St. John; original music by Victor Young; starring Charlton Heston, Betty Hutton, Cornel Wilde, Dorothy Lamour, James Stewart, Gloria Grahame, Henry Wilcoxon, Lyle Bettger, Lawrence Tierney, clown Emmett Kelly, circus owner John Ringling North, clown Lou Jacobs & Edmond O'Brien; with cameos by Leon Ames, Oliver Blake, William Boyd (as Hopalong Cassidy}, Bing Crosby, Bob Crosby, Van Heflin, Bob Hope, Noel Neill & Danny Thomas; won Oscars for Best Picture & Best Story, Oscar noms for Best Director, Best Costume Design, Best Editing Paramount widescreen color DVD [4/2004] 2 disks for $6.99 Paramount color DVD [4/2004] for $8.96 full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia movie-tie-in novelization Paramount mass pb [1952] out of print/used

"Water For Elephants" [Fox April 2011]

Just at graduation from college in 1931, Jacob's life falls apart; he finds work with the struggling Benzini Brothers traveling circus and falls in love with the wife of the ruthless circus owner; filmed in California, Georgia & Tennessee, especially on the Tennessee Valley Railroad near Chattanooga (with Engine #18 clearly visible) • Directed by Francis Lawrence; script by Richard LaGravenese, based on Sara Gruen's bestseller novel; cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto; starring Reese Witherspoon, Robert Pattinson, Chris-toph Waltz, Hal Holbrook, Jim Norton, Paul Schneider, Richard Brake, Mark Povinelli & Tai the Elephant DVD/Blu-ray not yet available full credits at IMDb • official movie site • movie entry at Wikipedia

Stageplays,  Radio,  Other  Media

®                       ®

"The Circus Girl" musical stageplay [Dec 1896] British play, set in France; opened on Broadway April-August 1897 (but not listed on IBDb); book by James T. Tanner & Walter Palings, lyrics by Harry Greenbank & Adrian Ross, music by Ivan Caryll; praised by Sir Arthur Sullivan; original was quite a production, with a trapeze act and the Human Cannonball onstage play entry at Wikipedia • entry at Guide To Musical Theatre website Chappell & Co. playscript hardcover [1897] out of print/scarce Chappell & Co. playscript hardcover [1897] out of print/scarce

"The Balloon Girl: A Comedy Drama of Circus Life" stageplay [circa 1920] by Robert J. Sherman "A story of a sweet, little circus girl, her bad sister, a minister, and meddling town gossips" per the poster online at Library of America; playscript or other info not found {5/2013}

±

"Ellery Queen: The Adventure of The Circus Train" for Kindle [2009] Kindle Edition from Shamrock Eden Publng [6/2009] is no longer available at Amazon script from half-hour "Ellery Queen" radio series, program broadcast 25 March 1943 broadcast recording available from Old Time Radio Catalog "The Adventures of Ellery Queen" radio show on MP3 format CD [undated] 17 episodes for $5.00 + s/h

"The Circus Starring Britney Spears" worldwide tour [2009]

Pop star Britney Spears took a circus-themed show to 45 U.S. cities, 7 cities in Canada, 11 cities in Europe & Russia, and 6 cities in Australia, from March to November in 2009; opening acts included the Pussycat Dolls and the Big Apple Circus; the setlist included numbers from Britney's prior albums "In the Zone", "Blackout", and "Circus'; although wishful speculation continues, there is no plan for a DVD of the tour (as-of 2017). DVD/Blu-ray not available • not listed at IMDb • tour entry at Wikipedia watch concert video [4/2016 upload with terrible sound; 1:31:44] free online at YouTube "Circus" music album [2008] • album entry at Wikipedia Britney's sixth studio album; includes Billboard #1 song "Womanizer", Billboard #3 song "Circus", and Billboard 100 hits "If U Seek Amy" and "Radar"; added tracks on Deluxe album are "Rock Me In" & "Phonography" Jive Records Deluxe Edition music CD [12/2008] 15 tracks on 2 disks for $6.77 Jive Records music CD [12/2008] 13 tracks for $9.35

Toys  and  Games

Rhode Island Novelty red foam clown noses [2013] 1 dozen for $5.99
Z Costume red foam clown noses [2013] 25 pieces for $5.86

	Bachmann Ringmaster HO-scale Electric Train Set [2012] includes 0-6-0 steam locomotive & tender, performers' car, water tank car, horses' stock car, and caboose, plus 47"x38" track oval Bachmann RTR electric train set [2012] for $269.99 Bachmann RTR electric train set [2012] - SOLD OUT !
	Bachmann Ringling Bros. Garden-Scale Electric Train Set [2014] includes 4-6-0 steam locomotive & tender, performers' car, flat car with circus wagons, elephant stock car, scale circus animals, plus 98"x51" G-scale track oval Bachmann RTR G-scale electric train set [2014] - SOLD OUT !

Legendary  Circus  People  &  Acts

"Circus Heroes and Heroines" [1972] by Rhina Kirk Brief profiles of famous circus personalities such as P.T. Barnum, Tom Thumb, Clyde Beatty, and Annie Oakley - plus a short history of the origins of the circus. Hammond, Inc. 10x7¼ hardcover [1972] out of print/many used Hammond, Inc. 10x7¼ hardcover [1972] out of print/used

the father of the circus, Philip Astley

Spirit of America Bookstore's
Phineas Taylor 'P.T.' Barnum [1810-91] Page   

Bozo the Clown
Capitol Records 1946; Larry Harmon bought the rights in 1956+
"The Man Behind The Nose: Assassins, Astronauts, Cannibals, and Other Stupendous Tales" autobio [Igniter Books 2010]
http://www.toonopedia.com/bozo.htm
Bozo the Clown 1952 pilot "Pinky Talks Back" found by Larry Harmon in Hollywood vault (4/2001)

William Cameron Coup [1836-95]
sideshow entrepreneur 1853-69; partner with Dan Castello in Great Lakes showboat 1869; partner with Castello & P.T. Barnum 1870-75;
operated various aquariums, museums, Wild West shows, and circuses from 1876 to 1895.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_C._Coup

	"Sawdust & Spangles: Stories & Secrets of The Circus" [Herbert S. Stone 1901] by W.C. Coup Kindle Edition from Amazon Digital Services [6/2011] for FREE! {sic} Kindle Edition from Certified Classics [5/2011] for 99¢ CreateSpace 9x6 pb [8/2014] for $6.99 Scholar's Choice 9¾x7½ pb [2/2015] for $27.32 available as free online etext at Project Gutenberg / Internet Archive
	"Sawdust and Spangles: The Amazing Life of W.C. Coup" [ages 4-8; 2007] by Ralph Covert & G. Riley Mills, Illustrated by Giselle Potter Harry N. Abrams 9¼x11½ hardcover [9/2007] for $14.00

Elephants
Jumbo the Circus Elephant [1860-85] entry at Wikipedia
Topsy the Circus Elephant [1875-1903] entry at Wikipedia

	"Jumbo's Keeper: Autobiography of Matthew Scott" also "Jumbo's Biography" [1885] by Matthew Scott Kindle Edition from Literary Thoughts [12/2016] for $6.99 hansebooks 8½x5½ pb [5/2017] for $14.90 Kessinger Publng 9x6 hardcover [9/2010] for $27.16
	"Elephant Story: Jumbo and P.T. Barnum Under the Big Top" [2000] by Les Harding McFarland & Co. 9x6 pb [2/2000] for $19.99
	"Jumbo: This Being The True Story of The Greatest Elephant In The World" [2008] by Paul Chambers Kindle Edition from Andre Deutsch [5/2009] for $10.24 Andre Deutsch 7¾x5 pb [5/2009] for $5.40 Steerforth 7¾x5 pb [2/2009] for $7.79 ReadHowYouWant 16th edition 10x7¾ pb [6/2013] for $24.99 Steerforth 8x5¼ hardcover [3/2008] for $14.32
	"Jumbo The Elephant: Mr Scott's Obsession - Inspired By A True Story" [2013] by Jon Ellison The elephant Jumbo lived at the London Zoo from 1865 to 1882, when he was sold to P.T. Barnum and then exhibited in America until 1885. Jumbo was killed by a railroad locomotive in Canada, after which Barnum exhibited the skin and skeleton; Jumbo's skeleton & hide was on exhibit at Tufts University until destroyed in a fire in 1975. 181-page Kindle Edition from Amazon Digital Services [2/2013] for 99¢
	"Topsy: The Startling Story of The Crooked-Tailed Elephant, P.T. Barnum, and The American Wizard Thomas Edison" [2013] by Michael Daly Topsy the Elephant was a victim of the 'War of The Currents', electrocuted at Coney Island, New York in 1903; Edison was desperate to prove that his direct electric current system was best, that the alter-nating current system of his opponents George Westinghouse and Nikola Tesla was dangerous; the execution of Topsy was successful, but Edison ultimately failed. Kindle Edition from Atlantic Monthly Press [7/2013] for $9.99 Grove Press 8¼x5½ pb [6/2014] for $12.09 Atlantic Monthly Press 8¼x5½ hardcover [7/2013] for $8.00 Edison Film Mfg. Co. record of the 1903 execution [1:17] online at YouTube
	"Behemoth: The History of The Elephant In America" [2013] by Ronald B. Tobias Kindle Edition from Harper Perennial [10/2013] for $1.99 Harper Perennial 8x5¼ pb [10/2013] for $10.16 Harper Perennial mass pb [10/2013] out of print/used

circus clown Edwin 'Poodles' Hanneford [1891-1967] http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0360372/

Harpo the Clown, based in Palm Springs, California

Emmett Kelly http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0446374/
Emmett Kelly Museum in Sedan, Kansas
"The Clown" [CBS-TV March 1955] episode of "G.E. True Theater" /tt0586285/ based on a book by Emmett Kelly

"Circus Queen and Tinker Bell: The Memoir of Tiny Kline" [] /B0071UNVUS/

"Queen of The Air: A True Story of Love and Tragedy At The Circus" [2013] by Dean N. Jensen A passionate recounting of the life, loves, and career of Lillian Leitzel [1892-1931], once the most famous circus performer who ever lived - a tiny, flamboyant woman who commanded the world's attention and came to the kind of grand, shocking demise that served only to burnish her legend. Kindle Edition from Random House Digital [6/2013] for $12.99 Crown Books 9¼x6¼ deckle-edge hardcover [6/2013] for $18.89

The Flying Wallendas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flying_Wallendas
http://www.amazon.com/Wallenda-A-Biography-Karl/dp/091529804X/ [1976]
1978, The Great Wallendas, a made-for-TV movie about the family

American  Circus  Companies
'List of circuses & circus owners' at Wikipedia

Buffalo Bill Cody Page / Wild West Show Section at 'Readers of The Purple Sage' Western Bookstore

Western Culture Page / Wild West Show Section at 'Readers of The Purple Sage' Western Bookstore

Chipperfield's Circus [est. 1684] is based in U.K.
http://www.amazon.com/Chipperfields-Circus-Illustrated-David-Jamieson/dp/1872904092/

Al G. Barnes Circus [1895-1938] wintered in California
Pawnee Bill's Historic Wild West Show [1888-1908]
Sells-Floto Circus [1904-1931]
Miller Brothers 101 Ranch Wild West Show [1907-1927]
Tom Mix Circus [1935-38] page at Circus History website
Carson & Barnes Circus [est. 1937] based in Hugo, Oklahoma
Kelly Miller Traveling Circus – America's One Ring Wonder™ [est. 1938] based in Hugo, Oklahoma

Culpepper & Merriweather Great Combined Circus [est. 1985] The Culpepper & Merriweather Circus brings an action-packed 90-minute show to over 200 towns in 17 different states over 32 weeks of the year; based in Hugo, Oklahoma official website • adult tickets are $7

Circus Flora [est. 1987] in St. Louis, Missouri
Circus Smirkus travelling youth circus [est. 1987] is based in Vermont
Clyde Beatty Circus
http://www.amazon.com/Cole-Bros-Circus-Rochester-Indiana/dp/B000UY7AUY/
http://www.amazon.com/Dan-Rice-Famous-Youve-Never/dp/1586482394/
http://www.amazon.com/great-Forepaugh-show-Americas-largest/dp/B0007FEN7Y/
The Jordan World Circus [] - based in Las Vegas, Nevada
http://www.amazon.com/Pickle-Family-Circus-T-Lorant/dp/0877013772/
James E. Strates Carnival [est. 1923] based in Orlando, Florida: Wikipedia • official website
Zoppe Family Circus [est. 1842] based in St. Louis, Missouri

           
The Cooper & Bailey Circus was established in the 1860s; showman P.T. Barnum [1810-91] established a circus in 1870 that was later renamed The Greatest Show On Earth; the Barnum & Bailey Circus was formed by merger in March 1881; five of the seven Ringling Brothers established The World's Greatest Shows circus in 1884; Ringling purchased Barnum & Bailey in 1907 and finally merged in 1919 to form the 'Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus'. The Feld family bought the Ringling circus in 1967; they announced in January 2017 that the company will close down in May due to the sluggish economy, declining attendance, and animal rights activism.
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey official website
John & Mable Ringling Museums, 5401 Bay Shore Road in Sarasota, Florida

"Ringlingville USA: The Stupendous Story of … " [] by Jerry Apps /087020355X/
"The Circus Kings: Our Ringling Family Story" [] by Henry Ringling North /081303311X/

http://www.amazon.com/Ringling-Bros-Barnum-Bailey-Circus/dp/B0036G295E/ = #132
http://www.amazon.com/The-Greatest-Show-Earth-Souvenir/dp/B000G1OD5Q/ = #134
http://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Show-Earth-Souvenir-Edition/dp/B000RJOITI/ = #135
http://www.amazon.com/Edition-Souvenir-Ringling-Barnum-Bailey/dp/B00186PGS6/ = #136
"Biography: The Ringling Brothers" []
"Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus: Be A Clown" video [1987] /tt2027203/
"Ringling Brothers, Kings of The Circus" [2005]
http://www.amazon.com/Ringling-Brothers-Kings-Circus--/dp/B000AEZU24/
http://www.amazon.com/Ringling-Brothers-Kings-Circus-VHS/dp/B000051YMF/
http://www.amazon.com/Ringlingville-USA-Stupendous-Siblings-Stunning/dp/087020355X/
http://www.amazon.com/Ringling-Last-Laugh-Brothers-surviving/dp/0615655920/
8/2011 video [7:45] of trains passing the Burbank, California Amtrak station,
including the Ringling Bros. circus train
PBS Documentary “The Life and Times of John and Mabel Ringling” directed by Curtis Graham of Greyhouse Films in Florida

"Ringling: The Last Laugh - A Novel" [2012] by Michael Lancaster {great grandson of Charles Ringling} 'The real story of the Ringling Brothers as told by John Ringling, the last surviving brother, in 1936' Kindle Edition from Ballyhoo Books [8/2012] for $7.99 Ballyhoo Books 9x6 pb [5/2012] for $14.02

                    
SIDEBAR: Captain Jacob Crowninshield of the cargo ship America imported an elephant from India in April 1796; disputes exist whether this is the first or second elephant in the United States, but it was certainly the first circus elephant. The animal was purchased by cattle farmer Hachaliah Bailey [1775-1845] of Somers, New York, and taken on tour. At first called Betty, and later Old Bet, the animal generated a small fortune, and was put to pasture in the American South each winter.

In July of 1816, Bailey and Old bet were walking down the main road near Alfred, Maine when a local farmer, driven mad by the loss of his gristmill business, attacked and shot Old Bet twice in the head; she died instantly. Never one to ignore a revenue stream, Bailey had Old Bet skinned and continued touring with the hide and skeleton. The tour attracted much less revenue and Bailey decided to retire. He purchased a hotel in Somers, New York and renamed it The Elephant Hotel; he constructed a monument in front of the hotel of a wooden likeness of Old Bet atop a granite pillar. The building and monument still stand:    the first two floors serve as the Somers Town Hall and the third floor is home to
the Somers Historical Society [est. 1956] and the Museum of The Early American Circus.

Bailey eventually gave Old Bet's remains to P.T. Barnum for exhibit at his American Museum in New York City (which was destroyed by fire in 1865). Hachaliah Bailey’s nephew, Frederic Harrison Bailey, adopted orphan James Anthony McGinnis, who, a name change later, became the famous ringmaster James Bailey [1847-1906].
source article from WHAV Radio website

http://www.amazon.com/Cirque-Du-Soleil-Authorized-History/dp/081094636X/
"Cirque du Soleil: The Magic Circus" [1989] TV movie /tt2434722/
"Cirque du Soleil: We Reinvent The Circus" [1992] video /tt0845972/
"Cirque du Soleil: Saltimbanco" [1997] TV /tt0141799/
"Cirque du Soleil: Quidam" [1999] video documentary /tt0219593/
"Cirque du Soleil: Alegria" video [11/1999] /tt0123376/
"Cirque du Soleil: Alegria" [11/2001] TV movie /tt0312571/
"Cirque du Soleil: Dralion" [2001] video /tt0276866/
"Cirque du Soleil: Solstrom" [2003] TV series documentary /tt0824521/
"Cirque du Soleil: Varekai" [2003] TV special documentary /tt0368647/
"Cirque du Soleil: La Nouba" [2004] video documentary /tt0442043/
"Cirque du Soleil: Iris"
"Cirque du Soleil: Zarkana"
"Cirque du Soleil: Totem"
"Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man in 3-D"
"Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away in 3-D" [2012] /tt1792647/
http://www.amazon.com/Cirque-du-Soleil-Nouvelle-Experience/dp/B00005OOQ5/

Circus Music   
http://music.carouselstores.com/

South Shore Circus Concert Band Store {20+ CD albums} at Amazon

	"Circus Time With The Dukes of Dixieland (Volume 7)" [1958] Craze Prodns audio CD [12/2012] 12 tracks for $9.99
	"Big Top Circus Calliope: Recorded Out of Doors - featuring the Wurlitzer Calliola at Paul Eakins' Gay 90s Village in Sikeston, Missouri" [1960s] Audio Fidelity vinyl LP album [undated] 13 tracks - out of prodn/used

http://www.amazon.com/Circus-Calliope-Classic-Carnival-Music/dp/B000K97TT6/
http://www.amazon.com/Circus-Calliope-Vol-2/dp/B004G0VAH2/ = MP3
http://www.amazon.com/Circus-Clown-Calliope/dp/B00003G1PS/
http://www.amazon.com/Circus-Coming-Music-Calliope/dp/B00006IZHO/
http://www.amazon.com/Under-Big-Top-Years-Circus/dp/B000002SKA/
http://www.amazon.com/Circus-Music-From-The-Big/dp/B000002NRK/
http://www.amazon.com/Songs-From-Under-Big-Top/dp/B000C4BAYE/
http://www.amazon.com/Circus-Coming-Music-Calliope/dp/B00006IZHO/

Circus Links
Circus World Museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin
Circus Historical Society [est. 1939]

Peru, Indiana - The Circus Capital of The World!
International Circus Hall of Fame [est. 1956 in Sarasota, Florida; moved 1981 to Peru, Indiana]
Peru Amateur Circus and Circus City Festival [est. 1960]
Circus Fans Assn. of America [est. 1926] based in Ohio
Circopedia: Free Encyclopedia of The International Circus [est. 2007]

Circus Anonymous weblog [est. 2008]
The Circus Blog [est. 2008] by Ivan M. Henry
Circus Stuff [est. 2004] based in NSW, Australia
Circus Trains: The Second Greatest Show On Earth
Circus World theme park [1974-86] in Polk County, Florida
Circuses and Sideshows history fansite [est. 2013]
Angie's Circus City Diner [est. 1998], 1312 E. Jackson Street in Hugo, Oklahoma
Gamma Phi Circus Program [est. 1929] at Illinois State University
F.S.U. Flying High Circus Program & Summer Camp [est. 1947] at Florida State University in Tallahassee, FL

here on The American Circus Page at Spirit of America Bookstore

top of page   •   brief history   •   books   •   movies & TV   •   stageplays, other media   •   toys & games   •

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Spirit of America Bookstore's Circus Film Festival Pages

Spirit of America Bookstore's P.T. Barnum [1810-91] Page

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