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The Greatest Shows on Earth: A History of the Circus

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A history of the circus that is as enchanting as a night at the big-top itself.

Now available in paperback, The Greatest Shows on Earth takes us from eighteenth-century hippodromes in Britain to intimate one-ring circuses in nineteenth-century Paris, where Toulouse-Lautrec and Picasso became enchanted by aerialists and clowns. We meet P. T. Barnum, James Bailey and the enterprising Ringling Brothers, who created the golden age of American circuses. We explore contemporary transformations of the circus, from the whimsical Circus Oz in Australia to New York City’s Big Apple Circus. Circus people are central to the story: trick riders and tightrope walkers, sword swallowers and animal trainers, contortionists and clowns – these are the men and women who create the sensational, raucous, titillating and incomparable world of the circus.
Beautifully illustrated, rich in historical detail and full of colourful anecdotes, Linda Simon’s vibrant history is as enchanting as a night at the big-top itself.

Author: Simon Linda
Publisher: REAKTION BOOKS
Pages: 296
ISBN: 9781789147032
Cover: Paperback
Edition Number: 1
Release Year: 2023

Linda Simon is Professor Emerita of English at Skidmore College, New York. Her many books include Coco Chanel (Reaktion, 2011) and Lost Girls: The Invention of the Flapper (Reaktion, 2014).

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