Well-known theatre and circus historian William L. Slout here collects together 29 first-hand accounts of 19th- and early 20th-century popular amusements, including summer resorts, watering places, agricultural fairs, World's Fairs, the circus, vaudeville, theatre, and amusement parks. Complete with index, introduction, and contemporaneous illustrations.

The Illustrated Book Of Tricks By The Famous Artist And Magician.

Circuses and film are a natural pairing, and the new essays making up this volume begin the exploration of how these two forms of entertainment have sometimes worked together to create a spectacle of onscreen alchemy. The films discussed herein are an eclectic group, ranging from early silent comedies to animated, 21st century examples, in which circuses serve as liminal or carnivalesque spaces wherein characters-and by extension audience members-can confront issues as far-reaching as labor relations, sensuality, identity, ethics, and more. The circus as discussed in these essays encompasses the big top, the midway, the sideshow and the freak show; it becomes backdrop, character, catalyst and setting, and is welcoming, malicious or terrifying. Circus performers are family, friends, foe or all of the above. And film is the medium that brings it all together. This volume starts the conversation about how circuses and film can combine to form productive, exciting spaces where almost anything can happen.

This book is a facsimile reprint and may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages.

James A. Bailey and P. T. Barnum first joined forces to produce a double show in 1881--a royal coupling--inaugurating the "Golden Age" of the American circus. This book details some of the activity leading up to that notable landmark in amusement history, particularly during the decade of 1871-81. Complete with notes, bibliography, index, and contemporaneous illustrations.

It is the early days of Magic: The Gathering. Wizards has just announced the first professional competition: Pro Tour New York. Follow along as the author and his friends discover Magic, go to their first tournaments then the first Pro Tour. After getting a taste for professional competition they strive to get back on the tour through qualifier after qualifier. Strategy, deck lists, humor and accounts of the early days of Magic: The Gathering when people still played for ante, Shivan Dragons ruled the skies and people were just starting to understand the value of a Black Lotus. (This book was previously published as "Tournament Reports." This version has been renamed and extensively revised for grammar, spelling and punctuation.)

"Chilly Billy" was the nickname of circus mogul William Washington Cole, the chief rival of P. T. Barnum. Cole was born into a circus family in 1847, and beginning in 1870 and continuing through 1886, developed "Cole's Colossal Circus" into a money-making enterprise. He wisely invested his earnings in real estate, making himself a multimillionaire before finally closing down shop. Another landmark contribution to American circus history, complete with notes, index, bibliography, and contemporaneous illustrations.

Celebrate all of your favorite holidays with these magical stories, told through enchanting puppet plays. Each will entertain both children and adults as they interact with the puppets, sing, and laugh out loud.

Meet Rudolph, the No-Nose Reindeer. How will he lead Santa's sleigh without his famous nose that lights up the sky? Encounter a lamb delivering eggs while posing as the Easter Bunny, a very sweet witch who doesn't want to scare anyone on Halloween, a Komodo dragon who receives Valentine cards from a secret admirer, Harriet the Hedgehog who doesn't want to stand in for the missing groundhog on Groundhog Day, a scarecrow who tries to save a desperate turkey from becoming dinner on Thanksgiving Day, and goofy animals performing silly acts in a talent contest at the Fourth of July festivities.

Included is a bonus puppet play for any day of the year; a lost, confused lamb in the Australian outback goes on a walkabout to search for his mum, with help from a nurturing kangaroo and a wily dingo. These puppet plays are lots of fun for all ages

About the Author

Shelly Varney-Bock is a children's author, school volunteer, secretary, and mother. Along with writing numerous puppet scripts, she has also performed in hundreds of her own magical plays. Shelly resides in the beautiful desert of Tucson, Arizona, with her husband and their three wild and crazy dogs.

Reprint 1961 edition. p.224. Sonora Carver was an American entertainer, most notable as one of the first female horse divers. Carver answered an ad placed by "Doc" William Frank Carver in 1923 for a diving girl and soon earned a place in circus history.Her job was to mount a running horse as it reached the top of a forty-foot (sometimes sixty-foot) tower and sail down along the animal's back as it plunged into a deep pool of water directly below. Sonora was a sensation and soon became the lead diving girl for Doc Carver's act as they traveled the country. In 1931, Sonora was blinded, a retinal detachment, due to hitting the water off-balance with her eyes open.while diving her horse, Red Lips, on New Jersey's Steel Pier, the act's permanent home since 1929. After her accident Sonora continued to dive horses until 1942.

This volume is based on a series of lectures given by the author in the early years of the 20th Century on the problems faced by Christian missionaries working in India.

Not only do the authors look at the history of magic, but also the art and science of it. They detail fundamental principles and discuss practical theory essential for a proper understanding of the craft.

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.

Many magicians need a table. This book shows you what to look for and how to construct your own. A necessary reference book for every illusionist, conjurer, and amateur stage magician!

A collection of more than 100 routines, suggestions, tips, presentations, gags, and other ideas for the "Vanishing Milk Pitcher" magic trick.

Edward Victor -- famous for his slight-of-hand effects -- offers more of his innermost secrets and shows exactly how to perform some of his greatest magic effects. Includes: cards, tapes, coins, silks, dice, salt, cigars, gloves, thimbles, matchboxes, billiard balls, more!

Roll up, roll up for a trip back in time to the heyday of the circus! Originally published in 1936, Circus Parade shows the big top at its most exciting: a world of expert horse-riders, death-defying trapeze artists, elastic acrobats, fearless lion-tamers and, of course, hilarious and loveable clowns. The author, John S Clarke, had many years' circus experience and understood its people and way of life like no other. As well as explaining the origins of the circus in Roman and medieval times and highlighting some of the most celebrated acts through history, he reveals the fascinating and sometimes tragic stories behind the glitz and sawdust of the big top. Illustrated with numerous photos of circus performers in action, Circus Parade offers a unique ringside view of this traditional yet ever-changing entertainment.

The Illustrated Book Of Tricks By The Famous Artist And Magician.

Drawn from never-before-seen documents and many unpublished photographs. It will appeal to readers of theatre, magic and war history. John Mulholland (1898-1970) edited the magician's magazine The Sphinx for 23 years, ending the publication to be consultant to the newly born CIA in 1953. His assignments included working with billionaires and inventors, cracking codes and delving into the clandestine world of ESP research, LSD use and the secret MK-ULTRA world headed by the notorious Dr. Sidney Gottlieb. During this period, CIA Dr. Frank Olson died the day after Thanksgiving, 1953.This book examines Mulholland's role during this dramatic period in the CIA's history and goes against the current trend of accusing Mulholland as having a role in Olson's fatal fall from a hotel window.