This history of clowns is documented in this generously illustrated volume, tracing the evolution of clowns and clowning from the entertaining rituals of the American Indians to the worldwide clown costumes and clown routines of today

Step right up for the Greatest Book on Earth! For more than 70 years, Clowns International—the oldest established clowning organization—has been painting the faces of its members on eggs. Each one is a record of a clown's unique identity, preserving the unwritten rule that no clown should copy another's look. This mesmerizing volume collects more than 150 of these portraits, from 1946 to the modern day, accompanied by short personal histories of many of the clowns. Here are Tricky Nicky, Taffy, Bobo, Sammy Sunshine, the legendary Emmett Kelly, and Jolly Jack, clowning since 1977 and still performing today with a penguin puppet named Biscuit. A treasure just like the eggs it enshrines, The Clown Egg Register is an extraordinary archive of images and lives of the men and women behind the make-up.

Clowns: In Conversation with Modern Masters is a groundbreaking collection of conversations with 20 of the greatest clowns on earth. In discussion with clown aficionados Ezra LeBank and David Bridel, these legends of comedy reveal the origins, inspirations, techniques, and philosophies that underpin their remarkable odysseys. Featuring incomparable artists, including Slava Polunin, Bill Irwin, David Shiner, Oleg Popov, Dimitri, Nola Rae, and many more, Clowns is a unique and definitive study on the art of clowning. In Clowns, these 20 master artists speak candidly about their first encounters with clowning and circus, the crucial decisions that carved out the foundations of their style, and the role of teachers and mentors who shaped their development. Follow the twists and turns that changed the direction of their art and careers, explore the role of failure and originality in their lives and performances, and examine the development and evolution of the signature routines that became each clown’s trademark. The discussions culminate in meditations on the role of clowning in the modern world, as these great practitioners share their perspectives on the mysterious, elusive art of the clown.

"So view, and get over it." And so begins the lighthearted attempt of Scary Clowns to relieve coulrophobes of their fear of "grotesquely made-up men wearing overly large trousers, huge shoes, and a red nose." This fear may seem as amusing as the characters that inspire it, but numerous support groups and hundreds of Web sites are dedicated to coulrophobia. Horror movies featuring killer clowns, as well as notorious clown/serial killer John Wayne Gacy, have only fed the fear. Over 80 full-color photographs-from the surreal to the grotesque-populate Scary Clowns, bringing readers face to face with their worst nightmares. A pop-up clown in the middle of the book forces the reader to confront his darkest fear in 3-D. It is all done in the name of good, clean fun, of course. Why are seemingly innocuous clowns so horrifying to so many people? The introduction in Scary Clowns attempts to demystify the strange phobia. By nature silent, a clown makes no noise or complaint as he falls over, throws things, plays with knives, walks on high wires, tumbles, turns, and collapses. Maybe it's the silence that makes him so scary.

Jason thought the shiny new bicycle that his mom and dad gave him for his seventh birthday was the greatest present he ever received. Then when Jason took an unexpected tumble from his bike, it brought kindly neighbor Gerald Taylor to his aid and began a friendship that turned out to be an even greater gift. One day, as the two were reading together, Gerald showed Jason a book that could bring happiness to those who were sad. Gerald had a name for those sad people: upside-down clowns. He explained that this very special book had the power to turn upside-down clowns right side up again. The book tells the story of Jesus, who brings joy to even the most joyless of people. Those who accept Jesus into their hearts will find comfort in the words expressed in John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Introduction to reading with a minimum of words.