This first balanced picture of circus king John Ringling North explored the remarkable career of the man who ran Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Baily for thirty years. David Lewis Hammarstrom details how North guided the circus through adversities ranging from depressions and wars to crippling labor strikes and rapidly changing trends in American entertainment. Hammarstrom interviewed a host of circus figures including North himself; his formers, directors, and department heads who were involved with the circus when North owned and operated it.

Once an eagerly awaited spectacle, the traveling circus--that miracle of red wagons, trumpeting elephants and spangled trapeze artists that slipped into town at dawn and disappeared by midnight--has all but vanished from the American landscape. This work explores circus history from 1793 to the present and addresses the forces of modern culture (such as the popularity of Cirque du Soleil, and pressure from the animal rights movement) that are pushing big top shows toward what the author calls "circus ballet." Numerous photographs and in-depth interviews conducted with show owners, performers and directors enrich the narrative. Overall, the book reveals a sobering contrast between circuses of yesterday and today, even as it honors the outstanding performers who created, and have sustained, the enduring appeal of the circus.

A thrilling behind-the-scenes biography of the Ringling brothers’ chief henchman. Art Concello wasn’t born into the circus. But he was in the right place at the right time, becoming one of the world’s best trapeze artists before transforming himself into a shrewd circus businessman. In the Shadow of the Big Top: The Life of Ringling's Unlikely Circus Savior details Concello’s fateful path from flyer, to manager, to owner. Against the backdrop of the golden age of the American circus, this book goes beyond the showmanship displayed in the ring to reveal how the circus could both thrill a crowd and make incredible money—and exposes the human toll extracted for doing so. Maureen Brunsdale not only tells Art’s incredible life story, but also that of his wife, an orphan-turned-acrobat who was determined to never be left behind in a career every bit as terrifying and electrifying as her husband’s. The first-ever biography of Concello, In the Shadow of the Big Top draws back the curtain on the inner workings of the circus and casts a light on the man who shaped not only Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, but the circus industry as a whole.

Tents for good and move the circus indoors. It also shows that North's circus was not artistically run down and losing money when he sold it in 1967 but in fact had been reestablished as a profitable enterprise that earned first-rate critical notices and was attracting larger crowds each year. Hammarstrom has interviewed a host of key circus figures including North himself; his brother, Henry; his famous general manager, Arthur M. Concello; and many performers.

Dalton Young—ringmaster of the financially strapped Second Galaxy Circus—has a lot on his spinning plates. Broken equipment, injured performers, and investors breathing down his neck threaten to crater everything he’s built. Still, he continues to do it all on his own. Partnerships, after all, always end with someone broke or broken. And he should know—ten years ago, the love of his life never boarded the bus heading toward their mutual dream of performing in the circus. Penelope Baker—a tame, methodical accountant for a prestigious investment firm—made the mistake of admitting she almost ran off with the circus in her youth, and now her boss has assigned her the bothersome task of auditing their riskiest investment: The Second Galaxy Circus. Taking the job will only remind her of the chaotic road she almost traveled. She decides to do the work as quickly and efficiently as possible so she can get back to her stable and routine life. Things unravel the moment Dalton and Penelope come face to face with each other and their connected past. She was the girl who never showed, and he was the boy left waiting. Yet, just like the name of his circus, maybe they have a second chance at love under a big top. Book two in The Unwedding Vow: Having just attended a wedding with the queen of all bridezillas, the ten unmarried members of wedding reception table nine have taken an oath. They will never, ever get married. Can this collection of oddball personalities keep their promise to be single? Or will love pick off each member of The Unwedding Vow?

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