Wrestling dates back to ancient times, but it was not until Edmond Desbonnet (1867-1953) produced his groundbreaking work The Kings of Wrestling in 1910 that its history was set down in book-length form. His work consists of nearly 150 biographies and accompanying photos of the men who pioneered professional wrestling, particularly in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He explains how Greco-Roman wrestling emerged in France around 1845 and then evolved into a big business during its golden age of 1890 to 1910. The sport drew men from all over Europe as well as Africans, Turks, East Indians, Russians, Americans, and others. Wrestling became the first truly international sport the world had ever known. Desbonnet wrote his history in French, and it is translated here for the first time. This richly illustrated edition has an introduction and extensive annotations, along with many contemporary newspaper articles, book excerpts and magazine pieces from French, Italian and German sources.

A beautiful book that showcases how circus figures and artifacts have been portrayed in art over the past two centuries The circus is a dazzling world filled with acrobats and harlequins, tumblers and riders, monsters and celestial creatures. Now this engaging book sets that world in a new light, examining how painters, sculptors, and photographers from the eighteenth century to the present have used the circus as a springboard for their imaginative expression and have envisioned the clown as a metaphor for the modern artist. The book presents more than 175 works by such artists as Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec, Rouault, Picasso, Chagall, and Léger. Some of these are masterful works shown for the first time; these range from the 18-meter stage curtain Picasso designed in 1917 for Erik Satie's ballet Parade to more intimate works such as Nadar and Tournachon's photographs of Pierrot as played by celebrated mime Charles Debureau.

Written in both English and French, The 9.5mm Vintage Film Encyclopaedia provides a single-volume, comprehensive catalogue of all known 9.5mm film releases, including: Films: Comprising 12,460 individual entries, this A-Z reference index provides the main listing for each film and its origin where known, along with additional information including cast and crew, and cross references to other relevant material. People: This index of all known actors and film crew, comprising over 12,000 names, provides a listing which is cross referenced to the main entry for each original film they worked on. Numbers: Pathé-Baby/Pathéscope and other distributors’ catalogue numbers, film length, release dates (where known) and the series in which the films were organised, are set out in detail. With a foreword from eminent film historian and filmmaker, Keith Brownlow, this extensively researched text explains the importance of the 9.5mm film, from its beginnings in the early 1920s to becoming synonymous with Home Cinema throughout Europe. Readers will also find a brief technical explanation on how 9.5mm films were produced, along with relevant images.

Well-written, loaded with information, and with a rich assortment of illustrations, each Discoveries RM volume is a look at one facet of art, archaeology, music, history, philosophy, popular culture, science, or nature. These innovatively designed, affordably priced, compact paperbacks bring ideas to life and amplify our understanding of civilization in a new way.