'All the fun of the fair', the
acrobats, jugglers, traders, tricksters - these are some of the
colourful characters to be found in Paul White's book.
There have been fairs for at least
2500 years (probably more) and they have been held all over the
world - from Timbuctoo to Nizhni-Novgorod. Early fairs were meetings
for traders to buy and sell their wares, but entertainers soon came
to entertain the crowds.
This book uses the words of the
showmen themselves, as well as many attractive and unusual old
pictures, to show us the story of these popular entertainers. It
takes us from the middle ages right up to the sideshows and dodgems
of the modern fair and the sawdust ring of the circus.
This is a fascinating account of
some ways in which people amused themselves long before television
or the cinema were invented - as well as of circuses and fairgrounds
today.
Condition:
Very good with slightly shabby but generally intact dustjacket
(click on photo above to see in detail). |
