- This is the first survey of the history of Cirque du Soleil.- This will be published to coincide with the 20th anniversary of Cirque du Soleil.- The book benefits from an unprecedented participation by Cirque du Soleil in the telling of its story.- The book also has the official endorsement by Cirque du Soleil.- It is a lavishly illustrated volume with 300 photographs.- All of the dazzling Cirque du Soleil productions will be extensively illustrated.- It will be a design and production tour de force.

1. First published: London : André Deutsch, 2007.
   
2. Includes bibliographical references (p. 209-220) and index.
   

Many Historians Claim The sideshow began with P. T. Barnum, yet the concept has existed for as long as there has been human curiosity. When something different or unusual appears before you-living or inanimate-you're intrigued, amazed, or maybe even disgusted. But you want to see it.

Enter a world unlike any other, where a dozen languages are spoken and scores of disciplines perfected--or invented; intimate and inscrutable, artistic and athletic, courageous and committed: the private world of the performers in the Cirque du Soleil.. Of the hundreds of artists the Cirque employs, none is more fascinating than Olga Sidorova, who ran away from Siberia at age 14 to follow her dream to fly. When Schreiber met her in March, 2002, she inspired his own global odyssey, following the European tour of Saltimbanco., assisting her after knee surgery at the Cirque's training studio in Montreal, even helping a pair of contortionists apartment hunt in Las Vegas. Dreams of the Solo Trapeze: Offstage with the Cirque du Soleil. is not one book but many: non-fiction novel, biography, cultural history, travel narrative, and love story. Its aim is to discover and pay tribute to these magnificent artists in a manner that reflects the Cirque's own spontaneity, originality and daring.

Anthropologist Poignant recounts the destiny of two groups of North Queensland Aborigines who were recruited by showman R. A. Cunningham in 1882, and shipped to San Francisco to become part of P.T. Barnum's traveling exhibit of uncivilized races. She places the event in the context of similar exhibits around the world. In 1994 she facilitated the return of the recently discovered body of Tambo, the first of the group to die, and curated an exhibit at the National Library of Australia about the search and return. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

The b&w photos of this volume, which are beautifully reproduced in full-page plates, were taken by Fred Whitman Glasier, a portrait photographer in Brockton, Massachusetts between 1901-1927. Glasier, who documented all the circuses that came to town during that period, took two kinds of photos: long, often aerial views that show the activity surrounding the circus, mainly before or after the public arrives; and classically composed portraits of the performers in costume, some while performing stunts. A short caption to each photo names the performer and gives his or her history, when known. Distributed by W.W. Norton & Co. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Circus for Everyone: Circus LearningAround the World is the first study of the circus training programs that have emerged in the last 25 years. Programs help at-risk youth develop good work habits and self-esteem. Curricular and extracurricular programs provide non-competitive physical activity that adapts to the needs of all children. Academic programs produce professional performers.

Images from the World Between is an engaging survey of circus imagery in twentieth-century American art. In her introductory essay, curator Donna Gustafson chronicles the history of the American circus, showing how and why it came to be an important subject for American art. Through a discussion of a wide range of paintings, sculptures, prints, and photographs, Gustafson examines how the circus has been represented both as a microcosm of society and as an alternative reality. Some artists have been drawn to the abstract beauty of the circus ring, tent, and performances. Others have immortalized individual performers such as trapeze artist Alfredo Codona, animal trainer Clyde Beatty, and aerialist Lillian Lietzel for their physical prowess, grace, and courage. Still others have focused on the darker aspects of circus life, such as the danger inherent in many of the performances and the appeal of the grotesque. The book accompanies an exhibition organized by the American Federation of Arts. Among the artists discussed are Diane Arbus, George Bellows, Rhona Bitner, Alexander Calder, John Stuart Curry, Charles Demeuth, Walt Kuhn, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Lisette Model, and Bruce Nauman. In addition to Gustafson's, the book contains essays by Karal Ann Marling on the postwar revival of interest in circus motifs and on the clown in popular culture, by Ellen Handy on the circus in twentieth-century photography, by Lee Siegel on the circus in twentieth-century literature, and by Eugene R. Gaddis on A. Everett "Chick" Austin's collection and exhibition of paintings with circus themes. As director of the Wadsworth Atheneum and the Ringling Museum of Art, and as a performing magician, Austin united the worlds of art and the circus.