Circus

Pascal Jacob is a prominent circus arts historian and lecturer at the Sorbonne, France. He has published over thirty popular and scholarly books on the circus, and is the artistic director of both the Cirques Phénix and the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain.

• Foreword by Marius KwintORIGINS: ANTIQUITY - 1770THE GRAND HIGHWAYA Day at the CircusThe Foundations of the 'Grande Banque d’Occident'Jugglers, Entertainers and Acrobats Priests, Gypsies, Merchants: Travellers’ Tales Fairs, Construction Sites and Rostrums: The First Performance VenuesPreparing the Ground and Codes for Western AcrobaticsIMPACT AND DOMINATION: 1770-1880THE WEST CONQUERS THE WORLDIt All Began with a CircleFamilies and Troupes: The Great Dynastic Ventures The Franconi Dynasty A Huge Building Site: The Circus Joins the CityEquestrians Triumph Throughout EuropePauline Cuzent Pantomimes and the Emergence of Narrative in the CircusCircus Bodies: The Advent of Spectacular GymnasticsJules LéotardWhiteface and Auguste Clowns Foottit and Chocolat CHANGES:1880-1930OF MEN AND BEASTS Exoticism, Wild Beasts and Splendour, German-StyleHans Stosch-Sarrasini Men and BeastsClaire HéliotSetting a System for Mobility: The Big TopAmerica, America The Towering Figure of America and its Influence in EuropePhineas Taylor Barnum “Monsieur Loyal”: The Spoken Word Enters the CircusRoger LanzacINFLUENCES: 1930-2015THE BIG PLUNGEThe Soviet Circus: State Circus and Vehicle for Propaganda Margarita Nazarova KarandashThe Chinese Acrobatic Theatre: a RenaissanceXia Ju Hua The End of a World: The American Circus in TurmoilJohn Ringling NorthThe Circo Fellini: A Fresh Perspective on the Ring, In Italy and ElsewhereThe Revival of the Circus Arts in France, Quebec and BelgiumAnnie FratelliniFINALE: A Circus for Today and TomorrowGlossaryBibliographyIndex of Names

Like the circus, this magnificent volume offers a cavalcade of color and dynamism, dizzying the eye with photographs, posters, and reproductions of ephemera from the “living spectacle.” Drawing heavily on the holdings at the French National Library, Jacob—a circus scholar, historian, and director—contextualizes the stunning kaleidoscope of images, many of which have never been previously published, with an accessible overview of circus development ... Ideal for both scholars and aficionados of the circus, as well as those looking for a vibrant, engaging introduction to the form, this text moves from the circus's origins through its integrations with equestrian forms, to its triumph as a major mode of entertainment in the 1800s. Twentieth-century excursions include the Soviet circus, Chinese performers, Fellini’s fascination with circus through cinema, and circus arts schools of today ... [This] brilliant volume (rendered at times poetic by Augusta Dörr’s translation from French) will be appreciated by all, regardless of their background. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers.