Circus Mania review in the Call Boy - official journal of the British Music Hall Society

My thanks to Eric Midwinter for a fantastic review of Circus Mania in the Autumn issue of The Call Boy - the official journal of the British

Circus Mania review in The Call Boy
- journal of the British Music Hall Society

Music Hall Society. Here’s the review:

“Douglas McPherson’s approach is the ingenious one of visiting differing sorts of circus, interviewing the performers and, by way of context, drawing us into circus history. Thus a visit to the Circus of Horrors and a chat with Hannibal Helmurto, the Pain-Proof Man, leads to a scrutiny of Victorian freak shows and Tom Thumb. It is done enjoyably but not uncritically and comprises a powerful introduction to circus performance then and now. In the case of circus the backstage toughness is professional rather than social. There are few tricks. It is very dangerous. The sword swallower really swallows the sword. Tragically, the day after the author’s interview with Eva Garcia appeared in The Stage she fell to her death in the circus ring. Here the fight is between obsession with the circus dream and daily endurance against the perils.

Tom Major gets an honourable mention and it was said of his son, premier John, that he was the only person ever to run away from a circus to join a bank. But it is the flight to the circus, as this engaging book explains, that leads to the disciplined rather than the happy-go-lucky life. If bankers were half so dedicated to stringent regulation and devoted awareness of public requirement as circus performers then the world economy might be a little brighter.”

If you’d like a copy of the “Ingenious” and “engaging” Circus Mania, click here to buy the new, updated 2nd Edition direct from Amazon.

The Call Boy is a fantastic resource for fans of variety, music hall and light entertainment and is distributed free to members of the British Music Hall Society. The Society hosts bi-monthly shows, talks and other events and membership is warmly recommended. To join, write to Membership Secretary Howard Lee, Thurston Lodge, Thurston Park, Whitstable, Kent CTE 1RE.

Jumbo - The Greatest Elephant in the World! Book review

I’ve just had a fantastic time reading Jumbo - The Greatest Elephant in the World by Paul Chambers. Jumbo was a literally huge celebrity in the Victorian era, both in England, as the main attraction at London Zoo, and in America, where the 11-foot-tall African elephant became the star of PT Barnum’s Greatest Show On Earth. In fact, so well known was the four-legged colossus that ‘jumbo’ entered the English language as a new word for anything big.

Chambers’ biography of Jumbo is deceptively compact, but it tells a big and compelling story in thrilling detail. The impeccably researched narrative traces Jumbo’s story back as far as Taher Sheriff, the African ‘Aggageer,’ or elephant hunter, who captured Jumbo as a young calf in the Sudan, and includes a bloody first hand description by explorer Samuel White Baker of how Sheriff and his fellow horsemen captured (and killed) their prey.

My drawing of
Jumbo
in Circus Mania

From there, Chambers offers fascinating insights into Jumbo’s relationship with his life-long keeper Matthew Scott and the many behind-the-scenes shenanigans involving Scott, London Zoo superintendent Abraham Bartlett and the great circus showman PT Barnum. The detailed descriptions of dramatic events, such as the protracted difficulties in removing Jumbo from the zoo, read like a novel and will have you on the edge of your seat as you read.

Sadly, Jumbo came to a tragic end, beneath the wheels of a steam train. But he surely left a bigger mark on the world than any other animal, as evidenced by the way his name lives on in our daily conversation more than a century later. As Chambers says, the next time you see a jumbo jet or eat a jumbo sausage, remember the original Jumbo - the greatest elephant in the world - after which it’s named.

Jumbo (published by Andre Deutsch) is a highly recommended read. But what of today’s circus elephants? Should the big top still have them, or are they cruelly treated? Before you make up your mind, read both sides of the argument in my book Circus Mania - The Ultimate Book For Anyone Who Dreamed Of Running Away With The Circus. Oh, and there’s even an original ink drawing of Jumbo in Circus Mania by author Douglas McPherson (That's it, above on the right!).

Circus Mania by Douglas McPherson can be ordered direct from:
Peter Owen Publishers
81 Ridge Road
London N8 9NP
Credit card orders can be taken during office hours on 020 8350 1775.

Or click here to order from Amazon.

Circus Mania a Good Read!

My thanks to Circus Mania reader Shana Kennedy for posting the following review on www.goodread.com :

Australian circus girl
Chelsea McGuffin
- Read the
behind-the-scenes
story of her
wince-inducing
performance with
 Circa
in Circus Mania
(Photo by
Sandrine Penda,
 courtesy
Norfolk and Norwich
Festival)

‘A decent circus book for us groupies... a quote I particularly connected with: "I realize...the rows of seats behind me are going to remain empty... But as the lights go down it ceases to matter. In a theatre you would feel the emptiness of a poorly attended house sapping the atmosphere. The big top, by contrast, seems to close snugly around us, emphasizing only our proximity to the ring and the impending action."’

If you’re tempted to read some more, save £5 off the retail price by ordering Circus Mania direct from Peter Owen Publishers at the special offer price of £10 postage free in the UK (£2.75 postage rest of world). Send cheques to:
Peter Owen Publishers
81 Ridge Road
London N8 9NP
Credit card orders during office hours: 020 8350 1775

MEET THE WOOKEY HOLE WITCH!

THE CIRCUS STAR WHO’LL PUT A SPELL ON YOU!


As the nights draw in and Halloween looms, you may be wondering where to celebrate the time of ghosties, ghoulies, pumpkins, broomsticks, black cats... and witches. Where better than the 50,000-year-old tourist attraction Wookey Hole, where the caves boast their own breed of creepy cave spider... and a real live resident witch?

Luckily, witch in residence Sunny van der Pas is a witch of the friendly, rather than scary variety, and Terrance the spider who hangs from her pointed hat looks like a fake to me - although she assures me the spiders in the caves are real enough.

“I’m not certain, but I’m told they’re the only venomous spiders in England,” says Sunny, who looks pretty fit for her claimed age of 227, “But they’re absolutely beautiful.”

So are the caves, themselves, says Sunny: “Some of the chambers are 100-feet tall. They’re beautifully lit and look like cathedrals. There’s one shaped like a dome, which was created by a whirlpool and could never have been carved by man.”

As well as the caves, Wookey Hole boasts a dinosaur park, a paper museum on the site of Britain’s oldest paper mill, a Victorian penny arcade, a fairy garden and a Mirror Maze. There’s also a circus museum stuffed with showman’s wagons, circus freaks, costumes and memorabilia and, at weekends and during the school holidays, thrice daily circus shows in the Big Top Theatre. The shows are presented by Sunny who, being a witch, naturally casts a lot of spells to make things disappear and appear; and Bippo the clown, who is one of Britain’s most talented up-and-coming performers.

The rest of the cast are drawn from the students of the Wookey Circus School who perform all kinds or gymnastics and aerial feats.

The circus connection isn’t surprising, though, as Wookey Hole is owned by Britain’s most famous living circus man, Gerry Cottle, who bought the attraction after selling his share of the Chinese and Moscow State Circuses. Cottle’s idea at the time was to retire from circus. But, as they said in Cecil B DeMille’s film The Greatest Show On Earth, you can shake the sawdust off your shoes, but you can never shake it out of your heart.

For details of Wookey Hole opening times and bookings at the on-site 58-bedroom hotel, call 01749 672243 or visit www.wookey.co.uk.

If you want the full story of Gerry Cottle’s circus career and how he came to set up the Wookey Circus School... plus the story of how Bippo ran away with the circus as a 9-year-old... buy my book:

CIRCUS MANIA - THE ULTIMATE BOOK FOR ANYONE WHO DREAMED OF RUNNING AWAY WITH THE CIRCUS!

Circus Mania retails at £14.99, but you can save £5 by ordering direct from Peter Owen Publishers at the special offer price of just £10 postage free.

Send cheques to:

81 Ridge Road
London N8 9NP

Tel: 020 8350 1775

Circo - review of a fantastico DVD about the Mexican circus!

Behind the big top of Gran Circo Mexico
in the atmospheric documentary Circo

In Mexico they have a saying: “Through good and bad - the circus forever!” Circo, a fantastico documentary shot and directed by Aaron Schock, shows both the good times and the bad times, while leaving no doubt that the circus will indeed endure forever.

The film, now on DVD, follows the fortunes of the Gran Circo Mexico, a small family circus touring impoverished rural Mexico. Tino Ponce, the mainstay of the show, was born into the circus tradition and is determined that his young kids will carry on the life of his parents and grandparents. The school age kids, who have never been to school, provide most of his acts, from lion training to aerial silk and contortionism.

A scene from Circo

But all is not well in the big top. Tino’s wife, a town girl, is unhappy with her children being driven so hard: “You are supposed to give your children everything, but our children give us everything.” Ivonne also resents all the profits from her their hard labour being passed to Tino’s aging parents, who own the circus.

“The circus always comes first, before anything else,” Ivonne moans, while Tino admits “I’m walking a tightrope,” between responsibility to his parents and responsibility to his wife and children.

While the marital tension builds, Schock’s unhurried film shows the harsh reality of circus life: the gritty, debris strewn circus sites “behind the gas station” in villages with the feel of a third world country; the endless travel and constant practise; the mud, dirt, Gypsy camp conditions and lack of basic amenities: at one point, one of Tino’s sons scales a wall and uses a long stick with a hook of copper wire on the end to rig a makeshift electrical supply from a nearby overhead line.

“We’re trapped in our circus world - caged,” comments Ivonne. But, despite the deprivations, those who leave the circus - even Ivonne, in the end - always come back. As Tino states, “My hope is to die here in the circus.”

With an atmospheric soundtrack by alt.country band Calexico, this fantastico film is released on DVD by Network Releasing, price £12.99, and is warmly recommended.

CIRCUS MANIA! 

And don’t forget, if you want to see what goes on behind the scenes of Britain’s circuses, check out my book, Circus Mania! To read about the lives, culture, history, superstitions and secrets of sword swallowers, trapeze stars and tiger trainers click here to order the updated 2nd Edition from Amazon.

And, as we say in the UK, “May all your days be circus days!”

CIRCUS GIRL NELL GIFFORD IN PICTURE OF THE YEAR

If there were an award for the best circus photograph of the year it would definitely go to this shot of Nell Gifford sitting side-saddle on a rearing horse in the May 21 edition of the Daily Telegraph. Circus has never looked more cool!

Take a look at this fantastic shot and Patricia Carswell’s excellent feature on Gifford’s Circus production of War and Peace at the Hay Literary Festival by clicking here.

My thanks, too, to Patricia for quoting me and mentioning Circus Mania! within the piece.

"Circus Mania is a brilliant
account of a vanishing
art form."
- Mail on Sunday

If the magic of Gifford’s Circus fires your imagination, check out Circus Mania! to discover the reality of life, death and danger that faces those who run away with the circus. Buy it on Amazon or direct from Peter Owen Publishers at the special price of £10 postage-free (a saving of £5 off the recommended retail price).
Send cheques to:
Peter Owen Publishers
81 Ridge Road
London N8 9NP

Or click here to buy Circus Mania from Amazon.
And may all your days be circus days!

"Circus Mania reads like a novel!" - another great review of Circus Mania

Juggling at the
Great Yarmouth
Hippodrome
where my journey
into the circus world
began.

My thanks to writer Lynne Hackles for marking World Circus day by posting a glowing review of Circus Mania on her excellent blog I Should Be Writing. Among other compliments, Lynne said, “Circus Mania is one of those rare non-fiction books that you end up reading as if it were a novel. Great characters and plot and beautifully written descriptions.” You can read Lynne’s full review at www.lynnehackles.blogspot.com My thanks are also due to my local regional daily paper, the Eastern Daily Press for running a fabulous 2-page feature on Circus Mania in the run up to World Circus day last week. Among the EDP’s descriptions of Circus Mania: “Remarkable... captivating... beguiling... a real page-turner of a book that shines a bright light on a hidden world inhabited by an extraordinary cast of colourful characters.” Finally, thanks to David Whitely for inviting me onto his BBC Radio Norfolk breakfast show to talk about Circus Mania on Saturday 16, and, through the wonders of pre-recording, to BBC Radio Essex who had me giving a completely different interview about Circus Mania at exactly the same time. You may be able to listen to both on the BBC iPlayer (if you know how to work it...).

Don’t forget, you can buy Circus Mania direct from Peter Owen Publishers at the special offer price of £10 postage-free in the UK (£2.75 postage worldwide). Send cheques to: Peter Owen Publishers 81 Ridge Road, London N8 9NP.

Circus Mania in the papers

Click here to read a dozen more reviews of Circus Mania - The Ultimate Book For Anyone Who Dreamed of Running Away With The Circus.

5 Ways to celebrate the 10th World Circus Day, 20 April, 2018

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! Saturday 20 April, 2019 is the 10th World Circus Day! Organised by the International Circus Federation under the patronage of Princess Stephanie of Monaco, World Circus Day is a global celebration of the glamour, excitement, tradition and spectacle of the sawdust circle - and it’s something EVERYONE can get involved in.

Here is the recipe for a perfect World Circus Day:

1/ Google ‘Circus’ and the name of your town or county. Find the circus appearing nearest to you and go along! If you haven’t been for years, you’re guaranteed to enjoy it! 

2/ Buy some paper plates and a can of shaving foam. Spray the shaving foam on the plates to make some nice big custard pies, then go into the garden and have a good old custard pie fight!

Sand-filled juggling balls
won't bounce away

3/ Get out your face paints and paint clown faces on your kids... and yourself!

4/ If you’ve got any circus skills take your stilts, unicycle or juggling balls out onto the streets and share your passion. If anyone asks you what you’re doing, tell them it’s World Circus Day!

5/ Buy a copy of Circus Mania - The Ultimate Book For Anyone Who Dreamed Of Running Away With The Circus by Douglas McPherson and read all about the unique lifestyle, traditions, culture, history, superstitions and secrets of the world’s greatest circus entertainers as told in their own words.

Click here to buy Circus Mania from Amazon.

Certificate from Princess Stephanie of Monaco
congratulating Douglas McPherson on participating
in the first World Circus Day with the launch
of Circus Mania

The Mail on Sunday called Circus Mania “A brilliant account of a vanishing art form.” The Eastern Daily Press called it “Remarkable... captivating... beguiling... a real page turner.”

Click here to buy Circus Mania from Amazon.

May all your days be World Circus Days!

CIRCUS MANIA USA!
Circus Mania gets American release in May!
If you’re reading this in America, the good news is that Circus Mania is released in America in May through publisher Peter Owen and the Independent Publishing Group (IPG) price $19.95. It can be ordered through all good book shops or direct from www.ipgbook.com (listed under Performing Arts).

A review in the April 1 issue of US book trade magazine Booklist describes Circus Mania! as “Full of stories and anecdotes that give readers a good sense of the thrills and dangers associated with the big top. The book should appeal to circus fans of all ages and levels of interest.”

Since its UK publication in the UK, Circus Mania! has received many great reviews including a full-page 4-star rave review in Britain’s biggest selling Sunday newspaper, the Mail on Sunday, which described it as “A brilliant account of a vanishing art form” and an “Excellent book.”

British circus and fairground newspaper World’s Fair called Circus Mania “A panoramic peek behind the velvet curtain, covering every imaginable aspect of what goes on behind the scenes. An unmissable read.”

Tina Jackson, on the Writers Hub website, wrote, “Like a good old fashioned circus – McPherson’s favourite kind, in the end – the book rollicks along at a cracking pace, delivering a cast of colourful characters, and a parade of stories of the life-is-stranger-than-fiction variety. There are thrills and spills, acts of derring-do, heart-in-mouth moments, and laughs aplenty. The circus deserves this book and, like the circus, McPherson deserves for Circus Mania to reach a very wide and appreciative audience.”

There have also been two 5-star customer reviews on Amazon, with one reader commenting, “I really loved reading this book!”

The inspiration for Circus Mania came in 2003 when theatrical newspaper The Stage asked me to review the 100th anniversary show at the Great Yarmouth Hippodrome, which is Britain’s oldest building purpose-built for circus. I interviewed aerial silk artiste Eva Garcia... just days before she fell and died during her act.

Dedicated to Eva’s memory, Circus Mania is my behind-the-scenes journey through the circus world in an attempt to discover what makes people like Eva so devoted to the circus life. Along the way, I talk to clowns, trapeze artists, sword swallowers, animal trainers and circus owners about their lives, culture, history, traditions and superstitions.

Among the traditional and contemporary shows and companies described in detail are Circus Mondao (a traditional tent show run by descendents of Britain’s oldest circus family - they’ve been in the business since the days of Astley), Zippos, Great British Circus (a controversial animal show and its daily battle with animal rights protesters and tabloid newspapers), Cirque du Soleil, Cirque de Glace (contemporary ice show), Circus of Horrors (adults only freak show with rock music), Circa (Australia), Circ Panic (Spain), Circus Hilarious and Chinese State Circus.

Among the circus people interviewed in depth are circus bosses Gerry Cottle and Martin Zippo Burton; tiger trainers Martin Lacey Sr and Helyne Edmonds; father and son clowns Clive Webb and Danny Adams; Bippo the Clown - a boy who genuinely ran away with the circus; retired ringmaster George Pinder who tells fabulous stories of tenting in years gone by; and Pain Proof Man Hannibal Helmeurto, who gives a stomach churning account of the training to become a sword swallower.

To illustrate circus’ deep traditions, the contemporary stories are interwoven with the stories of historical figures Philip Astley, Jules Leotard, Joseph Grimaldi, PT Barnum etc. The book has a full-colour photo section plus line drawings (by myself) and I’m pleased to say the publishers have done a wonderful job of designing the book to reflect the contents, by making the contents pages look like a circus program, for example. Although it will also soon be available as an eBook, we wanted the print edition to be a physically nice object to own.

Circus Mania! by Douglas McPherson (IPG/Peter Owen) can be ordered through all good bookshops, quoting the ISBN 9780720613520, or ordered direct from www.ipgbook.com (where it’s listed under Performing Arts).

In the UK or other parts of the world, meanwhile, you can buy Circus Mania direct from Peter Owen Publishers for just £10 postage free in the UK (or £2.50 postage worldwide). Send cheques in UK currency to:

Peter Owen Publishers
81 Ridge Road
London N8 9NP
For credit card sales, more information, or to leave me a message about Circus Mania!, email admin@peterowen.com

May all your days be circus days!

Amazon 5-star review for Circus Mania!

“Highly revealing” and full of “Fascinating tales and reminiscences.”

That’s how well known and respected writer and PR man Tony Byworth describes Circus Mania in a cracking 5-star customer review on Amazon - the second 5-star Amazon review that Circus Mania has received this year.

Here’s the full review:

5-stars The circus life revealed, 15 Mar 2011
By Tony Byworth
This review is from: Circus Mania (Paperback) I must confess that my recollections of the circus are slight and my knowledge even more so, but this highly revealing book changed all that, filling in the gaps, restoring memories and providing an encyclopaedic wealth of information.

Author Douglas McPherson similarly lacked circus knowledge but, after being assigned to write a circus review, was fascinated enough to start fully researching the subject - an area of show business that rarely gathers headlines, apart from the occasional outcry by animal rights activists. His study is extensive and covers the widest expanses, from traditional circuses under the big top to theatrical Cique du Soleil, from Britain's Chipperfields, Cottle and Lacey, to Germany's Spiegeltent, America's Barnum & Bailey and China's State Circus. There's also Cirque du Glace, Circus Hilarious, Circus Mondao, Circus of Horrors (no, not the movie but a theatrical touring spectacle with freak show origins) and, even, a circus school (Circus Space) offering a BA degree.

During the course of his research, which stretched over seven years, McPherson visited a vast variety of circuses and interviewed many of their personnel - owners and ringmasters, animal trainers and clowns, trapeze artists and escapologists, building up a close friendship with many of them. In return, all relate fascinating tales and reminiscences, resulting in a greater insight than would have been achieved by the casual interviewer.

Then, at the book's conclusion, a six page Circus Chronology that commences with the Circus Maximus of Roman times and concludes in 2009 when the Great British Circus reintroduced elephants into the ring after a decade's absence.

Once into the book, it's hard not to be carried along by McPherson's very obvious enthusiasm. So, if you ever had thoughts about joining a circus, this book could provide the impetus!

CIRCUS CIRCUS CIRCUS CIRCUS CIRCUS CIRCUS CIRCUS CIRCUS

Thanks for that glowing review, Tony! And if that’s tempted you to check out Circus Mania - The Ultimate Book For Anyone Who Dreamed Of Running Away With The Circus, just click on the button above right and go straight to Amazon to buy a copy!

You can also order direct, for just £10 including postage, from:
Peter Owen Publishers
81 Ridge Road
London N8 9NP

admin@peterowen.com

CIRCUS MANIA EBOOK! CIRCUS MANIA EBOOK! CIRCUS MANIA EBOOK!
And with World Circus Day coming up next month on April 16, the good news is that Circus Mania will be among the first batch of Peter Owen books to be launched as an eBook. Stay tuned for further news! Until then, may all your days be circus days!

CIRCUS CIRCUS CIRCUS CIRCUS CIRCUS CIRCUS CIRCUS CIRCUS