William L. Slout's Books

From Rags to Ricketts and Other Essays on Circus History

By: William L. Slout

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From Rags to Ricketts and Other Essays on Circus History

By: William L. Slout

William L. Slout, circus historian par excellence, here provides six essays on the development of the American circus. "From Rags to Ricketts: The Roots of Circus in Early Gotham" looks at the beginnings of circus entertainment in old New York City during the eighteenth century. "The Great Roman Hippodrome of 1874: P. T. Barnum's 'Crowning Effort'" describes the great showman's grand experiment: the collection and display in the Big Apple of the "largest collection of living wild animals in the world." "The Recycling of the Dan Rice Paris Pavilion Circus" tells the story of an American circus entrepreneur who took his traveling show to Europe in 1867. "Strange Bedfellows: The Pogey O'Brien Interval, 1874-1875" relates how O'Brien partnered with P. T. Barnum to take the circus master's show on the road while Barnum was creating his "Great Roman Hippodrome." "Two Rings and a Hippodrome Track" demonstrates that the first two-ring circus mounted by Barnum (or anyone else) occurred in 1873, and not 1872, as previously supposed. Finally, "The Adventures of James M. Nixon, Forgotten Impresario," describes the career of a major circus manager who worked between the 1843-75, directly competing with Barnum for the same audience--and eventually losing the struggle. Slout’s vivid accounts, highlighted by contemporaneous newspaper accounts of the excitement generated locally by these traveling shows, help bring a long-forgotten era alive again.

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Page Count

204

Publisher

Wildside Press LLC

Published Date

ISBN 10

1434449386

ISBN 13

9781434449382

The Burial of Alma

A Comedy in Two Acts

By: William L. Slout

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The Burial of Alma

A Comedy in Two Acts

By: William L. Slout

This modern comedy highlights the clash between Denver Littlefield, a history professor at a California University, and his actress wife, Sarah Coleman, whose sudden surge in popularity after being cast in a popular soap opera threatens to swamp her husband's image and career.

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Page Count

180

Publisher

Wildside Press LLC

Published Date

ISBN 10

1434411524

ISBN 13

9781434411525

Grand Entree

The Birth of the Greatest Show on Earth, 1870-1875

By: Stuart Thayer,William L. Slout

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Grand Entree

The Birth of the Greatest Show on Earth, 1870-1875

By: Stuart Thayer,William L. Slout

Covering the years 1870-75, this history celebrates the introduction of P. T. Barnum into circus proprietorship, an episode that connected his name and legend with this American institution for all time. By the middle of this decade, Barnum had become the most recognized personality of the nineteenth century--and a showman who is still remembered today. Complete with index, bibliography, notes, and contemporaneous illustrations.

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Page Count

196

Publisher

Wildside Press LLC

Published Date

ISBN 10

0809513099

ISBN 13

9780809513093

En Route to the Great Eastern Circus and Other Essays on Circus History

By: William L. Slout

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En Route to the Great Eastern Circus and Other Essays on Circus History

By: William L. Slout

William L. Slout, entertainment historian par excellence, here provides five fascinating essays on the development of the American traveling circus in the post-Civil War era: "En Route to the Great Eastern Circus" (on the creation of this great show); "The Great Eastern Circus of 1872" (more details about one of P. T. Barnum's rivals); "The Not-So-Great Trans-Atlantic Circus and Menagerie" (how a show failed suddenly in a yellow fever epidemic); "What Goes Up...Comes Down" (how balloning became part of the circus environment); and "The Chicken or the Egg?" (on the first development of the double-ring act pioneered by Barnum and others). These vivid essays, highlighted by numerous contemporaneous excerpts from local newspapers, help bring a long-forgotten era alive again.

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Page Count

154

Publisher

Wildside Press LLC

Published Date

ISBN 10

1434437604

ISBN 13

9781434437600

Chilly Billy

The Evolution of a Circus Millionaire

By: William L. Slout

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Chilly Billy

The Evolution of a Circus Millionaire

By: William L. Slout

Chilly Billy" was the nickname of circus mogul William Washington Cole, the chief rival of P. T. Barnum. Cole was born into a circus family in 1847, and beginning in 1870 and continuing through 1886, developed "Cole's Colossal Circus" into a money-making enterprise. He wisely invested his earnings in real estate, making himself a multimillionaire before finally closing down shop. Another landmark contribution to American circus history, complete with notes, index, bibliography, and contemporaneous illustrations.

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Page Count

322

Publisher

Wildside Press LLC

Published Date

ISBN 10

0893700126

ISBN 13

9780893700126

A Royal Coupling

The Historic Marriage of Barnum and Bailey

By: William L, Slout

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A Royal Coupling

The Historic Marriage of Barnum and Bailey

By: William L, Slout

James A. Bailey and P. T. Barnum first joined forces to produce a double show in 1881--a royal coupling--inaugurating the "Golden Age" of the American circus. This book details some of the activity leading up to that notable landmark in amusement history, particularly during the decade of 1871-81. Complete with notes, bibliography, index, and contemporaneous illustrations.

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Page Count

268

Publisher

Wildside Press LLC

Published Date

ISBN 10

0893700134

ISBN 13

9780893700133

Olympians of the Sawdust Circle

A Biographical Dictionary of the Nineteenth Century American Circus

By: William L. Slout

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Olympians of the Sawdust Circle

A Biographical Dictionary of the Nineteenth Century American Circus

By: William L. Slout

The culmination of more than thirty years of research, Olympians of the Sawdust Circle is an attempt to identify every major and minor player in the American circus world of the nineteenth century. This A-Z guide lists: surname, given name, dates of birth and death (if known), type of entertainment (and function) with which the individual was associated, and the companies and dates by whom the person was employed. Every researcher and library interested in American circus history will need this seminal guide. An absolutely astonishing piece of scholarship.

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Page Count

340

Publisher

Wildside Press LLC

Published Date

ISBN 10

0809513102

ISBN 13

9780809513109

The Trial of Dr. Jekyll

An Adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde : a Play in Two Acts

By: William Lawrence Slout

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The Trial of Dr. Jekyll

An Adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde : a Play in Two Acts

By: William Lawrence Slout

In this adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," William L. Slout focuses on Jekyll's sublimation of his wantonness, and the hypocrisy of his unrestrained involvement in it. He loses control of his better self to the overpowering evil of his baser side. Herein lies the tragedy of the man and his times. A powerful modern version of this classic tale of horror. Illustrated with scenes from the first production of the play.

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Wildside Press LLC

Published Date

ISBN 10

0809562537

ISBN 13

9780809562534

Joe Blackburn's a Clown's Log

By: Joe Blackburn,Charles H. Day,William L. Slout

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Joe Blackburn's a Clown's Log

By: Joe Blackburn,Charles H. Day,William L. Slout

Joseph Blackburn, a clown who juggled on horseback, took a professional trip to England in 1838, accompanied by the noted American vaulter and bareback rider, Levi J. North. His account of their experiences abroad encompasses activity with the circuses of

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Page Count

142

Publisher

Wildside Press LLC

Published Date

ISBN 10

0809513072

ISBN 13

9780809513079

Clowns and Cannons

The American Circus During the Civil War

By: William L. Slout

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Clowns and Cannons

The American Circus During the Civil War

By: William L. Slout

This is the story of the survival of American circuses throughout one of the most perilous periods in our nation's history: 1860-1865. This was a period of transition for traveling exhibitions. The size of equipment and personnel had leveled off, performances were fixed, and the number of proprietors had reached a peak that would not be exceeded until the early 1870s. But still the show had to go on! Complete with notes, index, bibliography, and contemporaneous illustrations.

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Page Count

260

Publisher

Wildside Press LLC

Published Date

ISBN 10

0809513048

ISBN 13

9780809513048

The Trial of Dr. Jekyll

An Adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde : a Play in Two Acts

By: William Lawrence Slout

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The Trial of Dr. Jekyll

An Adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde : a Play in Two Acts

By: William Lawrence Slout

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Publisher

Millefleurs

Published Date

ISBN 10

0809562529

ISBN 13

9780809562527

Book's by William L. Slout

From Rags to Ricketts and Other Essays on Circus History

From Rags to Ricketts and Other Essays on Circus History

The Burial of Alma

The Burial of Alma

Grand Entree

Grand Entree

En Route to the Great Eastern Circus and Other Essays on Circus History

En Route to the Great Eastern Circus and Other Essays on Circus History

Chilly Billy

Chilly Billy

A Royal Coupling

A Royal Coupling

Olympians of the Sawdust Circle

Olympians of the Sawdust Circle

The Trial of Dr. Jekyll

The Trial of Dr. Jekyll

Joe Blackburn's a Clown's Log

Joe Blackburn's a Clown's Log

Clowns and Cannons

Clowns and Cannons

The Trial of Dr. Jekyll

The Trial of Dr. Jekyll

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