Ringlingville USA
Subtitle: the stupendous story of seven siblings and their stunning circus success
By: Jerry Apps ; foreword by Fred Dahlinger, Jr.
Publisher: Wisconsin Historical Society Press
Published: 2005
Place of publication: Madison, Wis
Language: eng
Number of pages: 256
Subjects: Ringling Brothers -- History; Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Combined Shows -- History; Circus performers -- United States -- Biography; Circus -- United States
Genres: Biography.
Description: Overview: The Ringling Brothers began their business under the most modest of circumstances and through hard work, business savvy, and some luck created the largest, most famous circus in the world. They became wealthy men, one 50 cent admission ticket at a time. Ringlingville USA chronicles the brothers' journey from immigrant poverty to enduring glory as the kings of the circus world. The Ringlings and their circus were last studied in depth over four decades ago. Now, for the first time, the brothers' detailed financial records and personal correspondence are available to researchers. Jerry Apps weaves together that information with newspaper accounts, oral histories, colorful anecdotes, and stunning circus ephemera and photos, many never before been published, to illuminate the importance of the Ringlings' accomplishments. He describes how the Ringling Brothers confronted the challenges of taxation, war, economic pressure, changing technology, and personal sorrows to find their place in history. The brothers emerge as complex characters whose ambition, imagination, and pure hucksterism fueled the phenomenon that was the Ringling Brothers' Circus.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [227]-244) and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction; title: The idea for a circus, 1848-1881; title: Hall shows and an overland circus, 1882-1884; title: Establishing a reputation, 1885-1889; title: Taking to the rails and growing, 1890-1894; title: A giant emerges, 1895-1899; title: Facing a new century, 1900-1901; title: Making money and pleasing people, 1902-1903; title: Keeping the lead, 1904-1905; title: Becoming even larger, 1906-1907; title: Managing two big shows, 1908-1909; title: Doing the impossible, 1910-1911; title: Tax woes, 1912-1914; title: The effects of war, 1915-1918; title: Epilogue, after Ringlingville.