The advance man
Subtitle: a journey into the world of the circus
By: Jamie MacVicar.
Publisher: BearManor; Bear Manor Media
Published: 2010
Place of publication: Albany, Ga
Language: eng
Number of pages: 680
ISBN-13: 9781593932039
Subjects: MacVicar, Jamie F., -- 1951-; Circus -- United States -- Biography; Promoters -- United States -- Biography
Genres: Biography.
Description: And so begins a fascinating journey into the world of the circus as Jamie MacVicar skillfully blends the secrets of marketing and promotion as taught by the masters, a captivating personal tale, and an inside look at an American icon, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Richly textured and meticulously researched, The Advance Man is an incomparable bridge from the circus past to the present. It is a spellbinding narrative inhabited by strange and seductive characters: Chang and Eng, the Siamese twins who couldn't be engaged in unlike conversations simultaneously; Irvin Feld, the Napoleonic genius who wrested control of the circus from Ringling's heir; the smallest man in the world who continuously stymied the show s most virile man; the naive, young woman who risked too much aspiring to become a model; the Cleveland tycoon and a host of others from extraordinary everyday people to well-known celebrities.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.