The Wonders
Lifting the Curtain on the Freak Show, the Circus and the Victorian Age
Will be published approx. on 4. March 2027
Book
Paperback/Softback
384 pages
978-1-83598-660-8 (ISBN)
Description
Ladies and gentlemen, step right up...
On 23 March, 1844, General Tom Thumb, at 25 inches tall, entered the Picture Gallery at Buckingham Palace and bowed to Queen Victoria. On both sides of the Atlantic, this event marked a tipping point in the nineteenth century: the age of the 'Freak' was born.
Bewitching all levels of society, the 'Freak Show' was a world of astonishing spectacle and entertainment. But the real stories and human dramas of the performing men, women and children have been marginalised in the histories of the very people who exploited them.
In The Wonders, Dr John Woolf brings to life the history of the Freak show, and how it gave way to some of the great transformations of the age: the birth of showbusiness, celebrity, and 'alternative facts'. The book explores the virtues of the 'Freak' circuit, as well as the ongoing effects of power, fame, exploitation, and our fascination with otherness.
Sometimes tragic, sometimes triumphant, and always extraordinary, The Wonders is the true story of the performers whose talents and disabilities helped define an era.
On 23 March, 1844, General Tom Thumb, at 25 inches tall, entered the Picture Gallery at Buckingham Palace and bowed to Queen Victoria. On both sides of the Atlantic, this event marked a tipping point in the nineteenth century: the age of the 'Freak' was born.
Bewitching all levels of society, the 'Freak Show' was a world of astonishing spectacle and entertainment. But the real stories and human dramas of the performing men, women and children have been marginalised in the histories of the very people who exploited them.
In The Wonders, Dr John Woolf brings to life the history of the Freak show, and how it gave way to some of the great transformations of the age: the birth of showbusiness, celebrity, and 'alternative facts'. The book explores the virtues of the 'Freak' circuit, as well as the ongoing effects of power, fame, exploitation, and our fascination with otherness.
Sometimes tragic, sometimes triumphant, and always extraordinary, The Wonders is the true story of the performers whose talents and disabilities helped define an era.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Canelo
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-83598-660-8 (9781835986608)
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Schweitzer Classification