BATTLE FOR THE BIG TOP: P.T. BARNUM, JAMES BAILEY, JOHN RINGLING AND THE DEATH-DEFYING SAGA OF THE AMERICAN CIRCUS by Les Standiford will be published on June 15th 2021 by PublicAffairs.
In BATTLE FOR THE BIG TOP, Les Standiford recounts the history of the circus in North America. The focus on the book is on the three major circuses that were owned and operated by James Bailey, P.T. Barnum, and John Ringling. Standiford gives an overview of how each of the three major circuses came to be and how/why they wound up merging together to create Ringling Bros., Barnum & Bailey Circus.
Overall, BATTLE FOR THE BIG TOP was an interesting read. I’ve always been interested in the history of the circus, and I feel that I learned a great deal from this book. Yes, some of the history can be disturbing—especially how the circus animals were treated and the ways in which some of them died either in fires or drowning during overseas voyages. A must-read for anyone interested in the history of the circus or of James Bailey, P.T. Barnum, and John Ringling in particular.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.