This book gave me an invaluable look into the history of the circus in North America.
It gives a warts and all perspective that I found interesting and informative.
I highly recommend this book.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

BATTLE FOR THE BIG TOP (2021)
By Les Standiford
Hachette Book Group, 272 pages.

If you are under the age of 40 and have never lived in New York City, you may have never seen the “Greatest Show on Earth,” as the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus was dubbed. It folded its tents in 2017, and that’s a misnomer. You’d have to be pushing 70 to have seen it under canvas, a practice that ended in 1956.

These days, the only mammals in most circuses are homo sapiens the likes of the aerial artists, clowns, contortionists, jugglers, musicians, and power track antics associated with Cirque du Soleil. Once, a circus meant most of those things plus lions, tigers, and bears, oh my—and elephants. It simply wasn’t a circus without elephants and hadn’t been since 1816, when Hechaliah Bailey first displayed one in conjunction with horseback riders.

There are many good circus histories, thus Les Standiford fashioned his a bit differently. His approach is encapsulated in the book’s subtitle: “P.T. Barnum, James Bailey, John Ringling, and the Death-Defying Saga of the American Circus.” Those three rivals whose shows eventually merged made the circus into an iconic part of American popular culture. To sharpen that statement, until the early 20th century, circuses, minstrelsy shows, professional baseball, and vaudeville were among the only forms of popular culture, if we mean spectacles shared in the same way by Americans in all parts of the country.

Circuses took initial inspiration from the admiration of skilled horseback riding, a logical outgrowth of pre-mechanical travel. Trick riding remained a circus staple and was joined by other acts that could be performed in a ring such as clowning, juggling, and tumbling. Standiford observes, “three other elements added color and vitality: the menagerie, the sideshow, and the parade.” (loc. 289 or 4588) Thus, the one-ring circus begat three rings, a dizzying sensory display. Money and a love of showmanship attracted Standiford’s principals. “The Greatest Show on Earth” evolved from cutthroat competition and trial and error. By the 1890s, the seven biggest circuses moved from town to town by rail—it took 65 cars to move Bailey’s show-¬¬–and were models of logistical efficiency. Overnight, tents arose, and a massed parade lured ticket-buyers to witness everything from caged wild animals and “freak shows” to recreations of Roman chariot races and the Great Chicago Fire. As the cost of such elaborate exhibitions soared, it invariably caused contraction and mergers.

When the ante upped, so too did the dangers. Death wasn’t always defied. Fire was a constant threat, which is why Standiford engages in the unorthodox organization of devoting his opening chapter to the July 6, 1944 big top fire in Hartford, Connecticut, that killed 167 patrons and scores of animals. Add lawsuits and liability insurance to the cost of doing business. Other challenges faced the circus, including competition from movies and later, activists who drew attention to mistreatment of circus animals, not to mention the moral implications involved in trapping and removing them from native habitats. Standiford recounts many such heartbreaking tales.

Readers may be surprised by the portraits he paints of Bailey, Barnum, and Ringling. Bailey, an orphan adopted by the nephew of Hechaliah Bailey, was akin to a top-hatted version of Horatio Alger’s Ragged Dick. Nor does he buy completely into the view that Barnum was a huckster. As he notes, chicanery was but a small part of a bag of tricks that in many ways was more educational. (Who, after all, had seen lions or bearded ladies in the hinterlands?) John Ringling outlasted both, but he and his brothers struggled as often as they prospered.

Standiford presents circus figures who admit that the circus was a product of a different age. It’s wrong to say that all good things must come to an end. Often, American circuses were little better than their blood-soaked ancient Roman progenitors. But Stanford also quotes Barnum biographer Robert Wilson who cautions we live in “an ahistorical age, one that is quick to condemn historical figures using the standards of the present.” (loc. 2055) Whatever its faults, Ringling was correct to note that “the circus appealed to children as well as the child in every person. (loc 3977)

There are still several old-style circuses around, but most are desultory affairs that often compare poorly with what might be seen at a county fair. They are a far cry from the days in which performers such as animal trainer Clyde Beatty, trapeze daredevil Lillian Leitzel, equestrienne Ella Bradna, diminutive Tom Thumb, and the high wire Flying Wallendas were household names. Not to mention elephants such as Babe, Jumbo, Old Bet, Romeo, and Juliette.

Rob Weir

Standiford's exploration of circus history is a must-have for any Barnum fan. I grew up devouring stories about P.T. Barnum and this book escorted the reader through the lives, failures, and successes that finally brought us Ringling Bros, Barnum & Bailey Circus as we knew it (before it closed).

Thank you NetGalley and Perseus Books for the opportunity to read an advance reading copy.

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.

Thank you to NetGalley and Public Affairs for a DARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. I have an odd love of the history of the circus. Most of them focus on the performers or sideshow people, but this one was interesting because it combined the background of the circus, the people who made it what it was. This book read like a novel rather than a non fiction book, and I appreciated that. I highly recommend this book.

Really fascinating history about the circus in general, and specifically about the three major circus leaders in America. I learned a lot, and it made me curious to read more on the topic. Well written and structured.

I loved this book. Les Standiford tells a great story about the American circus. He uses a conversational tone and gives comprehensive biographies without getting bogged down in detail. Although not a biographical work, the history of the American circus is intimately tied to the people who ran them, so was a great intertwining of the two genres. The book reads more like a well-paced novel and it was hard to put down. The subject matter is intriguing; I’ve seen circuses on television and in movies, but Standiford brought them to life on the page. This book is well worth reading.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary advance reader copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.

*This book was received as an Advanced Reviewer's Copy from NetGalley.

Historical fiction can be hit or miss sometimes, even if the subject matter is especially interesting. I'm happy to say that this one is a hit for me. About the major players in the circus and the historical origination, there was enough entertainment and information here to satisfy just about anyone.

In this book, the origins of the circus are briefly explored and then the real meat of it begins; Barnum, Bailey, and the Ringling Brothers. The reader is taken through how each circus leader got their start and the many iterations, buyouts, competition, etc. each is faced with. It came as a surprise to me that ultimately, all of these shows were under the same ownership, despite having distinctive names and seemingly in 'competition' with each other. Which is not to say they weren't ever in competition, but I didn't realize how far back that actually was.

Each of the narratives is interesting, has poignant facts, and little known history about each circus. It definitely wasn't the dry history that you can sometimes get that is all fact but not engaging. I devoured this book pretty quickly as it was an enjoyable read while still being informative. And since the circus is a subject that holds many people's hearts and imaginations, it was relieving to see it covered in such an expansive way.

If you like the circus and are interested in its history, this is definitely the book for you!

Review by M. Reynard 2021