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"Dedicated to the history of theatrical deception" |
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Here we offer an opinionated guide to the most essential books on the history of theatrical deception during The Golden Age of show business. Below are three "Top 10" or "Top 20" lists: 1. Pro Wrestling History 2. Carnival & Sideshow History 3. Magic (Stage Conjuring) History Please also refer to our unabridged bibliograpies: History of Magic (Stage Conjuring) History of Professional Wrestling History of Carnivals and Sideshows Carnival and Sideshow Books by Category |
Pro Wrestling History Books: Essential Reading *The Top 10* |
Carnival & Sideshow History Books: Essential Reading *The Top 20* |
#1 Thesz, Lou; Bauman, Kit. Hooker: An Authentic Wrestler's Adventures Inside the World of Professional Wrestling (2001) Wrestling Channel, Seattle Check Ebay and Amazon Marketplace for the Lou Thesz autobiography or you can buy it in an 8 1/2" x 11" spiral bound format at the International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Newton, Iowa #2 Boesch, Paul. Hey Boy! Where'd You Get Them Ears (2001) published by author, Houston The Paul Boesch book is written in the kayfabe style (does not reveal any secrets of the wrestling business) but is especially good history of the early to mid 20th century. You can buy it from Minuteman Press, 9000 Southwest Freeway, Suite 100, Houston, Texas, 77074 713-541-2258, fax 713-541-5869 #3 Jares, Joe. Whatever Happened to Gorgeous George? (1974) Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey This is one of the most entertaining and well written books about the wrestling business in the mid 1900s, written by a Sports Illustrated writer and son of a professional wrestler. Two chapters are devoted to Gorgeous George. #4 Teal, Scott. Whatever Happened to...? Vols. 1-53 and Shooting With the Legends (1993-2004) Crowbar, Hendersonville, TN These titles are available directly from author Scott Teal at Crowbar Press. Scott Teal specializes in interviews with former wrestling stars and does an outstanding job of preserving the oral history of a bygone era of show business, giving the reader an inside view and an intimate sense of what it was like to be a part of professional wrestling entertainment during The Golden Age. #5 Meltzer, Dave. Tributes: Remembering Some of the World's Greatest Wrestlers and Tributes II: Remembering More of the World's Greatest Wrestlers (2001/2004) Stewart House, Etobicoke, Ontario/Sports Publishing, Sports, Champaign, IL Dave Meltzer is the best writer of wrestler's obituaries. The subjects of his two Tributes compilations are not all wrestlers of The Golden Age, but most are. #6 Griffin, Marcus. Fall Guys, the Barnums of Bounce: The Inside Story of the Wrestling Business (1937) Reilly & Lee, Chicago Fall Guys was the first book to expose at length the inner workings of the wrestling business. The original edition is now very rare and pricey but a reprint is available from Crowbar Press. #7 Fleischer, Nat. From Milo to Londos, The Story of Wrestling Through the Ages (1936) Ring, New York Unfortunately this classic sells for $200-$400, even on Ebay as it rarely comes up for auction. Serious bibliophiles may want to check with a rare book dealer. #8 Duncan, Royal; Will, Gary. Wrestling Title Histories (2000) Archeus, Waterloo, Ontario This is the bible of wrestling titles and is instructive on many levels. At this printing new copies are still available from the authors. Click here to be directed to their site. #9 Pallo, Jackie. You Grunt, I'll Groan: The Inside Story of Wrestling (1985) MacDonald Queen Anne, London Our #9 and #10 selections feature the history of British Golden Age wrestling. Both books are now out of print. (See also "The History of British Wrestling" by John Lister, reprinted with his permission here at The House of Deception.) #10 Garfield, Simon. The Wrestling (1997) Faber and Faber, London Although this book is out of print it is not difficult to find. It features some down-to-earth reminiscences of some of Britain's leading Golden Age grapplers. |
#1 McKennon, Joe. Pictorial History of the American Carnival, Vol. I, II and III (1977/1981) Carnival Publishers of Sarasota, FL These are must reads for the serious carnival and sideshow historian. #2 Taylor, James; Kotcher, Kathleen. James Taylor's Shocked and Amazed: On & Off the Midway (2002) Lyons, Guilford, CT This book is a compilation of selected chapters from Taylor's periodically published series of the same title. Serious students of sideshow history should endeavor to get all eight issues. #3 Mannix, Daniel P. Memoirs of a Sword Swallower (1996) V/Search, San Francisco This is a photo illustrated and expanded edition of a best selling book published in 1950 as Step Right Up. #4 Drimmer, Frederick. Very Special People: The Struggles, Loves andTriumphs of Human Oddities (1973) Amjon, New York and other editions The world would be a better, more tolerant and peaceful place to live if this classic were required reading somewhere during grades 7-12. #5 Mannix, Daniel P. Freaks: We Who Are Not As Others (2000) Re/Search, San Francisco, CA This is another recent issue of a long out-of-print classic by Dan Mannix. #6 Johnson, Randy; Meah, Johnny; Secreto, Jim; Varndell, Teddy. Freaks, Geeks and Strange Girls: Sideshow Banners of the Great American Midway (2000) Hardy Marks, Honolulu This is the bible of sideshow banner art and artists, a fascinating read even for the nonartistic. Go here to get a personally inscribed copy from co-author Johnny Meah, The Czar of the Bizarre. #7 Lewis, Arthur H. Carnival (1970) Trident, New York If you have ever wanted to run away with the carnival you will want to find a copy of this book. #8 Hall, Ward. Struggles and Triumphs of a Modern Day Showman (1981) Carnival Publishers of Sarasota, FL This is a fairly difficult book to obtain; Ebay may be your best chance to find it. #9 Bogdan, Robert. Freak Show: Presenting Human Oddities for Amusement and Profit (1990) University of Chicago Press Even though this is qualitative research written by a professor of sociology at Syracuse University, with hundreds of sources cited in a standard academic style, it is not too stuffy and is enjoyable to read. #10 Gresham, William Lindsay. Monster Midway: An Uninhibited Look at the Glittering World of the Carny (1953) Rinehart, New York This classic, written by the author of Nightmare Alley and Houdini: The Man Who Walked Through Walls, may be expensive and difficult to obtain. Copies have sold on Ebay for over $200 but recently prices seem to be dropping. Note: all copies of this title have rather badly yellowed pages. #11 Holtman, Jerry; Harry Lewiston. Freak Show Man: The Autobiography of Harry Lewiston (1968) Holloway House, Los Angeles, CA Mixing fact, imagination, and plain old balderdash, Lewiston paints an energetic and earthy story of early 20th century outdoor show business. #12 Mitchell, Michael. Monsters: Human Freaks in America's Gilded Age: The Photographs of Chas Eisenmann (2002) ECW, Toronto #13 Bone, Howard. Side Show: My Life With Geeks, Freaks & Vagabonds in the Carny Trade (2001) Sun Dog, Northville, MI #14 Barnum, P. T.; Bode, Carl (ed.). Struggles and Triumphs: Or, Forty Years' Recollections of P.T. Barnum (1981) Penguin, New York #15 McKennon, Joe. Circus Lingo (1980) Carnival Publishers of Sarasota, FL This title, written by the famed author of our #1 title, may be hard to find. #16 Dufour, Lou; Kirby, Irwin. Fabulous Years: A Showman's Tales of Carnivals, World's Fairs, and Broadway (1977) Vantage, New York This book crops up on Ebay two or three time a year. It's a must read from one of the really big names in carnival and world's fair entertainment. #17 Dennett, Andrea Stulman. Wierd and Wonderful: The Dime Museum in America (1997) New York University Press This well written book is at once scholarly and entertaining, covering the years leading up to the Golden Age sideshow. A must for the P T Barnum enthusiast. #18 Scott, Barbara Bamberger. With It: A Year On The Carnival Trail (2004) Behler, Lake Forest, CA This endearing tale, written from a mother's point of view, is the true account of a young couple who hit the road for one season in the 1970s. A good read for anyone who has considered giving the carnival business a shot. #19 Hall, Ward. My Very Unusual Friends (1991) author, Gibsonton, FL This is another fairly difficult book to obtain; Ebay may be your best chance to find it. Or you might contact Ward Hall directly. He is one of the true gentlemen of the outdoor amusement business. #20 Stencell, A. W. Seeing Is Believing: America's Side Shows (2002) ECW, Toronto |
Magic History Books: Essential Reading *The Top 10* |
#1 Price, David. Magic: A Pictorial History of Conjurers in the Theater (1985) Cornwall Try the interlibrary loan desk at your local library to acquaint yourself with this essential volume. #2 Christopher, Milbourne. The Illustrated History of Magic (1973) T. Y. Crowell Co., New York A paperback reprint of this invaluable resource is now available at a very reasonable price. #3 Clarke, Sidney W. The Annals of Conjuring (2001) Miracle Factory, Seattle As with our #1 choice, you may want to try the interlibrary loan desk at your local library to borrow a reading copy of this required volume. #4 Houdini, Harry. The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin (1908) Publishers Printing, New York #5 Evans, Henry Ridgley. History of Conjuring and Magic (1928) International Brotherhood of Magicians, Kenton, OH #6 Evans, Henry Ridgley. The Old and the New Magic (1906) Open Court, Chicago The Evans titles are now rare and pricey, but worth the investment. #7 Steinmeyer, Jim. Hiding the Elephant: How Magicians Invented the Impossible and Learned to Disappear (2003) Carroll & Graf, New York This book is widely available, both in hardback and softcover editions. #8 Dawes, Edwin A. The Great Illusionists (1979) Chartwell, Secaucus, NJ This title is out of print but widely available at reasonable prices. #9 Dif, Max. Historie et Evolution Technique de la Prestidigitation (1972) Max Dif, Paris This comprehensive and profusely illustrated French work will be very difficult to obtain. Reading proficiency in French is required. Searching rare book dealers in France may be your best bet. #10 Silverman, Kenneth. Houdini!!!: The Career of Erich Weiss. (1997) Perennial, New York This 465 page volume meets established scholastic standards of research and is considered by many to be the ultimate Houdini biography. Silverman was a Professor of English at New York University whose earlier biography of Cotton Mather won both the Pulitzer and Bancroft prizes. |
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