Hardcover. 8vo. Published by Chapman & Hall, London, UK. 1890. Xii, 336 pgs. Illustrated with 233 illustrations. First UK Edition/First Printing. Bound in blue cloth boards with gilt titles present to the spine and front board. Boards have shelf-wear present to the extremities (boards lightly rubbed and worn). Bookplate removed from the front pastedown. Text is clean and free of marks. Binding tight and solid. This week, Project Gutenberg made available Acrobats and Mountebanks, an 1890 book that explores the circuses, fairs, carnivals, and hippodromes of nineteenth-century France. Written by Hugues Le Roux and Jules Garnier, and translated from the French by A. P. Morton, the book features 233 illustrations of clowns, trainers, tamers, equestrians, equilibrists, acrobats, gymnasts, contortionists, fortune-tellers, dwarves, elephants, carousels, Ferris wheels, and all the trappings of classic mountebankery. It s worth perusing for the drawings, a selection of which are presented above but it s also, after more than a century, still an astonishingly funny read, full of sharp observations and acerbic asides. Here, for instance, is a passage on dwarves: No one should wonder at the fact that many people are more interested in the abnormal than in the beautiful. But this trait being once recognised, the dwarf is more wonderful than the giant; man is such a complicated machine, that in watching these microscopic creatures who gesticulate and speak like ourselves, we feel something of the same astonishment that would strike us if we found the seconds marked by a miniature watch which we could only see through a magnifying glass. For this reason the dwarf show is one of the most popular booths in the fair. Every one knows that there are two kinds of dwarfs those who are naturally dwarfs, and those who, as children, were at first of average size and growth, but whose development was abruptly checked. In their case the limbs which no longer grew, were yet capable of enlargement. As a rule the head is enormous. Monsieur Fran�ois, from the Cirque Franconi the partner of Billy Hayden the clown, the tiny circus rider is a typical specimen of this class of dwarfs, who are called nou�s to distinguish them from the perfect miniature of humanity. They are physically deformed, but in all other respects they resemble other men. Fran�ois, for instance, is very intelligent. I shall always remember our first interview two years ago in Erminia Chelli s box at the Cirque d Et�. "How old are you, Monsieur Fran�ois? " "Twenty. " "I am older than you are, M. Fran�ois; yet, as you know, I am not celebrated. " M. Fran�ois shook his head � "You see not every one can be a dwarf. " EB; 8vo 8" - 9" tall.

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D�tails bibliographiques

Titre: Acrobats and Mountebanks
�diteur: E-367
Reliure: Hardcover
�tat de l'article: Very Good

Description de la librairie

I have been selling books for more than 20 years. I am a specialist in out of print and rare academic titles, art, history, military history and what I like to loosely describe as "Old and Interesting." Here is a helpful list of book terms that I use: Terms for Describing Condition These terms apply to books, dust jackets and magazines. As New is when the book is in the same immaculate condition in which it was published. There are no defects and the dust jacket, if issued with one, is perfect. Fine approaches the condition of "As New," but without being crisp. There may be minor defects, which are noted. Very Good describes a book that does show some small signs of wear but no tears on either binding or paper. Any defects are noted. Good describes the average used and worn book that has all pages or leaves present. All defects are noted. Fair is a well-worn book that has complete text pages but may lack endpapers, half title page, etc. All defects are noted. Poor describes a book that is sufficiently worn so that its only merit is as a reading copy. This book may be soiled, scuffed, stained or spotted and may have loose joints, hinges, pages, etc. All defects are noted. Ex-library books are always noted as such regardless of condition. Book Club Editions (BCE) are always noted as such regardless of condition. Boards are the actual hardcover material of the cover, front and back. Bookplate is usually a square illustrated sticker on which an owner writes his or her name, or on which the author has signed his or her name. Bumped refers to the bent or rounded corners of the boards. Browning or tanning refers to brown or tan looking pages or page edges that appear in some older books. Chip is a tiny piece missing from the edge of the dust jacket. Closed tear is a tiny rip in the dust jacket, but no material is missing (as in a chip). It can be "shut" and protected from further tearing with a Mylar cover. Cocked means the book is no longer square. If laid down, the book appears to be pushed (slanted) forward or backward from the spine. Creasing is where the dust jacket or pages have been bent, and then returned to its original state. Dampstain is a tan or gray stain resulting from water or other liquid damage. End papers or pastedowns are the sheets of paper pasted onto the inner covers, joining the book block to the covers. One side of the sheet is pasted to the inside cover, the other is left free (see FFEP). FFEP stands for front free-endpaper. This is the first page of any book. Though usually blank, it is a common place for an inscription. Foxing is the term used for the rust colored spots which occur on paper. This is the result of oxidation of both organic and iron impurities left behind during the paper making process. Front, top or bottom edge: These are the outside page edges. Loose is what happens to a book which has been read several times. The cover easily flaps open and the pages do not return to a tight condition. Heal or tail is the bottom of the spine. Head is the top of the spine. Mass-Market paperback is the most common paperback book, about four inches wide and seven inches high. Seen most often as "popular" fiction, science fiction and romance books. Mylar cover is the clear film that most fine bookshops use to cover and protect the dust jackets. Spine separation occurs at the head (top) of the spine where the fingers grab and pull the book from the shelf. After repeated pulling, the glue holding the outer spine board to the inner binding separates. Sunned is the fading of paper or binding as a result of sun exposure. Trade paperback is a softcover book which is generally large in size and made of better quality materials than a Mass-Market paperback. Wraps are the outer covers of a softcover (paperback) book or pamphlet.

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