History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

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A good tale but difficult to navigate
the quintessential angela
You either like it or hate it
Zany, imaginative romp across London and Russia that made me run away with the circus!
Earthily airborne

Nights at the Circus
Angela Carter
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140077030

Customer Reviews:

A good tale but difficult to navigate.......2006-06-15

I found the narrative style in this work to be a bit like wading through thick mud -- wishing the character would just "get to the point!" It took me months to get three quarters of the way through the book and then I finally gave up. Perhaps I just wasn't in the right frame of mind when I began reading it. Nights at the Circus isn't a bad book -- I know it's one of those "like it or hate it" novels -- I'm certain under the right circumstances it is probably quite fascinating. Who knows, maybe someday I'll pick it up and try again.

the quintessential angela.......2006-03-26

Read this and The Infernal Desire Machines of Dr. Hoffman to get an idea of the depth of Ms. Carter's talent. A lovely, wise and witty masterpiece that will keep you thinking about it long after the book is done.

You either like it or hate it.......2006-03-19

This text is very eccentric. I had to read it for an English class, and there was a mix of different reviews. Some loved it, some hated. I myself could not get through all of it (though I did make it to page 223). I suppose that the best way to tackle this novel is to realize that narrative is a big part of it, as well as is magic realism. The line between fact and fiction almost does not exist here. Logic cannot be applied when reading this novel. What is fact, what is fiction? Try to not distinguish the two while reading it and you may find yourself getting through it much more smoothly than I did.

Zany, imaginative romp across London and Russia that made me run away with the circus!.......2005-11-22

I saw "Nights at the Circus" on sale at our college bookstore and was intrigued enough to check it out. As someone who grew up on Todd Browning's 1932 circus horror classic "Freaks," the idea of a novel centered around the foreign-yet-familiar animal trainers, sideshow attractions, and gritty wonders of London at the turn of the 20th century drew me in.

Sophie, or "Fevvers," is billed as "Is she fact or is she fiction?" Tall, commanding, and winged, this half-bird Amazonian captures the interest of Jack, an American newspaper reporter who initially tries to pick apart her story of being half-bird as a sham, but soon is mesmerized by Fevver's eloquent autobiography, macabre adventures working in brothels, and outgoing personality, enough that he joins her circus as a clown and follows them to Russia.

The novel is told from various characters' perspectives, which made it confusing for me the first few pages each time the narrator changed, until I knew who was talking. The novel feels almost schizophrenic at times, rapidly switching points of view and narration at the drop of a hat. The story itself is prone to flights of fancy, including homicidal clowns, bizarre sexual escapades involving a group of Sapphic convicts in the Russian wilderness, a high-ranking politician obsessed with the occult, a freak show brothel, a lesbian relationship between an animal trainer and an abused orphan, and the sex lives of the circus crew. The plot becomes more and more improbable and more fantastic towards the end of the novel, where reality was left behind for once and all.

Overall, an imaginative, enjoyable romp filled with unexpectedly elegant turns of phrase, plenty of (erotic) action, glittering descriptions of upper class life in Russia and the gritty reality of the working poor in London and St. Petersburg, and the timeless thrill of the circus: its exotic animals, collection of ragtag performers, and the illusion of the extraordinary.

Earthily airborne.......2001-11-02

Only Angela Carter could have devised the coarse golden character of Fevvers, the Cockney miracle around whom this tale spins. Girl takes wing, boy flies after, girl loses and gets wing and boy -- that's mad enough, but it gives not the least taste of the crumbled, intricate, and ultimately wonderful world of this particular circus. Carter's ability to interlace sharp doses of political and intimate realities into the mix not only teaches you lessons unaware, but opens you to a larger definition of what can be. Once upon a time, or somewhere right now, chimpanzees condescend to humans, monstrosities speak with wise prophesy, a pig manages a business better than her owner. So open up another bottle of champagne, and surrender. It will be rough, it will hurt, it will be uproarious. It will ultimately be wonderful. So is this book.

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last night I dreamed a circus
Good book
Tumbling across crisp black backgrounds
Vibrant and Imaginative.....

Last Night I Dreamed a Circus
Maya Gottfried
Manufacturer: Knopf Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0375823883
Release Date: 2003-01-14

Amzon.com

This simple poem penned by first-time children's book author Maya Gottfried and illustrated by Robert Rahway Zakanitch, also a newcomer to children's books, captures both the marvels of the circus as seen by a wide-eyed child and the slow, thick images of a remembered dream. Brief sentences are accompanied by luminous paintings of acrobats and animals. "I jumped through hoops," is printed opposite a painting of four dogs in dresses and party hats, quivering with anticipation as each awaits its turn to leap through the big red hoop above. The circus performers, dangling from ropes and trapezes, balanced upside down on horseback, or with heads just clearing a lion's pointy teeth, sport costumes magnificently patterned with flowers, feathers, and curlicues. Each is captured against a black background, just as if in a spotlight under the darkened big top. The clowns in this book aren't scary--but you may swear off circuses forever after you see the laughing chimpanzee hanging from the parallel rings. The other illustrations are lush and whimsical, especially one featuring a woman in a spectacularly feathered dress carrying exotic birds on her arms and head. (Ages 4 to 8) --Jennifer Lindsay

Book Description

Many children dream of going to the circus, but our narrator dreams herself right into the act. She is the graceful horseback rider and the clown. The daring trapeze artist and the dancing dog. The contortionist and the roaring lion.
These stars of the circus are depicted in splendid, dramatic portraits by noted watercolorist Robert Rahway Zakanitch. Each vividly colored performer is set against a black background that invokes both a life in the spotlight and the focused landscape of dreams. Poetic and spare, the text invites readers to extend the story in their own imaginations–in their own circus dreams.

Customer Reviews:

last night I dreamed a circus.......2006-07-06

beautiful book, vivid colors and pictures. my class loved this book and asks to see it over and over.

Good book.......2005-10-12

We took my 3 year old granddaughter to a small circus and she loved it. This book helped to keep the memories alive without being too loud and overpowering. It opened up the opportunity to use her imagination and her memories together.

Tumbling across crisp black backgrounds.......2003-04-07

Tumbling across crisp black backgrounds, the colorful dreamscapes of artist Robert Rahway Zakanitch weave a magical spell. Each boldly-hued spread in this picture book for pre-readers and new readers is a tribute to a different type of circus performer. But rather than a humdrum explanation of aerialists, clowns, trained animals, and so on, author Maya Gottfried describes each character as if seen through the eyes of a child who fanaticizes of experiencing each event personally. Corresponding with each bright image is a simple prose narration that uses words sparingly to list each spectacular sight with an equally colorful description. And so, in this dreamlike state, a trapeze artist "wore the sunset on a velvet cape," a clown "juggled a rose garden," a gymnast "spun circles round the stars. I'm still not sure what an "elephant of the seven seas" is, though; my five year old daughter was bored midway; and a hideous image of a monkey in a dress still gives both of us the shivers. Ultimately, the book's looks are alluring, but the role call list isn't terribly engaging, despite its poignant wording. Unfortunately, there's simply no story to this storybook.

Vibrant and Imaginative............2003-02-20

"Last night I dreamed a circus. I spun circles round the stars. And juggled a rose garden..." So begins children's books newcomer, author, Maya Gottfried's, ode to the fun and excitement found under the big top. Her simple, spare, lyrical text is evocative and filled with imagery and magical descriptions that transports the reader into the dream. But it's illustrator, Robert Rahway Zakanitch's bold, bright and vivid watercolors that really makes this picture book a winner. Each dramatic illustration is rich in dazzling color, intricate shapes and patterns, and eye-catching detail, and little ones will want to linger and explore every stunning page. Together word and art offers a vibrant, captivating circus adventure. Perfect for story time, Last Night I Dreamed A Circus is a preschool crowd pleaser that begs to be read aloud and shared.

Night of the Circus Monster (Step into Reading, Step 3, paper)

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Night of the Circus Monster (Step into Reading, Step 3, paper)
Geoffrey Hayes
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0679871136
Release Date: 1996-04-09

Book Description

In Geoffrey Hayes's fifth Otto and Uncle Tooth mystery, Ducky Doodle discovers that Doctor Ocular and his floating laboratory of rare sea monsters are fakes! But can he save the town hundreds of dollars in ticket sales--or will the mad doctor get away with his greedy plan?

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a treasure of a book

Circus Days and Nights
Robert Lax
Manufacturer: Overlook Hardcover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1585670413
Release Date: 2001-01-15

Book Description

Jack Kerouac called Robert Lax "one of the great original voices of our times...a Pilgrim in search of beautiful innocence, writing lovingly, finding it, simply, in his own way." Though many hold him to be one of the greatest American poets of this century, Lax has maintained a low profile, living and writing in seclusion on the Greek island of Patmos. In Circus Poems, Lax's three great long poems on the circus--"Circus of the Sun," "Mogador's Book," and "Sunset City"--are collected together for the first time, placing this early masterwork in the position within American literature that it so richly deserves.

Each of the three poems in this collection expresses a reverence for the acts of daring, beauty, and grace that make the circus the singular event it is. What also emerges is the drawing of a link between this world of the circus--wherein a tent is erected, acts are per-formed, and then the tent is disassembled only to be re-erected the next day--and Lax's faith. As Denise Levertov has said, "the radiant security of Lax's faith appears in his work as a serenity of tone."

Fields were set
for the circus,
stars for shows
before ever
elephant lumbered or
tent rose.
-- from Circus of the Sun

"Among America's greatest poets, a true minimalist who can weave awesome poems from remarkably few words."-- The New York Times Book Review

Customer Reviews:

a treasure of a book.......2006-12-24

For years one of the great poems of the twentieth century -- Circus of the Sun -- has been out of print. Now not only is it available once again, but the rest of Bob Lax's circus poetry is at last in print as well. Lax's love affair with the circus started by chance in 1943, during a period of his life when he was on the staff of The New Yorker and went along with a colleague to interview the Cristianis, a family of circus performers. In the years that followed, Lax often traveled with their circus, discovering in it an image of a less-damaged world. R.C. Kenedy said of it: "Circus of the Sun is, in all probability, the finest volume of poems published by an English-speaking poet of the generation which comes in the wake of T.S. Eliot." Lax's friendship with Thomas Merton is well known. He was also close to Jack Kerouac, who said of Lax that he was "one of the great original voices of our times ... a Pilgrim in search of beautiful innocence, writing lovingly, finding it, simply, in his own way."

Chicken Soup for Little Souls The Best Night Out with Dad (Chicken Soup for Little Souls)

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Chicken Soup for Little Souls
One of our favorite books (and we have LOTS)
A very nice story about sharing
Clear Values for Families of all Faiths
Presents Animals in an archaic manner.

Chicken Soup for Little Souls The Best Night Out with Dad (Chicken Soup for Little Souls)
Lisa McCourt
Manufacturer: HCI
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1558745084

Book Description

"You mean you've never been to the circus before?" So begins a ten-minute friendship between two strangers-two little souls sharing a love for tigers, clowns, and spectacular feats of human bravery and big tent drama. Danny's descriptions of the circus so thoroughly captivate Vincent that the younger boy is bursting with anticipation when his father finally steps up to the box office.But at that moment, a sudden turn of events makes everything feel horribly wrong. Danny is given the opportunity to make a choice-and to discover a brand new part of himself. Feeling the natural stirrings of love and generosity in his heart, Danny makes the critical decision that turns a fun night out with Dad into the best night out ever.

Customer Reviews:

Chicken Soup for Little Souls.......2005-11-04

Although I am a bit over the age this book was directed at, I still find this book really great. The illustrations are simply beautiful, and the story is simple but powerful.
It's about a boy who goes to his annual trip to the circus with his Dad. He meets a new friend who has never gone to the circus before. When his friend meets a problem, the boy has to help him out.
It's really an example of what we all should be like.

One of our favorite books (and we have LOTS).......2001-10-04

I get teary every time I read this with my children. It is a wonderful story and teaches a great lesson in sharing and giving something love so that someone else can experience that joy -- and how wonderful you feel for having given it away.

A very nice story about sharing.......2000-04-28

On his way to the circus, Danny makes a new friend. The meeting leads up to an important decision. This tender story pulled at my heart strings as well. I'm sure it brought tears to my eyes the first time I read it.

Lively illustrations accompany the tender story. Definitely a must for any little boy or girl's bookshelf.

Clear Values for Families of all Faiths.......1998-11-28

This set of books wonderfully illustrates the values of putting others ahead of yourself and the joy that can come from making others happy. The illustrations are engaging to children and the stories hold their attention. I have used these three books with children from three years to twelve years of age in a childcare setting and was very pleased with the way they held the children's attention and at the discussion generated during and after the story.

Presents Animals in an archaic manner........1998-11-26

Although I liked the idea of the child and the father enjoying themselves at the circus, the kind of circus displayed is slowing, thankfully dying out. Using elephants, bears and tigers to entertain humans is becoming less accepted as they are replaced with domestic animals. Presenting to the children in the 90's images of wild animals performing gives this practice a stamp of approval it shouldn't get.I feel the authors and publishers of children's books should be more responsible for the images and ideas they project to children. Putting a light-hearted spin on what is basically the imprisonment and forced performance of wild animals is wrong. If they were to research it a bit, they would find the elephants are shackled 22 out of 24 hours a day, let off their chains only for the daily performance and many end up going insane from their lack of freedom. The dancing bears were taught this un-natural act in cruel ways, especially if they are from Russia and were tortured with yanks on a nose ring until bullied into these jigs for profit. Tigers are simply whipped, poked, shocked and caged.A modern type of circus would be a more aware and humane choice to present,like the troop from France that uses mostly people for the acts,like contortionists, jugglers, clowns with the occasional poodle who jumps hurtles.The same basic story could have been told and the same opportunities would exist for colourful illustrations, without continuing to validate the idea of using wild animals for our means to our children. Thanks, LeeAnn Baker email:montel@interlog.com

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A book about the circus that is also about people and nature

Night After Night
Diana Starr Cooper
Manufacturer: Island Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1559633069

Book Description

"Seen from across a field at night, with its swags of white lights scalloped from mast to mast against the sky, it looks like an ocean liner far out on the water. Yet it is still a tent. It appears on Monday, in what was an empty field on Sunday. While it's there, it forms the landscape around it in a new way, transforming its meanings just as horses do when they walk into a pasture. A week later, there's an empty field again. The tent is gone, and so is the little village of trucks and trailers that clustered around it as if it were a castle. Did I dream it?" - from Night After Nigh.

Night After Night is an enrapturing meditation on a small, traditional, one-ring circus. Diana Cooper delights us with the realization that circus is more than mere entertainment. It is a splendid classical art form, grounded in venerable skills and traditions, with its deepest sources in the vitality of myth, ritual, fantasy, fear, wonder, laughter, and awe.

Throughout the book, Cooper raises important issues such as human/animal communication and coexistence, permutations of fantasy and reality, the beauties of diversity, and notions about what is, and is not natural. Her love of and respect for the culture of circus - the forms and understandings that enable it to bring joy to all it touches - infuse every page of this literary treasure.

Customer Reviews:

A book about the circus that is also about people and nature.......2001-06-08

...To learn more about my work, see website www.naturestudy.org

This is a wonderful book. It is about the circus, but it is more: it is about people and animals, and in this way about people and nature. It shows the circus vividly from the performer's and the audience's points of view. The author persuades us of the long and deep relationship between horses and people, and other circus animals and people, and the profound effects their presence has on us and we on them. "The further we've moved, in this century, away from daily proximity to, and relationship with, real animals, the more we have altered, sanitized, desexualized, and humanized their images, to make them safe company for the young, with whom we seem to think they belong," writes the author. The life of the circus performers – their cares, their professionalism – is a metaphor for our lives. The book has some very quotable phrases, from "Where there's no knowledge, symbolism goes crazy," to, in a conversation with lion experts, "Space is not what matters most to a lion. It's nice, but the most crucial thing is security," to "The circus is the most civilized place I know." This is one of those small, charming books, elegantly written, that one can read in a few hours. If you like, you can read it as a pleasing vicarious visit to the circus on both sides of the curtains. But as you read more carefully, the book becomes a story about us and our lives.

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Nights at the Circus
Angela CARTER
Manufacturer: Chatto & Windus/Hogarth Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0701139323

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Little Monkey Says Good Night
Ann Whitford Paul , and David Walker
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Puppies! Puppies! Puppies!

You See a Circus, I See...

ASIN: 0374346097

Book Description

Never has saying good night been so much fun

Before he goes to bed, Little Monkey insists that he has to say good night to all the performers under the Big Top tent: Ringmaster, Elephant, Strong Man, the Clowns, and, of course, Mama. In the process he becomes part of the performance himself – until finally even Little Monkey can’t delay bedtime any longer, and there is only one last good night to be said – “Good night, Me!”

Pictures packed with funny antics, whimsy, and affection capture all the charm of Little Monkey – while this simple, playful text will have even the youngest listeners chiming in with their own “Good Night!”

Angela Carter's Nights at the Circus: A Routledge Guide (Routledge Guides to Literature)

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Angela Carter's Nights at the Circus: A Routledge Guide (Routledge Guides to Literature)
Helen Stoddart
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0415350115

Book Description

A highly original and influential work of modern British literature, Angela Carter's Nights at the Circus combines a fantastically creative plot with a strong political undertone. The result is an emotive and provocative novel, which has attracted much critical attention from a range of perspectives including poststructuralism, gender studies, postmodernism and psychoanalysis.

This guide to Angela Carter's complex novel, presents:

an accessible introduction to the text and contexts of Nights at the Circus
a critical history, surveying the many interpretations of the text from publication to the present
a selection of new critical essays on the Nights at the Circus, by Heather Johnson, Jeannette Baxter, Sarah Sceats and Helen Stoddart, providing a variety of perspectives on the novel and extending the coverage of key critical approaches identified in the survey section
cross-references between sections of the guide, in order to suggest links between texts, contexts and criticism
suggestions for further reading.

Part of the Routledge Guides to Literature series, this volume is essential reading for all those beginning detailed study of Nights at the Circus and seeking not only a guide to the novel, but a way through the wealth of contextual and critical material that surrounds Carter's text.

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