Circus Queen and Tinker Bell: The Memoir of Tiny Kline » (New Edition)

Janet M. Davis is an associate professor of American studies and history at the University of Texas, Austin, and the author of The Circus Age: Culture and Society under the American Big Top

A glimpse of day-to-day life under the big top, from one of the circus's most remarkable performers.

1 The bend in the road 41

2 As Mrs. Private Citizen, viewing the parade 57

3 A flight on gossamer wings 62

4 In pursuit of a mirage to yesterday 75

5 A tour behind the platforms of those strange people 86

6 Destiny smiles, but not on Shmoontsie 99

7 A new leaf, a new life 105

8 Where caste is observed, according to rank and rating 117

9 Equestrian director par excellence 143

10 The awe-inspiring Mr. John 147

11 Calibrating for a career 150

12 Bareback : the aristocrat of circus acts 155

13 A backdoor glimpse of supermen and superwomen 161

14 Elephants are like people 172

15 Engineering the white city 177

16 Finding the lot - a daily headache 187

17 On the sunny side 189

18 Life under the big top : private, social, competitive 193

19 Finale of the season 196

20 Circus experience pays off 198

21 An annual season's opening 203

22 Leitzel, Queen of the Air - of the ground as well 208

23 Progress, trends, and customs typical of circus folks 214

24 On a magic carpet to a land fantastic 221

25 Back to the material world 229

26 An act is born 234

27 Circus history is made : merging "The Greatest Show on Earth" and "The World's Greatest Show," thereafter to be known as "Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows" 237

28 Pride versus virtue 246

29 Misery - like death - knows no class distinction 255

30 Fate follows her course - strange, mysterious, terrifying 258

31 Sarasota - last stop 271

32 An elucidating interlude 288

33 The circus, to date (1948) 293

Epilogue The show - the public - unto the end 311

App. A Superstitions 313

Notes 315

Index 353