Nell and the Circus of Dreams


Book Description

Open this book and be part of the magic of the circus! When Nell discovers the circus has arrived near her home she experiences everything the circus can offer; wonderful characters, the magic of performance and sense of community. Written by Giffords Circus founder Nell Gifford, the spirit of the circus is authentically captured on every page.




Giffords Circus


Book Description

Each summer a small and glamorous part of the 1930s comes back to life, recreating magic from an era long past. Evoking a tradition common in the English countryside before the arrival of radio, cinema and television, since 2000 Giffords Circus has delighted fans from far and wide with good old-fashioned entertainment, complete with acrobats, jugglers, horses, magic, puppeteers, dancers and comedy.Lavishly illustrated with a wealth of stunning colour photographs, Giffords Circus goes behind the scenes at the not-so-big top, to show how the magic and mystery are created.




Josser


Book Description

JOSSER is the powerful and moving account of Oxford-educated Nell Stroud's life in the circus. It is also the story of the people of the circus: the trapeze artists, the clowns, the high-wire acts, the grooms, the llamas, the elephants - their commitment and expertise, their hard, marginalised, miraculous lives. Following a terrible riding accident which left her mother permanently brain-damaged, Nell ran away to the circus. What she found there was a life which became more real to her than the one she left behind. She found people who had sacrificed their lives for their art, who worked in all weathers, perfecting some of the most dramatic and beautiful acts ever seen. She found third-generation show-people who travelled around forgotten parts of Britain to bring their abstract, polished, multi-layered show to ever dwindling audiences. She found herself in an art form that soon, if we are not careful, we will lose. Whilst she has lived and worked among the circus people for several years, she is not one of them: she was not born in the circus. In their words she is a 'josser' a person in the circus from the outside world. This is her story. 'The circus does cast a spell over some people. I felt overwhelmed by it. The circus filled up existence and left room for nothing else. What was there to do?




Giffords Circus Cookbook


Book Description

Winner of the Guild of Food Writers General Cookbook Award 2021 "One of the most memorable and enjoyable restaurants imaginable." – Gastronomica "Utterly brilliant, fun, uplifting show." – Dara O'Briain "Absolutely beautiful and fun and heart-stopping. See this!" – Dawn French Giffords Circus has been touring the south of England every summer since 2000. It is a traditional village circus with a uniquely British flavour, blended with extraordinary acts from all over the world. Their restaurant Circus Sauce is headed by chef Ols Halas and seats circus goers in a beautifully decorated tent on site. They offer a new menu every week and use seasonal and local produce from the surrounding area. They serve freshly baked bread, roast chicken and truffle suet pudding, smoked ham hock in pastry, dressed crab with samphire, queen of puddings, mounds of Eton mess, and lots more, with some guests returning several times in the summer to experience a new menu within familiar surroundings. This extraordinary book is a celebration of the food that brings the circus and its audience together, alongside the story of the circus itself and its vibrant community. Full of colour, personalities, stories and images of the circus and its slow journey through the English summer countryside, the book's 100 recipes are nothing but delicious, joyful and hearty.




Circus Mania!


Book Description

A history of the circus from its origins in the Roman times, through its establishment in Western Europe, and to the modern day circus—absolutely diverse and captivating Circuses have existed since Roman times, but centuries later, the circus world has never been more diverse and captivating, the global success of Cirque du Soleil testament to its enduring and universal appeal. Traditional family circuses for kids, arty cirque-style shows for adults, circuses in tents or in theaters, circuses with animals or without, cabaret-style hybrids on the burlesque circuit—this is an expert guide to their extraordinary history and culture. The circus requires a unique type of performer, people who blend the discipline of sports stars with the razzmatazz of showbiz; itinerant but clannish entertainers who have often had circus blood in their families for generations; world class gymnasts who risk death twice daily and help take down the big top afterwards. This history offers a journey into this unique world, each chapter an access-all-areas pass to a different circus, talking to the trapeze flyers, clowns, animal trainers, and showmen about their lives, work, families, customs, and traditions.




The Wild Other


Book Description

'Extraordinary. I've never met anyone who has read it and doesn't rank it as one of their favourite books.' DOLLY ALDERTON 'So fierce and brave and visceral and raw - will stay with me forever. I loved it.' ELIZABETH GILBERT 'Full of heart, bravery and adventure.' AMY LIPTROT SHORTLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE Clover Stroud grew up in rural Wiltshire surrounded by animals and family. When she was just sixteen her adored mother had a horrific riding accident which left her permanently brain-damaged, and suddenly Clover was left to fend for herself. She embarked on an extraordinary journey to heal her broken heart, courting men and danger through two marriages and five children. The Wild Other is a grippingly honest account of love, sex and travelling to the darkest edges of human experience and back again. Powerful and deeply emotional, this is the story of an extraordinary life lived at its fullest. 'There is so much richly evoked life here... beautifully written.' Cathy Rentzenbrink, The Times 'This redemptive memoir will steal your heart; it will return it bruised but emboldened.' Mail on Sunday




Gabby


Book Description

Adeeply personal account of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords' and astronaut Mark Kelly's lives together, recounting their courtship, Ms Giffords' rise in politics, and the tragic 8th January 2011 shooting in Arizona which killed six people and gravely wounded Representative Gifford and twelve others. The book also tells the story of her recovery progress and traces Kelly's career from decorated Desert Storm combat pilot to his recent mission as the commander of Space Shuttle Endeavour's final flight.




The Clown Egg Register


Book Description

Step right up for the Greatest Book on Earth! For more than 70 years, Clowns International—the oldest established clowning organization—has been painting the faces of its members on eggs. Each one is a record of a clown's unique identity, preserving the unwritten rule that no clown should copy another's look. This mesmerizing volume collects more than 150 of these portraits, from 1946 to the modern day, accompanied by short personal histories of many of the clowns. Here are Tricky Nicky, Taffy, Bobo, Sammy Sunshine, the legendary Emmett Kelly, and Jolly Jack, clowning since 1977 and still performing today with a penguin puppet named Biscuit. A treasure just like the eggs it enshrines, The Clown Egg Register is an extraordinary archive of images and lives of the men and women behind the make-up.




Twilight Eyes


Book Description

In this chilling thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Dean Koontz, the carnival is coming to town—and it's like nothing you've ever seen. Slim MacKenzie is no ordinary man. With eyes the color of twilight, he’s been blessed with a psychic gift: premonitions. He’s also been cursed, for Slim can see the monsters hiding among us, feeding on our suffering... And when Slim joins a traveling carnival seeking sanctuary, what he’ll find is a hunting ground—with humanity as the prey.




Practically Poppins in Every Way


Book Description

Ever since 1934, when Mary Poppins descended from the skies over London into Cherry Tree Lane in the beloved book by P. L. Travers, the world has adored the enchanting adventures and peculiar wisdom of this magical nanny.For more than eight decades, Travers's staunch but charming heroine has been beloved in the pages of eight popular books-and in media-from movies to stage, and music to television, all around the world.Now Mary Poppins has come to light up cinema screens again in a magical, musical new incarnation, Mary Poppins Returns. From the Walt Disney Studios, this film is a colorful and charming new story-a sequel to the 1964 classic-featuring an all-star cast and brought to life by a stellar creative team. In Depression-era London, a now-grown Jane and Michael Banks, along with Michael's three children, are visited by the enigmatic Mary Poppins following a personal, grievous loss. She's back just in time. And through her unique magical skills andpresence, plus the aid of her friend Jack, Mary helps restore for the troubled family the joy and wonder that's been lost in their lives.Every incarnation of Mary Poppins has had at least one thing in common: she's always arrived out of the blue, though the stay is for an all-too brief period of time-until the wind changes or the chain breaks-whereupon she flies away again for, as Pamela Travers put it, "Apparently . . . nowhere."Practically Poppins In Every Way is a showcase of the varied creative forces that have brought Mary Poppins to life, generation after generation. It is accompanied by erudite and informative text, essays, and observations by creative luminaries such as Cameron Mackintosh, Thomas Schumacher, Gavin Lee, and John Myhre, as well as renowned Disney authorities Brian Sibley, Jim Fanning, Paula Sigman Lowery, Craig D. Barton, and Greg Ehrbar.This colorful and lavish showcase is a rich, vivid, and frequently surprising visual document of the development behind the stories of Mary Poppins on the page, screen, and stage. Treasures collected by the Walt Disney Studios, the Walt Disney Archives, the Walt Disney Archives Photo Library, the Walt Disney Animation Studios Research Library, the Disney Publishing Archives, and Disney Theatrical Group abound throughout the book.Practically Poppins in Every Way is a magical carpetbag containing countless wonders and "a bit o' magic" that will captivate, inform, and entertain readers of all ages.