Before 'the greatest showman', P. T. Barnum, there was Philip Astley, an
Englishman who revolutionised popular entertainment. This is his
extraordinary story. The First Showman is a hugely entertaining history
of the man who created the modern circus: Philip Astley. There have been
many books about aspects of the circus but little written about its
inventor. Here, New York Times bestselling author Karl Shaw draws on
original research to tell the story of Britain's Barnum. He brilliantly
evokes the time, the place, the drama, pitfalls, successes, characters
and passion behind Astley's rise to fame. Born in Newcastle-under-Lyme,
'Mr Astley' is also a local hero for the author, who now lives there.
Astley served as a sergeant major in the British Army where he learned
his horse-riding skills, before becoming a brilliant innovator of
equestrian tricks and spectacles. In April 1768 Astley staked out a ring
at Halfpenny Hatch near Waterloo in London and he and his wife Patty put
on displays of trick horse-riding in the open air. Two years later, he
put a clown in the ring and gave birth to the modern circus. His circus
performers included a strongman called Signor Colpi and a clown called
Mr Merryman. He established the still-standard diameter of the circus
ring, 42 feet. He was invited to perform before European royalty and
built France's first purpose-built circus building, the Amphitheatre
Anglais, in Paris. Almost incredibly, he built circuses in twenty
European cities. At home, Astley's Amphitheatre was mentioned in books
by Charles Dickens and Jane Austen. He died on 20 October 1814 and was
buried in Pere Lachaise Cemetery, Paris. His life is a wonderful story
of perseverance and flair on the way to achieving everlasting renown.
