Book Review: ‘Battle for the Big Top’, 272 pages, published June, 2021.

Often seems Les Standiford is one of the few writers today who knows how to write. Here he goes again! His ‘Last Train to Paradise’ should be a must-read of Florida history and this one is just as good and involves Florida history, if peripherally.

‘Battle for the Big Top’, which came out 2 months ago, is a fantastic book bridging tough subjects and winnowing all to this tight volume of lives and pursuit of success. In this case, the success involves the circus business. Standiford roughs out the lives of John Ringling, James Bailey and P.T. Barnum, demonstrates how they all dovetail their lives and end up creating “The Greatest Show on Earth”. Each of the lives of the three are told and along the way the development, of what would be known as, the circus. This then extends all of the efforts through the1800s and into the 20th century and then the troubles as circuses fall  out of favor. First by movies and television and then a bit of the political actions against the circus business.

I wonder if Standiford came upon all this as I once took a similar trail. Years ago, i was writing a small book about Sarasota history and tried to fit John Ringling in. Soon I found I need a few small books to fit Ringling in – just about his time in Sarasota! He was involved with so much from development, hotels, schools and circuses. My research was leading me out of Florida and towards what Standiford ended up doing. I realized as I waded into Ringling that a comprehensive book, as Standiford has done, was needed.

It is extraordinary that Standiford winnowed the lives of Barnum, Bailey and Ringling into a single volume. Books about Ringling run a good 300 pages. Standiford stuffs this all into 272 pages. This does truncate lives and would be best to refer to other volumes of any of the three for a more thorough examination.

A minor misstep is stuffing so much into a single volume and there are muddy parts that are a bit unclear. For instance, Ringling loses all of this brothers and each loss creates problems that are murky in writing. Near the end there are further muddy areas after Ringling dies and the handling of Feld and the circus. It’s the first 2/3rds that really shine.

One thing I love about that 2/3rds is the context of the development of similar circus efforts in Europe at the same time and how this connects to efforts in the U.S. This is fascinating! Something else is how Standiford illustrates the Ringling, Barnum, Bailey as human beings just living life and working toward goals and stumbles and success along the way. He writes them as real people. Which subtly can help others realize their potential to reach goals, also.

Overall, quite an accomplishment and the only book of it’s kind. I’m hoping Standiford returns to Ringling and his time in Florida!

Bottom line: I recommend the book. 10 out of 10 points.