"The golden age of the circus had passed but under Irvin Feld, the ruthless, unpredictable, super salesman, another golden age of promotion had just begun. "
And so begins the extraordinary tale of The Advance Man. It's a history, a love story, and a tale of self-discovery. And as much, it's a captivating inside look at the largest traveling entertainment conglomerate on the globe, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
"From dwarfs and lion tamers to Siamese twins, a cast of fascinating characters. But the really exotic are behind the scenes, the promoters. A coming of age tale and a story of circus struggles in a new age of mass entertainment. Enormously readable, as compulsive as popcorn at a Saturday matinee. " — Ted Bishop, Author, award-winning Riding with Rilke
"A first-class book that is strikingly original. What Harvard and Wharton don't teach. This is the treatise on marketing and promotion. An illuminating and riveting tale! " — David Hogan, Producer, Broadway Heroes
From page one the reader is pulled into the heart and mind of the advance man. I was there and can attest to MacVicar's travails of ponderous pachyderms and hardball tycoons. A marvelous inside treat, superbly done. — Peter Halbin , former publicist for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
From the Publisher
"From here on in you'll be living on the road, your life's belongings in a suitcase. Do you think you'd enjoy that?"
And so begins a fascinating journey into the world of the circus as Jamie MacVicar skillfully blends the secrets of marketing and promotion as taught by the masters, a captivating personal tale, and an inside look at an American icon, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
Richly textured and meticulously researched, The Advance Man is an incomparable bridge from the circus past to the present. It is a spellbinding narrative inhabited by strange and seductive characters: Chang and Eng, the Siamese twins who couldn't be engaged in unlike conversations simultaneously; Irvin Feld, the Napoleonic genius who wrested control of the circus from Ringling's heir; the smallest man in the world who continuously stymied the show s most virile man; the naive, young woman who risked too much aspiring to become a model; the Cleveland tycoon and a host of others from extraordinary everyday people to well-known celebrities.
From San Diego to Cleveland to moss-draped, beguiling Savannah, the story illuminates the fabric of American cities—their cultures and mores—and reveals a tapestry at the heart of who we are. We almost forget that this is a true story when MacVicar leisurely pulls us in and then masterfully sets the hook. "Until now you ve been with me and the circus, " a fellow promoter warns. "Wait until it's just you, and you re all alone for weeks before the show arrives. "
As events gather speed, catapulting the reader and the advance man down a heart-pounding track, it becomes easy to forget that "sometimes the most complex illusions have the simplest explanations."
Artfully, MacVicar invites us into a world of splashing color while the story within the story comes to light. Whether the reader is a history or circus enthusiast, a student of business, or just the lover of a remarkable yarn, the ride will be memorable, as unforgettable as a childhood night at the circus.
