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Customer Review
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2017
Starring a globe-trotting, Victorian show business adventurer, this is a story of East meeting West, and of America meeting and challenging the world. Richard Risley Carlisle, known professionally as “Professor Risley”, was a bona fide show business superstar in the 1800’s. As a professional acrobat, Risley performed an act that would still astound and entertain today. His physical prowess, daring and showmanship brought him the acclaim of the public, and his artistry earned him the esteem of the well-mannered upper crust.
A great story by itself, but, for me, the real fun of the book is in the story of how he brought a troupe of Japanese acrobats, jugglers and magicians to America and Europe, at a time when Japan had been in self-imposed isolation from the world for over 200 years. The historical facts of the story—the physical hardships of travel, the often cutthroat business practices, the racism of the public—make a fascinating backdrop to a tale of entertainment celebrity that often felt eerily familiar. One could easily imagine the troupe’s star acrobat, Hamaikari Umekichi (dubbed “Little All Right” by the American press) as a YouTube sensation today. This is the kind of historical book I really love—a fun, little-known story that puts history in a different perspective. Mr. Schodt has done a terrific job of turning a meticulously researched story into an entertaining—and thought provoking—tale.
A great story by itself, but, for me, the real fun of the book is in the story of how he brought a troupe of Japanese acrobats, jugglers and magicians to America and Europe, at a time when Japan had been in self-imposed isolation from the world for over 200 years. The historical facts of the story—the physical hardships of travel, the often cutthroat business practices, the racism of the public—make a fascinating backdrop to a tale of entertainment celebrity that often felt eerily familiar. One could easily imagine the troupe’s star acrobat, Hamaikari Umekichi (dubbed “Little All Right” by the American press) as a YouTube sensation today. This is the kind of historical book I really love—a fun, little-known story that puts history in a different perspective. Mr. Schodt has done a terrific job of turning a meticulously researched story into an entertaining—and thought provoking—tale.
Product Details
4.6 out of 5
11 global ratings