Bidspirit auction | 1988-2008. A Trio of Softcover

1988-2008. A Trio of Softcover Books on American Sideshow History and Human Oddities. - A collection of three softcover volumes providing a comprehensive historical overview of the American sideshow and carnival culture. The group includes: 1. Bogdan, Robert. Freak Show: Presenting Human Oddities for Amusement and Profit. Published by The University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London. The copyright page identifies this as the paperback edition published in 1990, based on the original 1988 publication. The bright orange covers feature a historical photograph of a barker and performer. The volume is an octavo-sized paperback containing numerous black and white historical plates throughout the text. 2. Nickell, Joe. Secrets of the Sideshows. Published by The University Press of Kentucky. The copyright page indicates this is the 2008 paperback edition of the 2005 original work. The pictorial wrappers feature circus-style graphics in yellow and red, depicting a sword swallower and a two-headed man. The text is extensively illustrated with black and white photographs of performers, equipment, and banners. 3. Hartzman, Marc. American Sideshow: An Encyclopedia of History's Most Wondrous and Curiously Strange Performers. Published by Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, 2005. This encyclopedic work is bound in sepia-toned pictorial wrappers. The volume features vertical handwritten inscriptions in black ink along the left edge of the front cover and on the back cover; the characters appear to be a name and a date, such as '11/08', but are not fully distinct. The interior contains biographical entries accompanied by numerous archival illustrations. The collection is in overall very good condition. Freak Show shows minor edge wear and light rubbing to the orange covers (photo 2). Secrets of the Sideshows retains sharp corners and a clean spine (photo 15). American Sideshow exhibits light shelf wear and a vertical crease to the spine (photo 20); as noted, there are black ink inscriptions on the exterior covers (photo 19, 21). The interior pages of all three volumes appear clean and well-preserved, with no visible tearing or significant foxing to the plates (photos 7, 10, 18, 23).