{"product_id":"the-wonders-john-woolf-9781643132204","title":"The Wonders: The Extraordinary Performers Who Transformed the Victorian Age","description":"\u003cb\u003eA radical new history that rediscovers the remarkable freak performers whose talents and charisma helped define an era.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOn March 23, 1844, General Tom Thumb, just 25 inches tall, entered the Picture Gallery at Buckingham Palace and bowed low to Queen Victoria. On both sides of the Atlantic, this meeting marked a tipping point in the nineteenth century, and the age of the freak was born. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBewitching all levels of society, it was a world of curiosities and astonishing spectacle--of dwarfs, giants, bearded ladies, Siamese twins, and swaggering showmen. But the real stories--human dramas that so often eclipsed the fantasy presented on the stage--of the performing men, women and children, have been forgotten or marginalized in the histories of the very people who exploited them. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn this richly evocative account, John Woolf uses a wealth of recently discovered material to bring to life the sometimes tragic, sometimes triumphant, always extraordinary stories of people who used their (dis)abilities and difference to become some of the first international celebrities. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThrough their lives we discover afresh some of the great transformations of the age: the birth of show business, of celebrity, of advertising, and of \"alternative facts\" while also exploring the tensions between the power of fame, the impact of exploitation, and our fascination with \"otherness.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e John Woolf\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1643132202\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781643132204\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Pegasus Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/05\/2019\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 336\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.25lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.90h x 6.10w x 1.50d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 08\/26\/2019","brand":"John Woolf","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":43986314821887,"sku":"9781643132204","price":27.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_4fb304d5-d8ee-4fb8-a9fe-7925e00f99e4.jpg?v=1683282630","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-wonders-john-woolf-9781643132204","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}