From an authentic American voice, a stunning, gritty tale of a young man's retreat into the darkly glamorous world of the circus. Venice, Florida: On the edge of town sits the winter headquarters of a traveling circus. One day Gary, a drifter, signs up for a job as a bullhand with the circus. Everyone has heard of the ringmaster, the trapeze artist, and the clown, but Gary soon learns that the circus includes others as well: the 24-hour man, the first to arrive in a town to poster the way to the circus grounds; the ...
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From an authentic American voice, a stunning, gritty tale of a young man's retreat into the darkly glamorous world of the circus. Venice, Florida: On the edge of town sits the winter headquarters of a traveling circus. One day Gary, a drifter, signs up for a job as a bullhand with the circus. Everyone has heard of the ringmaster, the trapeze artist, and the clown, but Gary soon learns that the circus includes others as well: the 24-hour man, the first to arrive in a town to poster the way to the circus grounds; the bullhands who remove elephant excrement from under the animals' bodies; the butchers who distract the audience from the circus spectacle selling them cotton candy or lemonade; the animal people who care for the animals and keep to themselves. Gary instantly falls in love with this new life, riding the circus train from one town to the next in the odd hours of the night. This acclaimed debut tells of a hapless, magical existence-a life for which Richard Schmitt's characters have abandoned everything and nothing at all. In it, the circus unfolds as a wealth of human energy and ambition, and Schmitt emerges as a talent with a magical voice and a high-flying future.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
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Seller's Description:
Very good. Sewanee Writers' Series. Clean, dustjacket in nice shape, in mylar slipcover. Stamped on edges & endpage. Amazon: Richard Schmitt's first novel, The Aerialist, chronicles the transformation of a disenfranchised '70s youth into a human miracle, a model of discipline, a machine capable of astonishing feats of balance and strength on a circus tightrope, a hi.
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Woodstock. 2000. Sewanee Writers Series/Overlook Press. 1st American Edition. Very Good in Dustjacket. 1585670707. 1st Novel. 295 pages. hardcover. keywords: Literature Circus America. FROM THE PUBLISHER-The dark, seemingly glitzy world of an American travelling circus is the setting for Richard Schmitt's brilliant debut novel, The Aerialist. On the edge of the dreary town of Venice, Florida, lie the winterquarters-a circus in repose. One day Gary-who hasn't cared much what sort of job he's had-finds himself signing on as a circus hand. Everyone has seen or heard of the wirewalker, the trapeze artist, and the clown, but there are others: The 'twenty-four-hour man' who arrives in a town first to post arrows that point the way to the lot; the 'bullhands' who remove the elephants' excrement out from under their tumultuous bodies; the 'butchers' who distract the audience from the wonders on stage so that they might purchase a cotton candy or a plastic ray-gun; the 'animal people' who tend to the animals and keep to themselves. Gary becomes instantly familiar with this new life-riding in the circus train from one town to the next in the odd hours of the night. It is a life for which he has abandoned everything and nothing at all. In story-like chapters, Richard Schmitt describes a hapless, magical existence in an American voice as starkly resonant as that of Richard Ford-and through his description of Gary's inevitable progression from circus hand to wirewalker, the circus emerges as a symbol of human aspiration. inventory #28591.
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Seller's Description:
Fine. Dust Jacket Included. Book 1585670707 First edition. First printing. NOT inscribed clipped or marked in anyway. Signed on the title page. Securely wrapped and shipped in a box. Fine/Fine.
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Seller's Description:
Very good in very good dust jacket. Signed. First Edition. Stated first. Signed by the author on the title page. DJ in mylar sleeve. Near fine copy. Very Clean Copy-Over 500, 000 Internet Orders Filled.
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Seller's Description:
New in New jacket. Never opened, Never use. Quantity Available: 1. Category: Fiction; ISBN: 1585670707. ISBN/EAN: 9781585670703. Pictures of this item not already displayed here available upon request. Inventory No: 1560778662.
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Seller's Description:
Schmitt, Richard., Sewanee Writers' Series, The Overlook Press, 2000, c2000, 1st Edition, boards & cloth (hard cover), fine with fine dj, 295 pp, tall 8vo, "On the edge of the gritty town of Venice, Florida...", author's 1st novel.
