"THE RISE AND FALL OF THE SIDESHOW GEEK: Snake Eaters, Human Ostriches, and Other Extreme Entertainments" AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF CARNIVAL'S MOST GRUESOME ACTS

[New York, NY] - Outside Talker Press, in cooperation with Shocked & Amazed, is pleased to announce the release of The Rise and Fall of the Sideshow Geek: Snake Eaters, Human Ostriches, and Other Extreme Entertainments by Nathan Wakefield, the definitive history of the vilest of all carnival acts, replete with illustrations, photographs, and fascinating ephemera from the Elizabethan era to now. The publication includes a preface by notable carny historian James Taylor (Shocked & Amazed!) and marks the debut of Outside Talker Press, a new imprint of Vaudevisuals Press. The Rise and Fall of the Sideshow Geek is available for pre-sale on March 1, 2023.

Before "geek" became synonymous with computer wizardry, the term referred to the lowest of all carnival acts. Wild-eyed and unkempt, the geek would bite the head off of a chicken or rodent, splattering blood and crunching bone, as the animal writhed in death throes and horrified audiences looked on in disgust. Steeped in cruelty and controversy, not to mention dubious hygienics, geek shows are now largely a thing of the past. For hundreds of years, however, geeks were a popular form of entertainment, though farfetched promotional puffery, hyperbolic portrayals in books and films, and the sheer lack of credible information regarding the lowest of all lowbrow entertainment, have made it difficult to separate fact from fiction.

The Rise and Fall of the Sideshow Geek is the first book to present a detailed and unflinching history of the sideshow geek. Variety entertainer Nathan Wakefield sifts through historical documentation to answer all the burning questions about this gruesome variety act: "Who was the first sideshow geek?" "How did geek shows operate?" "What were some notable geeks?" In addition, the book examines adjacent genres of live entertainment, including wild men, stone eaters, human ostriches, and competitive goldfish swallowers.

"An impressive survey drawing back the curtains on one of the most strange and macabre corners of the history of popular entertainment and a must-read for sideshow fans and performers... Step right up and peek inside (if you dare)."
-- Mistress Kali, The Southern Sideshow Hootenanny

Retail Price: $24.95
Presale price: $20 + postage & tax
Discount code: sideshow
Website: http://outsidetalkerpress.com
Books purchased during Presale will be shipped after the publication date.

Outside Talker Press
c/o Vaudevisuals Press
52 Windsor Place
Suite 1
Brooklyn NY 11215
Contact: Baron Otto von Tu
info@outsidetalkerpress.com

Outside Talker Press is an imprint of Vaudevisuals Press. Devoted to celebrating the eccentric performing arts. Producing books and other printed materials.

This release was published on openPR.