This first balanced picture of circusking John Ringling North explored the remarkable career of the man who ran RinglingBros. and Barnum & Baily for thirty years. David Lewis Hammarstrom detailshow North guided the circus through adversities ranging from depressions andwars to crippling labor strikes and rapidly changing trends in American entertainment.Hammarstrom interviewed a host of circus figures including North himself; hisformers, directors, and department heads who were involved with the circus whenNorth owned and operated it.