Dan Rice was one of the most famous and controversial entertainers of the 19th century, a clown, circus performer, and political activist who rubbed shoulders with presidents and common folk alike. In this lively biography, Maria Ward Brown captures the spirit and energy of Rice's life and times, from his humble beginnings to his global fame, from his patriotic performances to his scandals and setbacks. With colorful anecdotes and historic context, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in American popular culture. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Excerpt from The Life of Dan Rice There is no more fascinating exercise for the mind or imagination than to contemplate the career of a gifted man or woman; and the man who illustrates and adorns the profession, to which choice or chance has assigned, should ever be regarded as a fit item for history - whatever that lot might have been. But more especially is this the experience with the man, who, from any circumstances or powers of mind, bursts the fetters of a lowly fortune or position, and, rising superior to common fate, makes for himself a path to higher destiny and forms a niche in its temple which, in aftertime, an impartial world will deem him worthy to occupy. "Honor and fame from no condition rise Act well your part - therein the honor lies." The history of Dan Rice is replete with startling incident, instructive fact, and dramatic situations; whilst the trend of thought and action which that history develops, exhibits a mind, heart, and purpose, combined with the rarest elements. He has lived a varied, adventurous life, has travelled extensively, and mingled with all sorts and conditions of men, the noble-minded and the base. He has been a keen observer, a profound student of mankind, and in his own person has been subjected to almost every sort of trial, domestic or otherwise, bitter experiences which have served to expand and strengthen these characteristics which have proved to be the mainspring of his triumphs in after life. Imbued with a well-nigh insatiable love of nature, of a nomadic tendency, with just a trifling tinge of the Bohemian in his temperament - little wonder that at an early age he left the roof of his childhood and became a cosmopolite, before he had imbibed scarcely more than the primary rudiments of the school room or formed any stable habits of the right, for at that early period - when association was most likely to give bias to his character - he was cast upon the cold and unsympathetic ocean of life - no beacon light to direct his pathway - the child of circumstance - the nursling of fate. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Dan Rice had many lives. He was a pig presenter, a strongman, a lecturer, and a comic singer, all before joining the dazzling world of the circus. In 1855, he created Dan Rice's Great Show. Labeling himself the "Great American Humorist," he toured the country and spoke out on issues of the day before large crowds. Swept up in a new cult of celebrity, he rose to become one of the most famous—and infamous—men in America. He even ran for president. So why have so few people ever heard of Dan Rice? Propelled by an urge toward "refinement," American amusements began to stratify in the mid-19th century. The raucous antebellum jumble of performers, audiences, and forms split along a new performance hierarchy of high and low. Circus, though still vastly popular, became seen as lowbrow. In that changed world, Rice's aggressive humor and robust connection with a noisy, participatory audience became seen as crude—and worse—a civic threat. David Carlyon weaves a remarkably rich portrait of turbulent times that raised one ambitious, creative man to glorious heights and then, embarrassed by its enthusiasm, buried him in sentimentality and finally oblivion.

Now in paperback: Carlyon's "masterful work of cultural and theater criticism" "--Publishers Weekly," (starred review)

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