This volume contextualizes the circus as a cultural force in North America during the long nineteenth century. Individually, resources provide insight into the business, people, acts, and audience experience in a period that witnessed explosive growth of population, print media, technology, and amusement. The selections are intended to foster comfort with working through the combination of firsthand accounts, manuscripts, and marketing jargon that comprise research into the historical record of the circus. These varied sources also point to the intersection of entertainment and culture, situating the traveling circus as a mirror showing something of the character of the society it entertained.