The great Farini: The high-wire life of William Hunt

by Shane Peacock

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0670863203
• ISBN13: 9780670863204
• Release Date: January 1995
• Publisher: Allen Lane
• Length: 457 Pages
• Weight: 1.91 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 1.6" x 6.2"

Customer Reviews

One of the great untold stories of the Show Business

Shane Peacock's fascinating biography of the Canadian showman known as "the Great Farini" is a must-read for anyone with an interest in the eccentric, flamboyant and dangerous world of "thrill performers" during the late 1800s. Farini (real name William Hunt) turned his back on his staid, middle-class rural upbringing to pursue a hugely successful career as a tightrope walker, making his name by challenging the Great Blondin to a series of increasingly suicidal escapades on ropes stretched over the Niagara Falls. Later, Farini became an globe-trotting inventor and show-business impresario specialising in creating original and astounding circus acts, often using equipment that he had designed himself. Farini was also famous for having reportedly discovered the ruins of an ancient city while on an expedition to Africa. "The Great Farini" is is an excellent, thoroughly researched and entertaining work that deserves to be widely read and enjoyed.

One of the great untold stories of the Show Business

Shane Peacock's fascinating biography of the Canadian showman known as "the Great Farini" is a must-read for anyone with an interest in the eccentric, flamboyant and dangerous world of "thrill performers" during the late 1800s. Farini (real name William Hunt) turned his back on his staid, middle-class rural upbringing to pursue a hugely successful career as a tightrope walker, making his name by challenging the Great Blondin to a series of increasingly suicidal escapades on ropes stretched over the Niagara Falls. Later, Farini became a globe-trotting inventor and show-business impresario specialising in creating original and astounding circus acts, often using equipment that he had designed himself. Farini was also famous for having reportedly discovered the ruins of an ancient city while on an expedition to Africa. "The Great Farini" is is an excellent, thoroughly researched and entertaining work that deserves to be widely read and enjoyed.