A Book of Country Fairs

Blue Ribbons and Burlesque presents more than 200 remarkable photographs taken nearly 30 years ago and an engaging text that blends memories with information on nearly every aspect of the world of American fairs. While country fairs still draw crowds, and readers will recognize many of the features so strikingly captured in this book, times have certainly changed. "The fairs as I knew them," Fish writes, "are emblematic of a passing way of life. They were rich with images and wonders at a time when entertainment was more restrained, the panorama of the wide world less brutally revealed."

While never ceasing to entertain and inform, Blue Ribbons and Burlesque also raises questions about nature and nurture, theatrical illusion, the pursuit of excellence, and the power of novelty and the erotic.

"Pure and simple, Blue Ribbons and Burlesque is an absolute joy. Charles Fish reminds us there once was a time when a Ferris wheel at twilight could hold us in awe, and a 4-H tent offered a child all the wonder in the world."
—Chris Bohjalian, author of Midwives

$29.95 (Can. $41.99)
0-88150-412-2
272 pages, hardcover, b & w photographs