Sure, you've heard of Tom Thumb, but what about Eli Bowen, the Legless Acrobat? Or Myrtle Corbin, the four-legged woman who gave birth from two separate sets of reproductive organs? Or the Great Throwdini, a reverend who became a world champion knife thrower? They're just a few of the amazing sideshow performers ranging from the early 1800s to today that are featured in my new book, American Sideshow: An Encyclopedia of History's Most Wondrous and Curiously Strange Performers (Tarcher/Penguin).

The books examines these brave and extraordinary curiosities, not just as sideshow attractions, but as people, delving into the lives they led and how they were able to triumph over their abnormalities.

Approximately 170 photos accompanying more than 200 biographical entries give readers a comprehensive and sometimes astonishing view of the history of the American sideshow.

Want to discuss these incredible people?  Here are a few questions I can answer:

How did freaks feel about being in sideshows?

What effect has medicine had on human oddities?

What the heck is a parasitic twin and how did Laloo live with one?

How many kids did the armless and legless Prince Randian father?

Did sideshows ever really die?

Are there still freaks performing today?

Reply to this email, or give me a call at 347-512-6208 or 212-885-3540 for an interview. Several of the current performers are also available for interviews, including the Great Throwdini (he's also a trained chef!), the Great Nippulini (lifts very heavy things from his nipples), and Harley Newman the Professional Lunatic.

For a full press release, quotes, photos, and more information, please visit: http://www.americansideshow.com/.

I'm also the author of Found on eBay: 101 Genuinely Bizarre Items From the World's Online Yard Sale (Universe/Rizzoli). I'm always up for talking about eBay's strangest auctions if you're interested!

Thanks,

Marc Hartzman

347-512-6208

212-885-3540