The Ways of the Circus: Being the Memories and Adventures of George Conklin, Tamer of Lions

“The Ways of the Circus not only justifies an early desire to run away with circus, but makes it a matter for regret that we did not.” -Waco Times-Herald, Feb. 21, 1921

“The Ways of the Circus is a decidedly readable book rich in anecdotes of the life of circus folk and circus animals. The narrator is an old lion tamer.” -New York Tribune, April 4, 1921

“A most fascinating narrative.” – The Open Road

“Exciting, dramatic, humorous, and entertaining.” -Harper’s Magazine

“A most entertaining book, with lurid fascination.” -The Freeman

George Conklin’s 1921 book “The Ways of the Circus” is devoted to the creator’s stories and reminiscences of circus people, circus animals, a curious world with men, manners and morals abnormal to itself, and describe feats ranging from the handling of a lion to the tricks of sideshow freaks and the making of circus lemonade, written by probably the most famous of the old time circus lion tamers who traveled with a few of the big “shows” of his day. He was with the Barnum and Bailey show when it made its famous five year tour of Europe, and is especially interesting in reminiscences of that period.

For nearly half a century George Conklin was a tamer of lions and animal trainer in general. He joined the circus when it was a wagon show and saw it grow into the wonder of railroad Pullman car efficiency. Every chapter has its wealth of incident and anecdote of things at the back of the scenes in the little caravan shows of an earlier generation and the mammoth consolidated shows of our time. In reading Conklin’s reminiscences one acquires a picture of the patient, iron-nerved dare-devils who train the wild beasts, and of that daily encounter with uncertain hazards, where life is cheap and death is gaudy. The hard knocks, the cruel taskmasters, and the hectic nocturnal flights are set forth with vivid detail.

As a lion trainer he leaped into the lions’ cage with whip and pistol, and made the lions and the leopards go through their tricks.

In describing the dangers of lion attack, Conklin writes:

“Whilst I presume I have handled more lions than anyone else in the US, only once was I ever hurt by one enough to lay me up. I never knew for certain just what caused him to do it-whether I backed up too close to him or by accident stepped on his tail or what-but at any rate, as I used to be doing this waltz act one of the most lions in back of me suddenly reached out and bit me clear through the thigh. I reached round and struck him over the head with the butt of my whip as hard as I could…”

Another time, Conklin relates:

”An elephant man by the name of Cooley, who had seen the trouble, advised Whittle to go back into the cage at once and conquer the lion. This was bad advice, but Whittle took it. The second time he attempted to come out the lion sprang again…”