Skip to content

The Aerialist
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Aerialist Paperback - 2002

by Richard Schmitt


Summary

From an authentic American voice, a stunning, gritty tale of a young man's retreat into the darkly glamorous world of the circus.

Venice, Florida: On the edge of town sits the winter headquarters of a
traveling circus. One day Gary, a drifter, signs up for a job as a bullhand
with the circus.

Everyone has heard of the ringmaster, the trapeze artist, and the clown, but Gary soon learns that the circus includes others as well: the 24-hour man, the first to arrive in a town to poster the way to the circus grounds; the bullhands who remove elephant excrement from under the animals' bodies; the butchers who distract the audience from the circus spectacle selling them cotton candy or lemonade; the animal people who care for the animals and keep to themselves. Gary instantly falls in love with this new life, riding the circus train from one town to the next in the odd hours of the night.

This acclaimed debut tells of a hapless, magical existence-a life for which Richard Schmitt's characters have abandoned everything and nothing at all. In it, the circus unfolds as a wealth of human energy and ambition, and Schmitt emerges as a talent with a magical voice and a high-flying future.

Details

  • Title The Aerialist
  • Author Richard Schmitt
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition 2nd
  • Pages 300
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Harvest Books, Woodstock, NY
  • Date 2002-01-14
  • ISBN 9780156007177 / 0156007177
  • Weight 0.62 lbs (0.28 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.02 x 5.32 x 0.76 in (20.37 x 13.51 x 1.93 cm)
  • Library of Congress subjects Circus, Bildungsromans
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2001024417
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC

Media reviews

PRAISE FOR THE AERIALIST
Wonderful . . . The Aerialist manages, with the savvy originality of legendary old showfolk, to 'put an entire world inside a tent.' "-The Baltimore Sun
Cleverly turning the road-worn carny metaphor on its ear, Schmitt trains a follow spot on the perilous balancing act that is American ambition. Dazzling."-Entertainment Weekly
Reads more like a Kerouacian travelogue than a traditional work of fiction . . . thematically rich and open to sophisticated interpretations."-The Denver Post

Back to Top

More Copies for Sale

The Aerialist
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Aerialist

by Schmitt, Richard

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780156007177 / 0156007177
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Reno, Nevada, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$8.77
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Used - Good. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
A$8.77
FREE shipping to USA
The Aerialist
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Aerialist

by Schmitt, Richard

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780156007177 / 0156007177
Quantity Available
2
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$14.51
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Used - Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
A$14.51
FREE shipping to USA
Aerialist, The

Aerialist, The

by Schmitt, Richard

  • Used
  • Very Good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Very Good
Edition
2nd
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780156007177 / 0156007177
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Middlebury, Vermont, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 3 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$18.37
A$7.66 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Woodstock, NY: Overlook Press, 2000. 2nd. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. 295 pages, hardcover with dust jacket. Author's debut novel. Clean and bright copy. Record # 302575
Item Price
A$18.37
A$7.66 shipping to USA
The Aerialist
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Aerialist

by Schmitt, Richard

  • New
  • Paperback
Condition
New
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780156007177 / 0156007177
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Waldorf, Maryland, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$61.23
A$6.11 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Harvest Books, 2002-01-14. Paperback. New. 0.8000 in x 7.9000 in x 5.3000 in.
Item Price
A$61.23
A$6.11 shipping to USA
The Aerialist
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Aerialist

by Schmitt, Richard

  • Used
  • Good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780156007177 / 0156007177
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Newport Coast, California, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$63.79
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
paperback. Good. Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items. May be an ex-library book.
Item Price
A$63.79
FREE shipping to USA
The Aerialist
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

The Aerialist

by Schmitt, Richard

  • New
  • Paperback
Condition
New
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780156007177 / 0156007177
Quantity Available
1
Seller
San Diego, California, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$127.66
A$8.34 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Harvest Books, 2002-01-14. Paperback. New. New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title!
Item Price
A$127.66
A$8.34 shipping to USA