A CARNIVAL OF SPORTS: Spectacles, Stunts, Crazes and Unusual Sporting Events

by Bill Severn ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 1974

Most of the eccentric athletic endeavors Severn chronicles have been motivated as much by the search for a fast buck as by the desire for a new kind of kicks. Our favorites are those stunts which were associated with a single, colorful individual -- such as Blondin's highwire conquest of Niagara, Weston's ""pedestrianism"" marathons of the 1860's, and ""Shipwreck Kelly's"" flagpole sitting, but few amateur pop historians will be able to resist learning the origins of such phenomena as yo-yos, frisbees, skateboards, roller derby and dance marathons. By the time Severn gets around to pancake races, chariot driving contests and the International Gerplunking Open held on Mackinac Island, Michigan our endurance was sorely tested; nevertheless there's an audience of trivia experts that will snap up every chance to astound their friends.

Pub Date: June 1, 1974

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 160

Publisher: McKay--dist. by Walck

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1974

Categories: NONFICTION