Show writer William Lindsay Gresham described the carnival as “a canvas city, rose red and by tradition half as old as time.” Novelty & variety entertainment doesn’t live entirely under canvas, of course. But as the man who’s been called “the world’s foremost authority on sideshow,” James Taylor contends it’s the novelty & variety business that’s the oldest form of amusement and the real show biz. Ranging widely (and wildly) over the past few centuries – and into tomorrow – Taylor hits the bases other show historians ignore, from circus and carnival, dime museums and sideshows, burlesque and world’s fair shows and all the business in between. With over four decades in the entertainment business – over half of which has been in “the other show biz” of novelty & variety – Taylor shows why it’s the business “you’ll remember till the longest day ya live.”