BEFORE THE FOOTLIGHTS AND BEHIND THE SCENES - 1870 Burlesque Circus Opera Actors

 BEFORE THE FOOTLIGHTS AND BEHIND THE SCENES: A BOOK ABOUT "THE SHOW BUSINESS" IN ALL ITS BRANCHES 

Book Details + Condition: Parmelee & Company (Philadelphia). First edition from 1870. Original green boards with gilt decoration on front and spine. 612 pages, with 55 Illustrations. The Author a "not so well known" actress, often berated by the likes of Mark Twain for "creating her own Notoriety", concludes in her Preface: "from the experiences of the most celebrated actresses, actors and managers, to the experience of my humble self, from girlhood to womanhood, through a life which has been full of strange vicissitudes." Contents include: Training for the Stage; False Notions about "Genius"; My Tour in the West as a Star Actress; About Audiences. Tight binding; rubbed corners; shelf wear to boards, with some discoloration; wear to spine edges; ex-libris bookplate on inside front board; old water stain affecting first few and last 2 pages; text is otherwise clean and unmarked.