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About Variety Arts Press

Established in 1983 as a publisher independent of "the big five" by the journalist, editor, publication designer, and performing artist Reginald W. Bacon, today Variety Arts Press brings into print information-packed non-fiction books on a variety of history, performing arts, and editorial/graphics topics.

Origins & evolution

Variety Arts Press began as a the modest publishing entity of Variety Arts Enterprises, which was formed in 1975 to serve as personal and logistical management for a nationally-touring theatrical show and a separate circus/variety act. The first publications were books on the principal's own performing arts specialties, books that became "best sellers" within the international community of professional performers and recreational juggler/athletes.

Making this early book production and publishing possible was that the principal --- yes, the same guy who performed far-and-wide for 35 years on stage as an acrobatic juggler, jazz/ragtime musician, and comedy tap dancer in shows with his wife L.J. Newton --- had been a journalist, editor, publication designer, and graphic production professional in a decade-long career before showbusiness.

For many years to follow, off-seasons from performance tours were filled with (1) research on early-20th-century music & entertainment; (2) writing, editing, and publication design for a variety of businesses and organizations; and (3) behind-the-scenes publishing assistance for client projects ... but no Variety Arts Press publications.

In a pro-active plan to conclude the performance career injury-free at age 60, the principal --- already beyond the expected "shelf life" of an acrobatic juggler --- went back to graduate school to earn credentials for a post-showbusiness career in the museum and history field. Subsequent work for a regional preservation organization --- and as an independent researcher/consultant --- sparked new book publishing initiatives for Variety Arts Press.

Today, Variety Arts Press has 18 books in print, and has earned recognition and awards from scholarly organizations and professional associations. Topics include circus arts technique & history, vaudeville history, early-20th-century popular music, architecture & preservation, New England genealogy, research methodology, writing & editing, and typography & design.

Variety Arts Press is a member of the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Independent Publishers of New England (IPNE), and numerous professional associations in the history and performing arts fields.

The principal ...
the workaholic behind the curtain

R. W. Bacon is a graduate of Syracuse University's Newhouse School of Public Communications (B.A. Journalism) and Maxwell School of Public Affairs (B.A. Sociology); and the Harvard Museum Studies Graduate Program (C.M.S.). He was a decade into his first career as a newspaper/magazine journalist, editor, and designer when his avocational interests unexpectedly blossomed into a 35-year career as a nationally-touring performing artist. Since "closing the book" on showbusiness, in addition to his work in the museum/history field and on Variety Arts Press projects, he has presented the illustrated lecture, performance, and exhibition conceived especially for museums, college theatre departments, and libraries, "A Vaudeville Retrospective." For information about the variety of professional museum services, visit Variety Arts Enterprises. The principal has been a featured presenter at numerous professional conferences, and in a continuing effort to remain current in the field, maintains membership with the American Historical Association (AHA), National Council on Public History (NCPH), American Association for State & Local History (AASLH), American Alliance of Museums (AAM), New England Museum Association (NEMA), Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) ... and in the world of circus/variety, the International Jugglers' Association (IJA), Unicyling Society of America (USA), and Circus Historical Society (CHS).

The fine print ... news & awards

In 2020 The Micro-Historian's Guide to Research, Evidence, & Conclusions (2018) was re-published for global and e-book distribution by Rowman & Littlefield, the leading publisher of academic books in the fields of museum studies and public history. The book is now in use at more than 50 colleges worldwide. (A limited number of the Variety Arts Press first printing remain avalable. (If you already have a copy, you have a "collectors item"!)


Chauncey Richmond & "The Old Buckbee" was featured in late 2018 at this Smithsonian affiliate museum in Bristol, Va. "A Banjo Factory in the Bronx?: New Findings About John Henry Buckbee," was presented by the author at a conference of the nation's foremost banjo scholars, ethnomusicologists, banjo makers, and collectors. The genealogical research component of the book received special recognition at the 2019 Literary Awards of the Connecticut Society of Genealogists.


Vintage from Vinyl: Early Recordings of the Goodtime Ragtime Vaudeville Revival was nominated for the 2018 ARSC Award of Excellence in Historical Research by the Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC), an international body of musicologists and audio preservationists. The book is also included among bibliographical sources of the International Association of Music Libraries, Archives, and Documentation Centres (IAML).


The HABs and the HABs NOTs: Documenting the Architecture of Newburyport in the Historic American Buildings Survey was honored with the 2017 Book Award for Informational Nonfiction from Independent Publishers of New England. The author's presentation on historic structures at risk was featured at the Envisioning the Future symposium at the 2017 Boston Architectural Conference (ABX).



Early Families of Middletown, Conn. - Vol. I: 1650-1654 was honored with the 2013 Brainerd T. Peck Award for Family History. The prestigious award --- and cash prize --- were presented by the Connecticut Society of Genealogists. Read more about the award and read the CSG book review here.