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At the top
of the
biographer's
wish list: Time

The "to-do list" for writers of history and popular culture is always growing. While the topics to explore and write about keep running off the paper, the one big wish at the top of the list is always "Time." And we all know that for all of us, our time is finite.

Some topics have been on the list for years, but other projects, perhaps more timely, enticing, or necessary, have always managed to jump aherad on the list.

So, if living to 130 is a blessing (or curse!) that befalls your Variety Arts Press editor and publisher, the following topics in the "biography" category may actually get completed:

The Juggler's Gallery of Vaudevillian Antecedents: The Famous and Forgotten Jugglers of American Vaudeville 1880-1930, by R.W. Bacon, will include biographical sketches of the top jugglers in American vaudeville. (This project has been on the long "to do" list for about 15 years.)

W.C. Fields On Juggling: Observations of a Master Stage Artist, compiled with commentary by R.W. Bacon. (This project has been on the long "to do" list for only five years.)

Insights from Genius: Cinquevalli in His Own Words, compiled with commentary by R.W. Bacon. (This project has been on the long "to do" list for only five years.)

- A biography of a Massachusetts-born West Point graduate who later accepted a treasonous appointment from Jefferson Davis, was secreted out of the country, and while in Europe for the duration of the conflict became the chief arms-procurer for the Confederacy. (This project has been on the "to-do" list for only 15 years.)

- A biography of multi-talented vaudevillian and long-forgotten Broadway star Joe Cook. (This project has only been on the "to do" list for about 40 years.)

Time marches on. And so do industrious researchers and writers, who step lively to keep up with their to-do lists.

Biography ... and compilations
with biographical sketches

Among the titles below, only one, The Wesley H. Bacon Reader: Pursuits, Passions, & Peregrinations of a 20th-Century Autodidact, is focused on a single individual. Another Variety Arts Press title, Chauncey Richmond & "The Old Buckbee, offers in-depth studies of two individuals, banjo maker John Henry Buckbee (1837-1890), and the banjo-plunking vaudville promoter Chauncey Richmond (1872-1910). Other titles in this category are packed with biographical sketches of variety performers, musicians, writers, and craftsmen. Most of the subjects profiled have not yet rated the single-volume biographical attention given by the major publishers to war generals or disgraced presidents. Future works in this category will continue to document individuals who have made significant contributions to their art, craft, culture, and community-at-large, yet whose lives have been forgotten or obscured by time or fashion.

Below are publications in this category currently available. Click on any book title below and you'll go to a page with a more detailed description of the book, a preview of selected pages, and a link to purchase and pay via PayPal.

Click on any title below for more information,
and to read the contents and introduction.


Chauncey Richmond
& "The Old Buckbee":
The Story of a Banjo,
its Maker, and Its Player
(Three studies in
musical micro-history)
by Reginald W. Bacon
(Newburyport, Mass.:
Variety Arts Press, 2018)
6x9 softcover, 224 pages
ISBN: 978-0-9977528-3-0
LOC: 2018905457

$22.00 (US) includes
USPS media mail shipping
in the U.S.

Payment accepted by PayPal
(see "Buy Now" below or on the full description page).

To order by postal mail, send order details, your shipping address, and payment by check to Variety Arts Enterprises, P.O. Box 489, Newburyport, MA 01950.


The Wesley H. Bacon Reader:
Pursuits, Passions, & Peregrinations
of a 20th-Century Autodidact
Memoirs, Short Stories, & Scripts
by Wesley H. Bacon
(compiled & edited,
with biographical sketch
& career profiles
by Reginald W. Bacon)
(Newburyport, Mass.:
Variety Arts Press, 2015)
6x9 softcover, 304 pages;
includes annotations & endnotes.
ISBN: 978-0-9817945-3-2
LOC: 2015909074

$16.00 (US) includes
USPS media mail shipping in the U.S.

Payment accepted by PayPal
(see "Buy Now" below or on the full description page).

To order by postal mail, send order details, your shipping address, and payment by check to Variety Arts Enterprises, P.O. Box 489, Newburyport, MA 01950.


The Juggler's Trilogy
of Timeless Techniques:
All Three Rare Books
of Arcane Early-20th-Century
Juggling Artistry in One Volume
Compiled with Context & Commentary
(including biographical sketches
of the author/jugglers)
by Reginald W. Bacon
(Newburyport, Mass.:
Variety Arts Press, 2021)
6x9 softcover; 320 pages;
175 diagrams & illustrations.
ISBN: 978-0-9977528-7-8
LOC: 2020951882

$30.00 (US) includes USPD media mail shipping in the U.S.
(Inquire for additional international shipping charges.)

Payment accepted by PayPal
(see "Buy Now" below or on the full description page).

OR! ... ORDER BOTH the Trilogy and Anthology for $55.00. Save five bucks! (See the separate "Buy Now" button below or on the full description page).

To order by postal mail, send order details, your shipping address, and payment by check to Variety Arts Enterprises, P.O. Box 489, Newburyport, MA 01950.


The Juggler's Anthology
of Venerable Veracities:
Practical Instruction, Applied Physics, & Insightful Observations
from Rare Published Works
on the Juggler's Craft
Compiled with Context & Commentary
(including biographical sketches
of all authors and author/jugglers)
by Reginald W. Bacon
(Newburyport, Mass.:
Variety Arts Press, 2021)
6x9 softcover, 320 pages;
150 diagrams & illustrations.
ISBN: 978-0-9977528-5-4
LOC: 2020951886

$30.00 (US) includes USPS media mail shipping in the U.S.
(Inquire for additional international shipping charges.)

Payment accepted by PayPal
(see "Buy Now" below or on the full description page).

OR! ... ORDER BOTH the Trilogy and Anthology for $55.00. Save five bucks! (See the separate "Buy Now" button below or on the full description page).

To order by postal mail, send order details, your shipping address, and payment by check to Variety Arts Enterprises, P.O. Box 489, Newburyport, MA 01950.


Vintage from Vinyl: Early Recordings
of the Goodtime Ragtime
Vaudeville Revival (Book & CD set),
Presenting a Panorama
of Musical Americana,
a Collection of Music and Song
from the Ragtime, Jazz, & Vaudeville Years
(includes 100 biographical sketches
of songwriters and performers)
by Reginald W. Bacon
(Newburyport, Mass.:
Variety Arts Press, 2017)
6x9 softcover, 192 pages;
includes music CD
ISBN: 978-0-9977528-0-9
LOC: 2016920942

$25.00 (US) includes USPS media mail shipping in the U.S.

Payment accepted by PayPal
(see "Buy Now" below, or on the full description page).

To order by postal mail, send order details, your shipping address, and payment by check to Variety Arts Enterprises, P.O. Box 489, Newburyport, MA 01950.