The Circus of Dr. Lao
core novel 1935 The Circus of Dr. Lao
Record
| First published | 1935 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 3.79 (1,514 ratings, collected 2026-09-27) |
| Page count | 154 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9781473213678 |
Synopsis
A shabby circus of three wagons rolls into Abalone, Arizona, a sleepy Depression-era town whose chief concern is boredom, run by a small, ancient and elusive Chinese showman, Dr. Lao. Its advertisements promise marvels, and the townspeople who drift in to look at the sideshow find that the marvels are real: a sphinx, a chimera, a werewolf, a satyr, a mermaid, a sea serpent, a roc, a medusa who may only be viewed in a mirror, and a creature called the hound of the hedges. The novel moves through three tiers: the town and its citizens as the circus arrives, the parade of its attractions, and the encounters between the mythical creatures and the people of Abalone, whose expectations, complaints and secret dreads the circus lays bare. It closes with a mock catalogue of its own characters and beasts.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Circus of Dr. Lao
- Series: not part of a registered series (standalone work within its universe)
- Author: Charles G. Finney
Awards (verified)
- National Book Award (Most Original Book), 1935: won; One of the four inaugural National Book Awards, presented in 1936 for 1935; the category was discontinued a few years later.
Notes
- First published by the Viking Press, July 1935, illustrated by Boris Artzybasheff. Filmed as 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964).
Sources
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Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.