Foundations. Circus and amphitheatre ; Early acrobats and animal trainers ; Acrobats and animal trainers in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries ; Philip Astley ; Some personalities at Astley's in the nineteenth century
On the road. Travelling circuses : Stephenson's, Clarke's, Saunders' ; Travelling circuses : Cooke's and Hengler's
Travelling circuses : Newsome's, Ginnet's, Pablo Fanque's, Lloyd's, Fossett's ; Lord George Sanger ; Travelling menageries ; Tenting circuses of today ; On the road with a family tenting circus
In the ring : animals. Horses and riders ; Some other performing animals ; Bears and elephants ; Big cats and their trainers
In the ring : men and women. Acrobats : flying trapeze, fixed trapeze, and rings ; Acrobats : tight-rope and slack-rope, high and low wire, bounding-rope, perch and pole acts ; Acrobats : jugglers, trick cyclists other balancing acts, strong man act, contortionists, gaucho act, sensational acts, la bola misteriosa ; Ringmaster, ring-boys, tent-master, stud-groom, bandsmen
Circus character and tradition. Circus men and women ; circus children.