Jungle Acrobats of the Russian Circus: Trained Animals in the Soviet Union

160 pp. "This is the personal story of one of Soviet Russia's most famous performers and trainers of wild animals. In this engaging narrative we learn how animals from the jungle and plain are trained to perform in a circus, their skill in difficult acts requiring precision and balance, their retentive memories, and how kindness of treatment and real friendliness are more effective than brutality and terrorization in teaching and quieting them. Not the least interesting part of this book is the author's description of the Russian system of handling its projects for public recreation; particularly the way in which the circuses are run, the description of the town through which the shows pass and how the people react to entertainment of this kind. The book is copiously illustrated with pictures of the performing animals and their venturesome actors under the big top."--jacket