Fall Guys: The Barnums of Bounce Kindle Edition

I had been wanting to read this book for quite some time but was not interested in paying 25$ to buy the hardcover version of it, especially since its not a very long book. I was pleased to finally locate the kindle version recently for a fraction of the price. I had really heard good things about it at various wrestling websites and knew the book was about the corruption of the pro wrestling biz during the dawn of the modern wrestling era. What I didn't expect was an incredibly detailed history of all the rivalries, feuds, power struggles, double crosses and other shenanigans by the various wrestling promoters of the day, Even though I had high expectations for this book it far exceeded them and I whizzed through the book in one night. I have a strong interest in the history of pro wrestling from 1985 all the way back to its roots in the early 1800s - before the business became all sizzle and no steak we see today - and I have read many excellent books on the subject. If your interest is similar to mine you won't be disappointed reading this book.

Was made aware of this book via a link on the wrestling obsever, and having read reviews from the publishing industry on the buy page describing it as a 1930's era version of it, i was sold. To my delight the statement was not hyperbole, the book is a fascinating illustration of the era. Moreover, the comparison to the ovserver was apt in a sense that for any consumer of pro wrestling today, either the ravenous or discriminating appetite, the observer treats its subscribers and its subjects with that skilkfull mix of respect, reverance, reality and , really no other way to say it, no bulls*** approach that seems to be fading amongst reporters. This book serves as a both what will eventualy be a perfect book end to the observer, and an outstanding read on its own.

Marcus Griffin was a sports writer interested in professional wrestling. His book, published in 1937, details the workings of the "sport" then. What makes it interesting is that those workings are the same nowadays.There is a modern myth about professional wrestling: that people mostly believed it was real until Vince McMahon let the truth come out. He and the profession encourage the myth because it flatters them. As this book proves, it has never been true. People with an age and I.Q. above 12 have always know better but wrestling fans do not always match that description.Griffin's somewhat exaggerated style, typical of the sports writers of the day, works better for a newspaper column than for a whole book. And his quotations from classic plays and poetry, familiar at the time, will be mostly mysterious to those "educated" in the last thirty years.

I got this as a present for someone else. This item was beyond expectations. I was told about the book from a third party explaining that it has a lot of early wrestling history. This book does explain a lot and was a great gift for someone who has enjoyed wrestling for many years.

This is an interesting account of professional wrestling written in 1937 (the product description here should really be more clear that this is not a contemporary book, but a reprint of an 80 year old look at wrestling from that period).Probably only of interest to people seriously interested in the early history of professional wrestling written by someone from that early era.

I enjoyed the history and start/terms of professional wrestling. To understand the beginnings compared to newer “modern wrestling or sports entertainment”.

This book is a must for fans of professional wrestling. This book speaks of the early 20th century of professional. It was very difficult to get through at points because of lacking knowledge of the wrestlers that were referenced. But overall this was a neat look at the evolution of professional wrestling

I enjoyed the subject matter about a time in wrestling where there isn't much documentation. However, the writing is hard to follow and much of the book is short paragraphs that seem to only have the faintest relationship to each other. It's kinda charming that it's so unpolished. If you're a fan of "rasslin" it's worth reading for the historical context.

While it was interesting to hear some of the early goings on of the wrestling business, it’s not a book for the casual fan. Not even for one with a passing interest in the history. It’s written in a convoluted way that hasn’t aged well, with plenty of jargon that is hard to follow. It bounces back and forth between locations and time periods and I couldn’t keep track of who double crossed who and which trust was busting which.