Freak Babylon: An Illustrated History of Teratology & Freakshows

by Jack Hunter

Freak Babylon is a startling, disturbing documentary of the history of one of mankind’s most fascinating sciences--Teratology, the classification of human anomalies--and its dubious cultural correlative, the Freakshow, from ancient times to the present day. Featuring over 200 rare and intriguing photos of human anomalies, and covering the areas of scientific research, sideshows, cinema and body modification, it also includes a look at the controversial 1932 horror film Freaks, and looks at some famous case histories such as the Elephant Man and Johnny Eck. Freak Babylon shows how medical research and exploitation are often interlinked, and poses the question whether new sciences of cloning and genetic engineering are taking us back to the dark days of man-made freaks.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Historical

152 pages, Paperback

First published November 4, 2005

Reviews

[Laura Leilani · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m giving an extra star for the rare photos ( there weren’t as many as I had hoped however) and another extra star for the one appendices that was an account of the Elephant Man that had first been published in 1923 by the doctor who cared for him.

The book was a disappointment. There were some interesting facts but also statements made that were erroneous: Catherine the Great did not really have sex with horses ( how is that even pertinent to the theme of the book?) and Anne Boleyn did not have 6 fingers and 3 breasts. I took a star off for the false info being passed off as fact.

The writing was ambling and weakly organized. The author lost focus on his theme which was supposed to be the history of Teratology. There were a lot more people and deformities that he could have covered.

The best part of the book might well be the cover.

[Sezin Koehler · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m not sure how these men are getting away with it, but this is yet another book of mostly speculation about sideshow performers with a metric crapton of conjecture and straight-up lies. The appendices are the most useful part, reprinting the story that inspired Tod Browning’s movie Freaks and original sources regarding Daniel Merrick, the so-called Elephant Man. The photos are the only other benefit to this book. You’d have to verify most of the anecdotes independently, and a lot of this book is just huge paragraphs with lists of names of sideshow performers by category. Not well written at all.

[Mel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this a while back and mostly bought it as an art reference. Sadly, the photo quality in this is not very high so it is not great to draw from. Loads of interesting tid-bits of info though which is why it didn't get only one star.

[Giulia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed it, but I wish there was better research/citations behind some of the statements in the book.

[Tracy Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was nothing short of phenomenal! I can't imagine how much time the author spent researching hundreds and hundreds of years back. And I can't imagine many books would have the collection of photographs that Freak Babylon has!

It was extremely interesting, thought-provoking, and educational. Circus sideshows have a bad rap in our modern times. I get it, a lot of people with unusual anomalies or physical traits were grossly underpaid and taken advantage of.(Much as many people in modern times are grossly underpaid and taking advantage of working for billion-dollar corporations that pay far less than a living wage, such as drug and grocery stores and other retail.) However there was another side to circus life. I am a big fan of the movie "Freaks" (1932). The movie itself seems to have a terrible reputation all around, but it highlights the beauty of fellowship! The message was clear that although the world may have seen these Sideshow people as ""freaks", they had each other. They had friendship, commonality, and a job to do!

While our modern times frown on Sideshows of the past, some such people born with conditions might have enjoyed having the option of being a part of a circus family, instead of being stuck at home on Social Security. benefits. I work with people who have developmental disabilities. And some of them have physical anomalies as well. Some of them would be horrified by the idea of being in a circus, but others that's I asked love attention and would love to have work, wish that it was still an option!

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had to pick this one up because of the cover and wasn't disappointed. Inside there seems to be everything available on the topic including many rare photos and illustrations. We read about a history of monsters, Tom Thumbs, Barnum, taxonomy and the golden age of freakshows, the advent of cinema, The Elephant Man and Tod Browning's freaks. This isn't my favorite interest but the book was very well composed and came up with all the essential facts. Be warned some of the picture material shown here is nothing for the faint hearted. Highly recommended!

[Melissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't remember how I originally came across this book. It has been on one of my Amazon lists for quite a while and I ended up special requesting it from the library in order to read it. I really wish this book would have been better. It was poorly written and had very little in-depth information. Some of it was exaggerated and a quick internet search could tell you some of the claims in this book were false. Disappointing.

[Texass Schiffmacher · Rating 4 out of 5]

door deze gemixte reviews ben ik geforceerd alles te fact checken. prima, nog meer lore om te onderzoeken. thanks. 4,5 ster. geen 5 want misschien klopt niet alles 😂 kom erop terug. duurt wsl een paar jaar ook. hoop dat de app nog bestaat.

[Marcy Kish · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting... but really weird writing style. Abrupt ending that was odd and not in the good way that odd can be.

[Sean Kottke · Rating 2 out of 5]

I added this book to my Amazon Wish List some time ago, and my dutiful daughter gifted me a copy this past Christmas. Freak shows and sideshows are a bit of a long-standing guilty pleasure, treated by my parents as a more taboo topic than sex in my childhood. As with the average freak show, this book is something less than it promises. There are ample illustrations across about half of the pages, and it reprints some rare texts in the appendices. However, there is an air of amateurism in the whole project, from errors of fact (e.g., despite popular usage, the proper name of the individual known to history as "The Elephant Man" was Joseph Merrick, not John), errors in grammar, and sloppy formatting, such as odd editor's notes inserted into the appendix texts without formatting to set them off. The book was overall more clinical than lurid (and I was sort of hoping for something more lurid, given the title's invocation of Kenneth Anger's Hollywood Babylon). As it happens, the book serves to fulfill a Read Harder challenge this year - Read a book with a main character or protagonist with a disability (fiction or non).

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be frank, I was pretty disappointed in this. The author's research was shoddy, with a few obvious mistakes. He seems to assume that fictional accounts must refer to something true, to the point that he cites them as proof as strong as any historical data. He pads the book with interminable lists of names and books quite often. Really there are only a few saving graces to the book. The pictures include quite a few that I was unfamiliar with, though the captioning was sloppy. And three of the four appendices were nice to have. Not really impressed with the retelling of the movie Freaks, as it is unlikely that anyone motivated to pick up this book is unfamiliar with it. The other three though? Having them in an easy to find location is enough to make me feel that this was not a waste of money, at least. Treves' original account of the Elephant Man, a 19th c account of a dissection and Spurs, the short story Freaks was based on. Don't bother with this one, unless you are a hopeless devotee of the carnival life and teratology

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book for anyone interested in the history of circuses or freak shows. As I lived in Baraboo for a time, this topic fascinated me. Having watched the old black-and-white movie "Freaks" (made by the maker of "Dracula"), I wanted to learn more about the resilient people who lived their lives in the spotlight. My favorite part of this book was the part about "The Elephant Man", which is a sad but incredibly (and surprisingly) sweet story of one of the most gentle people to ever live. Read this, but be forwarned that you will be shocked and disturbed.

[Q · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. Lots of photographs - from mild to very graphic, some charming and some very disturbing, but one never gets the feeling of this book just in it for the "ewww" factor. This book doesn't feel like a shock show, it feels like a very in-depth exploration of "freaks" and physically different folks who often made their living in freakshows and circuses. Fascinating but not for the faint of heart.

[Big H · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of the book is basically a list of who-was-who back in the heyday of freak shows. I thought the best parts were located in the second half of the book, which contained the story of the Elephant Man, the story of the production and the synopsis of the movie "Freaks", the story this movie was based off of, and the autopsy report of a mermaid baby.

[Bob Redmond · Rating 4 out of 5]

just like the title says. totally fascinating.

[Lisa Doyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disturbing, but at the same time a fascinating read.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating and interesting.

[David Paco · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that this was a great overview. I particularly enjoyed the detailed look into Tod Browning and "The Freaks" film. The images were fantastic as well.