Ringling: The Florida Years, 1911-1936

by David C. Weeks

John Nicholas Ringling's years in Sarasota spanned the final quarter-century of his life. On Florida's west coast, as the Ringling's Circus became "the greatest show on earth," he collected Baroque paintings, European decorative art, and Italian statuary, built the ostentatious mansion Ca'd'Zan, developed and marketed most of the barrier islands around Sarasota Bay, and became the focus of a confusing pastiche of acclaim, misconception, and suspicion. Sarasota's Ringling Museum is his priceless cultural legacy to the people of Florida and the world of art--an inheritance at risk for the ten years that Ringling's estate was in probate. The author of this first intensive look at Ringling's presence in Sarasota sets the man against the backdrop of Florida from World War I through the land boom and the turbulent twenties into the depression years and Ringling's lapse into obscurity. Illustrated with nearly fifty black-and-white photographs, many never before published, this is the chronicle of a man, as the foreword claims, "who was not afraid to think or live on a grand scale, who knew what he wanted from life, and from art."

Genres: Biography, History

463 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 1993

Reviews

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great companion read after visiting the Ringling Museum of Art and Ca’d’Zan mansion

[Jeffrey Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

David Chapin Weeks wrote a very thorough accounting of John Ringling's years in Sarasota, Florida. If you are looking for details on speculative investment, history of Florida, history of Sarasota, and how to screw up estate planning, this is your book. It is very content rich in those areas.

However, it is not an intriguing book. This book is one to slug through and it gets difficult to keep the boredom at bay. I began reading this in March and had to set it aside until September just to read the last 1/3 with fresh eyes. It is not a bad book if you are looking for this content, but it is not stimulating reading.

If you understand a basic history of the Ringling Brothers & Barnum and Bailey Circus and the ownership/management squabbles that occurred in the late 1940s after the Hartford Fire, the last few chapters will be useful in providing context in the settlement and board of directors changes. If you are looking for more details on the circus itself, you won't find much here.

[Harold · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dry as a desert on Mars but packed with reference information on not only the end of the original Ringling era (not really on the operation of the circus, however), but also on the Florida land boom of the 1920s.

You'll come away knowing more about John Ringling's estate than you ever expected or perhaps even wanted. But I do recommend a visit to Ca' d'Zan.

[Carolm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting history but disjointed read

Interesting history of John Ringling and Sarasota during this time but hard to get through all the art facts. The chapters are by topic - art, developing the land, circus, etc and jumps around chronologically.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's more the story of Sarasota, FL, than Ringling himself. A great case study in speculative development - an American tradition.

[Margo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good biography, although almost written from a business perspective. Definitely felt like the sources were Sarasota news accounts rather than personal documents. But definitely helped to position the importance of Ringling to the history of Sarasota, particularly from a cultural perspective.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very well-researched. A bit dry. But pretty much everything you could want to know!

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The organization of the book could be a bit repetitive and circular, but I appreciate the considerable effort put into preserving the story of this interesting man and the times he lived in.

[Jane Snyder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book about the Ringling family and Sarasota, Florida. I not only learned about a man and his ambition, I also learned about how communities develop; it's almost a course in psychology and social science.

[Sylvie]

Hmmmm... slow going on this one. I had to put it aside. Too many other things to read, like Black Madonnas, world harmony, red gardens... I'll come back to it. I'll finish it. Then I'll let you know. But I'll tell you right now, this ain't gonna be no FIVE STARS!

[Tara Gabor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting history of Ringling. I've been to the Ringling museum in Sarasota, so was interested in knowing more about the people and the time. Other books took precedence so I only started this book.

[Jenny Nolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story, not just about John Ringling, but about the early development of Sarasota and the outlying keys. It reads like a textbook, however, so that can certainly become a bit dull.

[Louanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a lover of Sarasota, it is fun to learn about its history.