a documentary book on the american circus
The world doesn't need another history book
But book about a life under the big top? Definitely.
SAWDUST launches late October, 2026. Follow now and we'll notify you when the campaign opens.
For generations, the American circus arrived overnight.
It came by train, by wagon, and later by truck. On the edge of towns big and small, it raised a world of canvas, lights, horses, elephants, cookhouses, bands, parades, and the people who made the whole thing run. Then it moved on.
Ivan M. Henry was born into that world. His family worked the circus, and in the later years of his life he gathered the photographs, letters, stories, and hard-won details that ordinary histories often leave behind. Beginning in 2008, he shared that material on The Circus Blog, building a record of more than 5,000 posts.
SAWDUST brings a carefully selected part of that record into a book made to be read, kept, and returned to.
SAWDUST is being made by his wife, his son, and his granddaughter.