The History of Clowns For Beginners is such an extraordinary work that only a fool would attempt to describe it. (Which is why they asked me, Yuk! , Yuk! ) If we were to give the book a title that properly described its crazy-quilt cast of characters, it might be Tricksters, Fools, Clowns, Shamans, the Marx Brothers and other certifiable maniacs. Carl Gustav Jung (what a clown he'd have made - he looked like a nun with a moustache! ) tried dressing our Tricksters Fools and Clowns in dignified theories of Ancient Mythology and modern Personality Disintegration. Joe Lee, the prepetrator of the visionary book, took a slightly (i. e. enormously) different approach. Mr. Lee decided that when you are confronted with a lineup that includes Brer Rabbit, the Signifying Monkey, Legba the Voodoo dude, Nasruddin the tale-telling Sufi, Krishna the Holy Hindu, Shakespeare's fools, Emmett Kelly, and Pee Wee Herman ... forget about dignified theories! From clowning's early sacred origins to Pee Wee's TV Playhouse, the clown has always represented the chaotic, creative, irreverent side of human nature. These "gentlemen" are the part of us that cannot be trained, restrained, housebroken, or made to behave in movie houses. "Please Note: This is not a cute, harmless, little children's book. It a bit ... ribald.