Night After Night

Those who view a day at the circus the equivalent of a night at the opera will be caught up in the spirit of this book about the itinerant Big Apple Circus, a one-ring affair that offers its audience up-close seating. First-time author Cooper rhapsodizes about the acts, from horses, camels and elephants to trapeze performers, contortionists and clowns. People whose approach to the Big Top is less reverential will be somewhat more skeptical about Cooper's disquisitions on the psychology of trained animals (dignity is irrelevant to them, she maintains) and will be hard put to share her wonderment at clowns blowing soap bubbles at one another. She notes that in this country, unlike in Europe, almost every adult who attends the circus is accompanied by a child, but she is reluctant to draw the conclusion that Americans consider the circus entertainment fit for children only. Cooper is an unusually good stylist, but her subject matter does not fare well under the weight of her approach. Illustrations. (May)