Neil Parsons's latest book CLICKO THE WILD DANCING BUSHMAN (Jacana Media & University of Chicago Press) is a true-life circus tale that goes beyond the fiction of WATER FOR ELEPHANTS. It recounts the life of an African "bushman" taken by a cruel master to perform on stage in London and Paris in 1913, with a subsequent long circus career in America. After nearly three decades cavorting for the millions as a much-loved "wild man", he died relatively happy in 1940. Previous biographical works include KING KHAMA, EMPEROR JOE, AND THE GREAT WHITE QUEEN: VICTORIAN BRITAIN THROUGH AFRICAN EYES [1895] (University of Chicago Press), SERETSE KHAMA 1921-1980 (Macmillan), and and edition of MONARCH OF ALL I SURVEY: BECHUANALAND DIARIES OF SIR CHARLES REY 1929-37 (James Currey). Other publications include THE ROOTS OF RURAL POVERTY IN CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN AFRICA (Heinemann & University of California Press) and a number of textbooks, notably A NEW HISTORY OF SOUTHERN AFRICA (Macmillan Education).[Photo of author by courtesy of Aldridge Press, London]