120,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock 🇳🇿

Overnight NZ-wide delivery 🚀 Auckland Bookstore • Open 7 days, 8:30am–5pm

Nights at the Circus

By Angela Carter
Series: Weird Girls
0.0 (0 reviews)
Brief Description
Vintage Classics WEIRD GIRLS: Dive into the depraved, delectable depths of women’s weird fiction. Is Sophie Fevvers, toast of Europe's capitals, part swan...or all fake? Courted by the Prince of Wales and painted by Toulouse-Lautrec, she is an aerialiste extraordinaire and star of Colonel Kearney's circus.... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$2600
OVERNIGHT NZ-WIDE DELIVERY

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Vintage Classics WEIRD GIRLS: Dive into the depraved, delectable depths of women’s weird fiction.

Is Sophie Fevvers, toast of Europe's capitals, part swan...or all fake?

Courted by the Prince of Wales and painted by Toulouse-Lautrec, she is an aerialiste extraordinaire and star of Colonel Kearney's circus. She is also part woman, part swan. Jack Walser, an American journalist, is on a quest to discover the truth behind her identity. Dazzled by his love for her, and desperate for the scoop of a lifetime, Walser has no choice but to join the circus on its magical tour through turn-of-the-nineteenth-century London, St Petersburg, and Siberia.

WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY SARAH WATERS

One of the BBC's 100 Novels That Shaped Our World

'A spellbinding achievement' Literary Review

'Raunchy, raucous...a rich, turn of the 19th century world, which reeks of human and animal variety' The Times

The Vintage Classics WEIRD GIRLS series ventures into the dark heart of the uncanny with disturbing, and disturbed, protagonists who dare to defy the norm. Bold, disruptive, chilling and enchanting, these tales of the weird are strange enough to get lost in.

Series: Weird Girls

View all
  • Apple and Knife
    Vintage Classics WEIRD GIRLS: Dive into the depraved, delectable depths of women’s weird fiction. A dazzling, provocative debut story collection from celebrated Indonesian writer Intan Paramaditha, putting fierce female characters centre stage in brilliantly funny and sharp twists on fairy tale. Inspired by horror fiction, myths, and fairy tales, Apple and Knife is an unsettling ride that swerves into the...
    By Intan Paramaditha
    Paperback
    $2600
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Autofiction
    Vintage Classics WEIRD GIRLS: Dive into the depraved, delectable depths of women’s weird fiction. Rin is flying back from her honeymoon. She's madly in love with her husband, Shin, and the future looks rosy. Then Shin disappears to the bathroom while he thinks Rin is sleeping, and she starts to imagine that he has gone to seduce the flight attendant....
    By Hitomi Kanehara
    Paperback
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Black Magic
    A rediscovered gothic classic with a groundbreaking, gender-nonconforming protagonist at its heart. ‘I do not sin,’ he smiled. ‘I am Sin’ In a quiet medieval city, alone in his shadowy chambers, Dirk Renswoude worships the devil. Then the wind brings the young scholar Thierry to his door. Could this beautiful man share his dark obsession? Under a hushed midnight sky,...
    By Marjorie Bowen
    Paperback
    $2600
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Death in Her Hands
    Vintage Classics WEIRD GIRLS: Dive into the depraved, delectable depths of women’s weird fiction. This is a story about what might happen when a woman takes charge... A glorious visceral mystery - The Times While on her daily walk with her dog in the woods near her home, Vesta comes across a chilling handwritten note. Her name was Magda. Nobody...
    By Ottessa Moshfegh
    Paperback
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Her Fearful Symmetry
    Vintage Classics WEIRD GIRLS: Dive into the depraved, delectable depths of women’s weird fiction. When Elspeth Noblin dies, she leaves her beautiful flat overlooking Highgate Cemetery to her twin nieces, Julia and Valentina Poole, on the condition that their mother is never allowed to cross the threshold. But until the solicitor's letter falls through the door of their suburban American...
    By Audrey Niffenegger
    Paperback
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Nights at the Circus
    Vintage Classics WEIRD GIRLS: Dive into the depraved, delectable depths of women’s weird fiction. Is Sophie Fevvers, toast of Europe's capitals, part swan...or all fake? Courted by the Prince of Wales and painted by Toulouse-Lautrec, she is an aerialiste extraordinaire and star of Colonel Kearney's circus. She is also part woman, part swan. Jack Walser, an American journalist, is on...
    By Angela Carter
    Paperback
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Gilda Stories
    Vintage Classics WEIRD GIRLS: Dive into the depraved, delectable depths of women’s weird fiction. A groundbreaking work of Afrofuturism before the term was even coined Guardian A lush, exciting, inspiring read Sarah Waters In this radically reimagined vampire myth, the night hides many things... Louisiana, 1850. A young girl escapes slavery and is taken in by two mysterious women. Rumoured...
    By Jewelle Gomez
    Paperback
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Diving Pool
    Vintage Classics WEIRD GIRLS: Dive into the depraved, delectable depths of women’s weird fiction. A lonely teenage girl falls in love with her foster-brother as she watches him leap from a high diving board into a pool, sparking an unspoken infatuation that draws out darker possibilities. A young woman records the daily moods of her pregnant sister in a diary,...
    By Yoko Ogawa
    Paperback
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Yellow Wall-Paper
    Vintage Classics WEIRD GIRLS: Dive into the depraved, delectable depths of women’s weird fiction. 'The faint figure behind seemed to shake the pattern, just as if she wanted to get out.' In the throes of a ‘temporary nervous depression’ following childbirth, a woman is brought by her physician husband to recuperate in an isolated New England mansion. There she is...
    By Charlotte Perkins Gilman
    Paperback
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781529955606

Publisher: Vintage Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 04 September 2025

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Vintage Classics

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 23.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 255g

Pages: 368

Collections

Angela Carter Arts & Culture Best Sellers at Book Hero Classic Fiction Classic General Fiction Education & Reference Fantasy Fiction General Fiction Historical Fantasy Historical Fiction In Stock Books In-Stock Fiction Books Literary Fiction New Release Fiction Penguin Books Sci-Fi & Fantasy Series: Weird Girls

About the Author

Angela Carter was born in 1940. She lived in Japan, the United States and Australia. Her first novel, Shadow Dance, was published in 1965. Her next book, The Magic Toyshop, won the John Llewllyn Rhys Prize and the next, Several Perceptions, the Somerset Maugham Award. She died in February 1992.

Also by Angela Carter

View all
  • The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories
    Vintage Quarterbound Classics - Bound to be beautiful A beautiful hardback edition of Angela Carter's feminist retelling of fairy tales—masterful, seductive, and luminous. From familiar fairy tales and legends—Red Riding Hood, Bluebeard, Puss in Boots, Beauty and the Beast, vampires and werewolves—Angela Carter has created an absorbing collection of dark, sensual, fantastic stories. 'Magnificent set pieces of fastidious sensuality' Ian...
    By Angela Carter
    Hardback
    $3600
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Nights at the Circus
    Raunchy, raucous...a rich, turn of the 19th century world, which reeks of human and animal variety — The Times Is Sophie Fevvers, toast of Europe's capitals, part swan...or all fake? Courted by the Prince of Wales and painted by Toulouse-Lautrec, she is an aerialiste extraordinaire and star of Colonel Kearney's circus. She is also part woman, part swan. Jack Walser,...
    By Angela Carter
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories
    The old fairy stories live again, subtly altered. By the prize-winning author of Wise Children, Nights at the Circus, American Ghosts and Old World Wonders and Expletives Deleted.
    By Angela Carter
    Paperback
    $2100
    Elsewhere:
    $2300
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • American Ghosts & Old World Wonders
    The dazzling last collection of short fiction from Angela Carter. Shortly before her death, Angela Carter was preparing this volume of short stories, one which does full justice to the glory of her imagination and the range of her talent. It is divided into distinct parts. The first comprises a group of stories inspired by America—Lizzie Borden visits a circus;...
    By Angela Carter
    Paperback
    $3800
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Wise Children
    In Brixton, Nora and Dora Chance – twin chorus girls born and bred south of the river – are celebrating their 75th birthday. Over the river in Chelsea, their father and greatest actor of his generation, Melchior Hazard, turns 100 on the same day. As does his twin brother Peregrine. If, in fact, he’s still alive. And if, in truth,...
    By Emma Rice and Angela Carter
    Paperback
    $2799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories
    The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories
    Angela Carter was a storytelling sorceress, the literary godmother of Neil Gaiman, David Mitchell, Audrey Niffenegger, J.K. Rowling, Kelly Link, and other contemporary masters of supernatural fiction. In her masterpiece, The Bloody Chamber, which includes the story that is the basis of Neil Jordan's 1984 movie The Company of Wolves, she spins subversively dark and sensual versions of familiar fairy...
    By Angela Carter
    Paperback
    $4900
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks
  • A Souvenir of Japan
    Pre-order
    A Souvenir of Japan
    Embark on a brief encounter with Angela Carter, weird fiction's most influential pioneer, and her transformative stories of finding oneself in the face of another world. Five stories of desire and discovery set in 1970s Japan, from weird fiction's most influential pioneer - Angela Carter. An Englishwoman muses on her affair with a younger Japanese man. A spurned lover seeks...
    By Angela Carter
    Paperback
    $2400
    Pre-order
    Out 20 Oct 2026
  • Shaking A Leg
    Shaking A Leg
    Forthright, funny, unpredictable: Carter is capable of illuminating any topic with the brilliance of her prose. WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY RACHEL COOKE Reading Shaking a Leg is like spending time with the funniest, wisest friend you've ever had; a person whose breadth of interest ranges from food to feminism to science fiction, and everything in between; a person with...
    By Angela Carter
    Paperback
    $4499
    Elsewhere:
    $5000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Magic Toyshop
    The boldest of English women writers - Lorna Sage Her writing is pyrotechnic - fuelled with ideas, packed with images and spangling the night with her starry language - Observer She can glide from ancient to modern, from darkness to luminosity, from depravity to comedy without any hint of strain and without losing the elusive power of the original tales...
    By Angela Carter
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • The Sadeian Woman
    The Sadeian Woman
    'The tone is one of intellectual relish . . . rational . . . refined . . . witty' NEW STATESMAN 'Her work is funny, sexy, frightening and brutal' EDMUND GORDON, GUARDIAN 'Angela Carter liked to blur boundaries and break rules' GABY WOOD, INDEPENDENT Celebrating five decades of the feminist publisher, each of the Five Gold Reads represents an iconic...
    By Angela Carter
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • Angela Carter's Book Of Wayward Girls And Wicked Women
    'Wicked, wayward or otherwise, Carter's classic collection is a very erudite expression of girl power' - MINA HOLLAND, GUARDIAN 'One of the century's greatest writers' - SUNDAY TIMES This bestselling collection of stories extols the female virtues of discontent, sexual disruptiveness and bad manners. These are subversive tales by Ama Ata Aidoo, Jane Bowles, Angela Carter, Colette, Bessie Head, Jamaica...
    By Angela Carter
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • Angela Carter's Book Of Fairy Tales
    Once upon a time, fairy tales weren't meant just for children, and neither is Angela Carter's Book of Fairy Tales. This stunning collection contains lyrical tales, bloody tales, and hilariously funny and ripely bawdy stories from countries all around the world—from the Arctic to Asia—and no dippy princesses or soppy fairies. Instead, we have pretty maids and old crones; crafty...
    By Angela Carter
    Hardback
    Sold Out

More from General Fiction

View all
  • Lizzy's Pick Lizzy's Pick
    Yesteryear
    A BOLD AND BITING SATIRE. WILL HAVE YOU GASPING TO THE FINAL PAGE — Nita Prose WICKEDLY FUNNY, BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN AND FRIGHTENINGLY PERCEPTIVE — Abigail Dean INVENTIVE, ADDICTIVE, A WILD RIDE — Ashley Audrain SHOT THROUGH WITH HUMOUR AND LACED WITH DARKNESS — Clare Mackintosh The Stepford Wives meets The Handmaid's Tale — Hannah Deitch My name was Natalie Heller...
    By Caro Claire Burke
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3699
    (3)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Dylan's Pick Dylan's Pick
    Theo of Golden
    THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING PHENOMENON'For anything to be truly good, there must be love in it. Nothing is what it's supposed to be if love is not at the core.' One morning, a stranger arrives in the town of Golden. No one knows who he is or where he came from…His name is Theo and he's arrived there by chance –...
    By Allen Levi
    Paperback
    $2899
    Elsewhere:
    $3499
    (6)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Wedding People
    'BEST READ OF THE YEAR SO FAR' THE TIMES 'BOOKS AS FUN AS THIS ONE ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN' GUARDIAN Phoebe Stone arrives at a grand beachside hotel in Rhode Island wearing her best dress and least comfortable shoes. Immediately she is mistaken for one of the wedding people — but she's actually the only guest at the Cornwall...
    By Alison Espach
    Paperback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    (3)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • A Court of Thorns and Roses Paperback Box Set (5 books)
    All five of the Court of Thorns and Roses paperbacks packaged together in a gorgeous box set. "Passionate, violent, sexy and daring." —USA TODAY on A Court of Thorns and Roses Feyre is a huntress. The skin of a wolf would bring enough gold to feed her sisters for a month. But the life of a magical creature comes at...
    By Sarah J. Maas
    Set
    $9999
    Elsewhere:
    $12495
    (4)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • A Court of Thorns and Roses
    The first instalment of the GLOBAL PHENOMENON and TikTok sensation, from multi-million selling and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas. Maas has established herself as a fantasy fiction titan – Time Harry Potter magic, Taylor Swift sass, Fifty Shades-level athleticism – The Sunday Times With bits of Buffy, Game of Thrones and Outlander, this is a glorious series...
    By Sarah J. Maas
    Paperback
    $2100
    Elsewhere:
    $2299
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • A Court of Mist and Fury
    A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas continues Feyre Archeron's epic journey in the world of the High Fae. Having survived the brutal trials under the Mountain, Feyre returns to the Spring Court. Though she now possesses the immortal powers of the High Fae, the traumatic experiences have left scars on her human heart. Haunted by the...
    By Sarah J. Maas
    Paperback
    $2100
    Elsewhere:
    $2299
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • A Court of Wings and Ruin
    The third instalment of the GLOBAL PHENOMENON, romantic fantasy epic and TikTok sensation, ACOTAR. From multi-million and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas. In A Court of Wings and Ruin, the gripping third book of the ACOTAR series, Feyre Archeron faces the ultimate battle for her world. Having returned to the Spring Court, she is determined to gather...
    By Sarah J. Maas
    Paperback
    $2100
    Elsewhere:
    $2299
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • A Court of Frost and Starlight
    In A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas, readers are invited to revisit the enchanting world of Prythian in a heartwarming and introspective narrative. Set against the backdrop of the Winter Solstice, Feyre Archeron and her mate Rhysand return to centre stage as they strive to restore the Night Court after the devastating conflicts of A Court...
    By Sarah J. Maas
    Paperback
    $2100
    Elsewhere:
    $2299
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • A Court of Frost and Starlight - Night Court Edition
    Limited Edition
    A Court of Frost and Starlight - Night Court Edition
    The magic and beauty of the Night Court is captured in these LIMITED EDITIONS of the Court of Thorns and Roses series! This Night Court Edition features the Night Court symbol on a striking black and silver foiled cover and includes black sprayed edges. An unmissable companion tale to the GLOBAL PHENOMENON, romantic fantasy epic and TikTok sensation, ACOTAR. From...
    By Sarah J. Maas
    Paperback
    $2300
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • A Court of Silver Flames - Night Court Edition
    Limited Edition
    A Court of Silver Flames - Night Court Edition
    The magic and beauty of the Night Court is captured in these LIMITED EDITIONS of the Court of Thorns and Roses series! This Night Court Edition features the Night Court symbol on a striking black and silver foiled cover and includes black sprayed edges. The latest instalment of the GLOBAL PHENOMENON, romantic fantasy epic and TikTok sensation, ACOTAR. From multi-million...
    By Sarah J. Maas
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • A Court of Silver Flames
    The latest instalment of the GLOBAL PHENOMENON, romantic fantasy epic and TikTok sensation, ACOTAR. From multi-million and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas. Maas has established herself as a fantasy fiction titan - Time Think Game of Thrones meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer with a drizzle of E.L. James – Telegraph Spiced with slick plotting and atmospheric world-building...
    By Sarah J. Maas
    Paperback
    $2100
    Elsewhere:
    $2499
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • A Court of Wings and Ruin - Night Court Edition
    Limited Edition
    A Court of Wings and Ruin - Night Court Edition
    The magic and beauty of the Night Court is captured in these LIMITED EDITIONS of the Court of Thorns and Roses series! This Night Court Edition features the Night Court symbol on a striking black and silver foiled cover and includes black sprayed edges. The third installment of the GLOBAL PHENOMENON, romantic fantasy epic and TikTok sensation, ACOTAR. From multi-million...
    By Sarah J. Maas
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.

General Fiction lists from the team

Explore our curated lists from our heroes to find your next read!

The Latest at Book Hero

View all