Tom Ladshaw

Vent Haven Museum Tom Ladshaw

The amazing story of one man's lifelong passion for collecting what he called "ventriloquiana".... anything and everything pertaining to ventriloquists and ventriloquism. William Shakespeare Berger bought a ventriloquist's dummy on a business trip in 1910. By the time he passed away in 1972, he had amassed the largest collection of ventriloquial memorabilia in existence. Dummies - puppets - toys - games - photographs - books - posters - recordings - films - costumes - stage props. No item was too large or too small for W. S.' "fabulous collection". This is the amazing story of how he overcame hardships and tragedies that would have defeated most men and yet, he persevered. Today, W. S. Berger's collection is known as "Vent Haven Museum, Inc." It is the only museum in the world dedicated strictly to ventriloquism. Museum curator Lisa Sweasy sifted through literally thousands of personal documents from W. S.' own archives to write this inspiring tale of one man's dedication, passion, and ongoing legacy. The book also includes a section featuring ten popular museum exhibits and their backstories, plus a third section featuring fun and easy instructions so you can learn ventriloquism!