Show Boat - An Edna Ferber Novel

Explore the peaks and perils of the great Mississippi River as three generations of steamboat theatre performers tour their shows across North America in this tale of enduring love.

Edna Ferber’s charming novel follows the Cotton Blossom showboat from the 1880s through to the glamorous Jazz Age of the 1920s. A family of performers dedicate their lives to bringing the magic of theatre to the small towns on the Mississippi River banks. The timeless tale is a story of love, hardship, racial prejudice, and the evolution of theatre. Experience the transition from the Reconstruction Era into the twentieth century as technology develops and war darkens the everyday lives of struggling actors.

First published in 1926, Show Boat was adapted into the successful Broadway musical of the same name in 1927. Three film adaptations of the musical were released in 1929, 1936, and 1951. The tragically romantic novel is an ideal read for theatre fans and those interested in early 1900s America.