After finishing my second read through of Thom Wall’s Juggling From Antiquity to the Middle Ages—the forgotten history of throwing and catching, the first thing that sprang to mind was Alexander Pope’s famous quotation, “A little learning is a dang’rous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring.”  Speaking for myself, I will say that I have been walking around ignorant for all of my 21 years as a juggler. I fooled myself into thinking that I was a diligent student of the deep game, simply because I owned and had read all of Karl Heinz Zeithen’s works, or because I assiduously attended lectures given by Erik Aberg or David Cain.  A little learning is a dangerous thing indeed…

Before I go any further, I need to get a few things out there.  Mssrs. Zeithen, Aberg, & Cain bear no blame for my ignorance or mistaken beliefs when it comes to juggling facts and juggling history.  Their own singular works add nothing but quality knowledge and perspective to an otherwise overlooked and tiny niche of entertainment history. Second disclaimer. I am a friend and fan of Thom Wall. I have known him ever sin...