Dates

• Existence: July 1969 - 3 June 2025

Biography

Steve was a circus historian, collector and author of many books including ‘The Posters of Bertram Mills Circus’, ‘The Posters of Billy Smart’s Circus’ and ‘Sir Robert Fossett’s Circus - The Definitive Visual History’ and co-author of ‘Reco’s Circus’ with Mark Twitchett.

Steven Blair Richley was born in Swansea in 1969 and grew up in Caldicot, South Wales. His interest in circus started at a young age when he was given a poster from ‘Weight’s Famous Circus’ after a visit to his hometown, which started his collecting passion. During his lifetime, he amassed an important collection of thousands of posters from around the world, with significant representations from Bertram Mills, Billy Smart, Chipperfield, Robert Brothers and Gerry Cottle’s circuses and rare examples from Astley, Cooke and Hengler’s circus.

After graduating at Cardiff University in 1990, Steve moved to London to work for Madame Tussauds. Three years later he set up his own company developing visitor attractions around the world.

Following his acquisition of several comprehensive circus poster collections, Steve formed Double Crown Books in 2013 to publish books and material relating to circus art.

Steve was a long-term member of the Circus Friends Association of Great Britain. He died on 3 June 2025 of a heart attack aged 55 years old.

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