Kate Summerscale

Kate Summerscale is an award-winning author. Her books includeThe Book of Phobias & Manias: A History of the World in 99 Obsessions

A clown, c1970s. The next decade, there would be a panic over "stalker clowns" in the US (Photo by H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock/Getty Images)

Clowns, agoraphobia and kayaks: a history of fear and loathing. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.