P. T. Barnum's
career of showmanship and charlatanry was marked by a surprising
undercurrent of honesty and forthrightness. His exuberant
autobiography forms a happy combination of all those traits,
revealing the whole story of his world-famous hoaxes and
publicity stunts. Here is a pageant of nineteenth-century
America's gullibility and thirst for marvels, as told by the
master of revels himself.
A born
storyteller, Barnum recalls his association with Tom Thumb, his
audience with Queen Victoria, and his trouble keeping Jenny
Lind's angelic image intact during a trying tour. He tells of
Jumbo, the most famous elephant in history, from the creature's
heroic arrival in America to its tragic death in a railroad
accident; of his attempts to transfer Shakespeare's house and
Madame Tussaud's Waxworks from England to New York; and of his
triumphant re-entry into public life after financial failure and
five disastrous fires had all but wiped him out.
The true-life
tale of a man of boundless imagination and indomitable energy,
Barnum's autobiography embodies the spirit of America's most
exciting boom years.
