For more than fifty years, Phineas T. Barnum embodied all that was
grand and fraudulent in American mass culture. Over the course of a
life that spanned the nineteenth century (1810-91), he inflicted
himself upon a surprisingly willing public in a variety of guises,
from newspaper editor (or libeler) to traveling showman (or
charlatan) and distinguished public benefactor (or shameless
hypocrite).
Barnum deliberately cultivated his ambiguous public image
through a lifelong advertising campaign, shrewdly exploiting the
cultural and technological capabilities of the new publishing
industry. While running his numerous shows and exhibitions, Barnum
managed to publish newspaper articles, exposes of fraud (not his
own), self-help tracts, and a series of best-selling
autobiographies, each promising to give "the true history of my
many adventures".
Updated editions of The Life of P. T. Barnum appeared regularly,
allowing Barnum to keep up with demand and prune the narrative of
details that might offend posterity. The present volume is the
first modern edition of Barnum's original and outrageous
autobiography, published in 1855 and unavailable for more than a
century. Brazen, confessional, and immensely entertaining, it
immortalizes the showman who hoodwinked customers into paying to
hear the reminiscences of Joyce Heth, ostensibly George
Wash-ington's 161-year-old nurse. It also unveils the grand
entrepreneur of the American Museum of New York and the impresario
who brought Jenny Lind to America and toured Europe with General
Tom Thumb. Above all, it ensures that Barnum would be properly
remembered ... exactly as he created himself.
General
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