P. T. Barnum: America's Greatest Showman [Hardcover]

Philip B. Kunhardt Jr. (Author), Philip B. Kunhardt III (Author), Peter W. Kunhardt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 26, 1995

One of the earliest practitioners of "the show business, " P.T. Barnum built his reputation largely on the exoticism of others. A man of complex motives, Barnum possessed a unique genius and his influence on popular culture is evident to this day. Barnum will be a three-hour Discovery Channel special airing in October. Illustrations, 260 in color.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

There is no denying Barnum's abiding influence, more than a century later, on our popular culture. For better and worse, we owe our irrepressible infatuation with show biz to the prodigious swarm of divas, minstrels, circuses, museums, curiosities, beauty pageants, sideshows, fat-baby and poultry contests that he unleashed, making himself one of America's first millionaires. This amply illustrated, all-encompassing biography leaves no stone unturned, no curiosity unrevealed.

From Publishers Weekly

Show-biz pioneer Barnum (1810-1891) was not just the "most famous and recognizable man" of his time, he was its "great liberating force," argue the authors (Lincoln: An Illustrated Biography). Here they combine numerous short but deft essays and a rich lode of illustrations to tell Barnum's story and chronicle his huge effect on his country. He began with humbug, touting such frauds as an ancient slave and a "wooly horse," believing nonetheless that he had to give the public its money's worth in entertainment. Proprietor of his American Museum in New York City, Barnum went on to promote an array of amazements: the midget Tom Thumb, the Swedish singer Jenny Lind, bearded ladies, Siamese twins, the first hippopotamus in America. After his museum was destroyed by fire, Barnum resurrected it in the 1870s via a circus, eventually acquiring the famous elephant, Jumbo. Though admiring their subject, the authors acknowledge he reflected the racism of his times, exhibiting examples of "savage and barbarous tribes." The book might have been enriched had they discussed how Barnum's spirit lives on today.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 358 pages
• Publisher: Knopf; 1st edition (September 26, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679435743
• ISBN-13: 978-0679435747
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #371,102 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully done and incredibly informative, August 12, 1998

By 

Sara Struever ([e-mail]) (Baltimore MD, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: P. T. Barnum: America's Greatest Showman (Hardcover)

This book is one of those books that you love to look through, tons of pictures, nicely laid out. And not only is it aesthetically magnificant, but it is quite possibly the most extensive source of information on Barnum available anywhere. It also has a good index and is laid out in a way that makes all of the information easy to get to, without reading millions of pages of stuffy prose.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful! But Why?, March 25, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: P. T. Barnum: America's Greatest Showman (Hardcover)

I have only one thing to say, and it's more of a question than anything else:

Why is such a masterpiece (this book), the best of it's kind on one of America's greatest showman, out of print?

That's too bad because this has got to be the best book ever written about P.T. Barnum. The authors have done a meticulous job of researching this man's life and work, along with providing hundreds of long-gone pictures and posters covering every inch of Barnum's career. Books of this kind are rare and don't get any better than that!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Barnum book lives up to the hype., December 16, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: P. T. Barnum: America's Greatest Showman (Hardcover)

The publishers didn't pull a Barnum on the public with this one. They deliver what they promise -- a fascinating, detailed, and engagingly readable biography of the first true showman. Amply illustrated, often with rare photos, this is a great book for anyone, not just circus buffs.