The autobiography written by Barnum himself was just wonderful. My interest was perked by The Greatest Showman movie, but his real life was far more interesting.

This is an absolutely charming book. A good chunk at the beginning is dedicated to describing practical jokes throughout Barnum's family history as a lead-in to his career as a showman. I often found myself chuckling at his phrasing, which I believe is more than a product of the time at which he was writing. If you are looking for an objective history/biography, Barnum's autobiography is certainly no source of hard facts, but the spin he puts on his stories is an interesting piece of the truth, and my favorite part of reading this book was constantly trying to imagine how his version of his life's story would line up with the experiences of his contemporaries.

I picked up this book after I saw the movie The Greatest Show. So, I really didn't know what to expect. In reading up about P.T. Barnum and this particular book, the secular press panned the book, as well as looking askance at Barnum's life and his business practices. However, once I read the book, I really liked P.T. Barnum and the way he did business. He never lied to anyone, and in fact, went farther than most would have in telling the audience what was really happening. An interesting book, an interesting life.

Written in 1850s, you have to be ready for different sentence structures, terminology, and idioms that were current then. The life of PT Barnum is fantastical - he was a great promoter and showman. The term "humbug" was used to describe his many practical jokes and "pulling the wool over everyone's eyes." I enjoyed the Jenny Lind episodes. A true American success story!

P.T. Barnum was clearly an interesting chap who lived a unique life. Much of his book is taken up in reflection of the practical jokes his neighbours and family used to play on each other; this goes on a bit, and a lot of the anecdotes seem rather far-fetched. Having said that, Barnum literally became world famous for stretching the truth. I found the final chapters the most interesting as Barnum writes down his thoughts on how to succeed in life, and particularly in business. Considering this is nearly two centuries old, the fundamentals still apply today as much as they did then. Overall, this was an interesting book to read, and I am glad I picked it up.

As a librarian, I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but this one is what drew me to the book. It looked wonderful on the table beside my reading chair in our dining room for the few years it took me to read it. (Please don't interpret that as a negative - I often read many books at a time and tend to rely on audiobooks when migraines interfere, and this unfortunately did not have an audio companion. I enjoyed every page!)

 

The collection of letters and short background snippets accompanying them gives the reader just enough information to peek behind the curtain of The Greatest Show on Earth and get a sense of the man in the center ring. While I had previously read biographies on Barnum and encountered a few of his more popular quotes and writings, this collection, spanning the majority of his life and exploring his interactions with family, friends, colleagues, and individuals of importance, was significantly more informative. There are layers of his personality and psyche exposed in this book through nothing more than his own words. Where his autobiography always felt a bit "staged" to me, there are aspects of himself that in these letters are "unedited" and somehow more telling of his true interests and character. (For better or worse.) The compilation is a true testament to thorough research, as Barnum curated his life and legacy as meticulously as he did his museums. He put great care into presenting his image and adjusting it to best fit his audiences, as a chameleon of personality to match leaders of business, religion, and politics, while building camaraderie with others in the entertainment world and appealing to his fans. I think I most enjoyed his words to his grandson, though. While still a Show Man, they held an endearing quality that helped to consider the balance between the worldly and powerful influencer and the elderly and story-loving man who worked to build the image that would outlive him.

 

The incredible depth and breadth of the content contributed to the length of time it took me to complete this reading. I found myself stopping after every few letters in order to research more about their context. It was such an enjoyable experience.