The Life of P. T. Barnum

2018 Reprint of 1855 Edition. An autobiography of Phineas T. Barnum that immortalizes the showman who hoodwinked customers into paying to hear the reminiscences of a woman presented as George Washington's 161-year-old nurse, the impresario who brought Jenny Lind to America and toured Europe with General Tom Thumb, and the grand entrepreneur of the American Museum of New York. One of Barnum's more successful methods of self-promotion was mass publication of this autobiography. Barnum eventually gave up his copyright to allow other printers to sell inexpensive editions. At the end of the 19th century the number of copies printed was second only to the New Testament in North America. Often referred to as the "Prince of Humbugs," Barnum saw nothing wrong in entertainers or vendors using hoaxes (or "humbug," as he termed it) in promotional material, as long as the public was getting value for money. However, he was contemptuous of those who made money through fraudulent deceptions, especially the spiritualist mediums popular in his day.