University of Chicago Press, 1973
This carefully researched study of America's greatest showman, huckster, and impresario is both an inclusive analysis of the historical and cultural forces that were the conditions of P. T. Barnum's success, and, as befits its subject, a richly entertaining presentation of the outrageous man and his exploits. It is a valuable contribution to American cultural studies of the 19th century. Cast in the apparent form of a biography, the book deals with Barnum's remarkable career,.and also explores American cultural life, the developing urbanization between 1840 and the 1880's, and some major patterns within the movement...