02908cam a22003253u 4500 76157 UtSlPG 20260610134749.0 m cr n 260607r20251923utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d 43027009 UtSlPG en iso639-1 GV Werner, M. R. (Morris Robert), 1897-1981 Barnum Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg, 2025 1 online resource : multiple file formats text txt rdacontent computer c rdamedia online resource cr rdacarrier Release date is 2025-05-24 Tim Lindell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) "Barnum" by M. R. Werner is a biography written in the early 20th century. It recounts the life and legend of P. T. Barnum, probing beyond his flamboyant self-portrait to assess his character, methods, and influence on American popular culture. The focus is on how a sharp-witted Connecticut Yankee harnessed publicity, spectacle, and shrewd deal-making to build a show business empire. The opening of the book frames Barnum’s own autobiography as both biased and revealing, then argues for a fresh, sourced reappraisal of his place in American life. It sketches his Bethel, Connecticut upbringing—practical jokes, country-store sharpness, early arithmetic prowess, religious tensions, and the formative “Ivy Island” prank—alongside teenage lottery hustles, his father’s death, and a defiant stint as a small-town newspaper editor that led to jail and a triumphal release. Moving to New York, the narrative shows him nearly broke yet relentless, staging his first big attraction with the ancient slave Joice Heth, fanning controversy through the press, and learning the power of sensational publicity. It follows his rough apprenticeship on the road with jugglers and a circus, his willingness to preach on Sunday and sing in blackface on Monday, a string of business failures and swindles, and a turn to writing theatrical ads. The section culminates with his audacious, intricate maneuver to acquire Scudder’s American Museum: persuading the building’s owner to back him, pledging his worthless “Ivy Island” as security, undermining a rival stock scheme through the newspapers, and seizing control—signaled by a cheeky note putting the rival directors on the free list. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Originally published: Garden City, NY: Garden City Publishing Co., Inc., 1923 Barnum, P. T. (Phineas Taylor), 1810-1891 https://archive.org/details/barnum00wern/page/n3 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/76157 116882 116882