The Fabulous Showman: The Life and Times of P.T. Barnum

by Irving Wallace

The Biography of P.T. Barnum

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, History, American History, Business, American

280 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1959

About the author

Irving Wallace was an American bestselling author and screenwriter. His extensively researched books included such page-turners as The Chapman Report (1960), about human sexuality; The Prize (1962), a fictional behind-the-scenes account of the Nobel Prizes; The Man, about a black man becoming president of the U.S. in the 1960s; and The Word (1972), about the discovery of a new gospel.

Wallace was born in Chicago, Illinois. Wallace grew up in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He was the father of Olympic historian David Wallechinsky and author Amy Wallace.

Wallace began selling stories to magazines when he was a teenager. In World War II Wallace served in the Frank Capra unit in Fort Fox along with Theodor Seuss Geisel - more popularly known as Dr Seuss - and continued to write for magazines. He also served in the First Motion Picture Unit of the Army Air Force. In the years immediately following World war II Wallace became a Hollywood screenwriter. He collaborated on such films as The West Point Story (1950), Split Second (1953),and Meet Me at the Fair (1953).

After several years in Hollywood, he devoted himself full-time to writing books. Wallace published 33 books during his lifetime.

Reviews

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

P. T. Barnum does circuses, he IS the circus in most peoples mind. Everyone knows this. I expected a book full of circus stories telling how he rose to the top and the 3-ring entertainment business. Well that is in there, the last 1/5 of the book, but it turns out he was waaaay more that just a circus promoter. By the time he bought his first circus interest in his 60s he had perfected his showmanship skills doing way more. I am not going to spoil it and tell you what he did but let's drop a few name you will encounter in his life; General Tom Thumb, Jenny Lind the "Swedish Nightingale" , Chang and Eng the Siamese twins, the giantess Anna Swan, Jumbo, Queen Victoria. I really had no idea of the wide ranging scope of this man's influence. Very recommended read

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was completely wild at times, giving an entirely different look for me at life in New York City and other northeastern states in the 1800s. Barnum was a lively character and truly a master at drawing the attention of the masses. He truly did bring entertainment on a large scale to America. The displaying of humans was distressing to my 21st century sensibilities, as was the catching of several white whales and bringing them to his museum for display where they all subsequently died soon after.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite type of book. I love learning about actual people and the circumstances and cultural climate of the time period they lived in. Having previously known nothing about P.T. Barnum other than “Barnum and Bailey,” I enjoyed reading about this fascinating man. What I admire most about him is that after he acquired great wealth, and then lost it all, he did not become discouraged and wallow in self-pity, nor did he walk away from his debts. He went right back to work, eventually settled his debts, and became even more successful. He was a man who enjoyed life, was very ambitious, and had the courage to do what had not been done before. A lot can be learned from this interesting man.

[5t4n5 Dot Com · Rating 4 out of 5]

I decided to read this to give me a little background before reading 'The Mermaid' and i'm really glad i did.   What a wonderful piece of history and a very interesting man.

I think, after reading this book, that if we want to blame anyone for the current cult of celebrity, modern advertising and marketing, tabloid journalism, etc., then we need look no further than P.T. Barnum.   While he may, or may not, have invented these things, he certainly brought them all together and exploited them in ways that no one was prepared for.

I do feel that this book does him justice though.   In exploring his background and reasons, from a stifled puritan childhood in a stifled puritan village, it seems his main driving force was to make life fun and interesting for all and sundry.   And his determination and drive to get things done and suceed was quite incredible.

My only complaint about this book is the timeline gets a little confused in places, hopping back and forward and back again and forward again.   But, it's still very much worth reading as it exposes a lot about today's modern world of celebrity, pop culture, tabloid journalism, advertising and marketing.   Maybe people shouldn't be so gullible, but when people's lives are so dull and tragic they'll flock to anything that anyone markets to them that they want to believe, whether it's true or not.   And people's lives are probably more dull and tragic now than they have ever been.

And so i'm now really looking forward to reading 'The Mermaid' and i'll let you know if learning about Barnum was a good idea or not.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

P.T. Barnum was a fascinating man. Before i read this book, i figured he was just a showman looking to bilk suckers out of their money. As it turns out, he was a much more complex individual. Part humbug, part preacher, part politician, part family man. A strange balance of things. This book takes us through all phases of his careers, focusing primarily on the acts that he made famous at different times. Tom Thumb, the midget. Chang and Eng, the siamese twins. Jenny Lind, singer extraordinaire. Jumbo the elephant. Along the way he rubs shoulders with a veritable who's who of 19th century famous people. Lincoln, Custer, Mark Twain, and on and on. This book chronicles what entertainment was like in those years and how Barnum helped shape that entertainment.

[Stuart Bobb · Rating 3 out of 5]

After seeing the Greatest Showman (with Hugh Jackman) we wanted to understand a bit more about the real PT Barnum from which the recent musical is (very) loosely based. The book was interesting and gave an insight into the nature of what it means to be dedicated to entertainment and spectacle. On the whole, it bounced around a lot and was not the most engaging biography. I suspect (hope?) it is more reliable than PT Barnum's autobiography - something that should never be trusted too far. He certainly was an innovator in advertising and PR more than anything else - and for that we can thank or blame him as we choose.

[Brandon Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting biography on the life of P.T. Barnum. He made a huge difference in the history of show business and of business in general. He had an incredible sense of what people wanted to see and hear, and what would intrigue and "draw" people. He was an unbelievable story teller. I was surprised to hear that Barnum was the founder of what we know today as the museum, along with the circus.

[Dkovlak · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good book. I learned a lot about PT Barnum. He was not only the greatest showman on earth but also seemed to be a nice man.

It was also nice to learn about him because I was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and grew up in the area. I heard a lot about him growing up, but I never read a biography about him. There are numerous places and events in the Bridgeport area that are named after him.

[Pat Bretheim · Rating 4 out of 5]

P.T. Barnum was a fascinating person! There is so much more to him than just the circus, which he did after he became 60 years old. If you aren't familiar yet with his life story, I would really recommend this book. The author, Irving Wallace, thoroughly researched his material and the bibliography is quite long. There are many books about P.T. Barnum out there, and I believe this one is a good starting point.

[Bruce Baron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Bio of PT Barnum

This bpok was very well written and flowed so well from start to finish. I learned so much about Barnum that I had not known. I was curious after watching the film "The Greatest Showman", which really turns out to be more fiction than fact. Wallace brings the man and his times truly aluve.

[Travis French · Rating 5 out of 5]

The world needs a new PT Barnum.

[Jody · Rating 4 out of 5]

P.T. Barnum truly was the greatest showman. He knew how to draw in and entertain the masses, and loved doing it. He seemed to relish being called a humbug, which meant a fraudster, and many of his exhibits, especially in the beginning, actually were frauds. The book is divided into "exhibits" instead of chapters which is fun. Barnum and his wife Charity had 4 daughters, but only 3 survived to adulthood. There was a rumor he had a son by a French actress who was a performer at his museum. After Charity's death and his remarriage to Nancy Fish (he was 63 and she was 23), Barnum supposedly paid the son $60,000 to never attempt a claim. A relative later corroborated the story. Barnum truly exploded on the scene when he began touring and exhibiting Charles Stratton, known to the world as General Tom Thumb. He also promoted and toured with the singer Jenny Lind, however, unlike in the movie The Greatest Showman, there was never any romance involved. I was surprised to learn that Barnum didn't invent the circus. He didn't get into the circus business until the last 20 years of his life. He had actually retired, and at 60, was bored, and decided the circus was his way to return to show business. Some of his more famous exhibits aside from General Tom Thumb included Josephine (the bearded lady), Chang and Eng (the "Siamese" twins), and Jumbo the elephant. I was also surprised to learn that Grizzly Adams was a real person who had domesticated bears and for a time toured with Barnum. I thought Grizzly Adams was just a 1970's television series. After his death, his wife Nancy published the final chapter of his autobiography. In it she said, "But a better fame is his, for, though the busy hands are folded, the cheery voice stilled, and the kindly smile hid forever, he lives in the love of his devoted family; in the hearts of all who came within the circle of his wonderfully magnetic personality; and, it will be long ere the world forgets P.T. Barnum."

[Will Mayo]

This is a biography of America's premier showman. And, more importantly, it is a biography of the man who, in a time like our own when old fogeys and preachers threaten to take all the fun out of our lives, gladly gave that fun back to us. He gave us his American Museum with its collection of freaks (surely one of the first national museums in my country). He gave us Tom Thumb, the 25-inch man. He enlarged and helped make the traveling circus a legitimate institution. And, of course, he gave us the lovely Jenny Lind, so gifted with a song or two. If we have any showmen left in our time at all (I can think of more than a few), we owe it all to PT Barnum. Read this book and be glad.

[Hannah Lynch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Greatest showman

After seeing the movie, I wanted to know more about this colorful icon. The book greatly differs from the movie.
It sheds more light on the veritable array of the unusual and memorable characters in his American Museum and circus! His personal life is somewhat fictional in the movie but the book does share much of what little is known about his family life. I enjoyed being enlightened.

[Sheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, solid biographical information about P.T. Barnum, read to learn more after watching "The Greatest Showman." The book stripped the glitz away from the movie, which was a little unfortunate as it wasn't my intent, but I certainly did learn more about Barnum.

[Julia Doolittle · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the movie, I was interested in reading the "real" story of P.T. Barnum. Although quite different from the movie it was quite interesting to learn so much about the beginning of a wonderful childhood activity that will now be just a thing of the past.

[Lee Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Became interested after my kid's obsession with The Greatest Showman movie. Surprisingly, the movie was relatively true to reality with the expected Hollywood embellishments. Also, good to continue the narrative of the remainder of Barnum's life.

[Jake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent biography!

Really enjoyed the book. Shed a lot of light on his personal life and people he met and dealt with. Really intriguing how he was connected to quite a few various historical events & figures.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a truly exhaustive, yet fascinating, history of what made Barnum the household name he became. The author organized the book into the ten greatest exhibits of Barnum's lengthy career, yet told so much more. Highly recommend.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barnum attacks the world

This book is about how P. T. Barnum took on the world...and won. He transformed it from a place with little or no amusements into a much happier one. He affected millions of lives, and had no regrets for it. An outstanding book about an outstanding man.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable, well researched, with witty commentary and a crisp pace. Plenty of interesting details to keep the reader engaged. My opinion of Irving Wallace remains high as I work through is writings.

[Gayle Mowbray · Rating 4 out of 5]

entertaining

A good and enlightening read about a real character in his own right. Barnum changed the notion of entertainment for the world.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good solid telling of one of the most important American lives of the 19th century.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting account of America's greatest showman and other figures of his time

[Katie Bristow · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wish that I never read this book

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of info about an interesting person and time period, but the comma usage drove me crazy. :)

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was absolutely awesome. I mean, P.T. Barnum! I grew up hearing about his circus and how amazing it was! (my grandparents still have posters of it, somewhere) He was the man who made a million, lost it, and made another million!! He played practical jokes, awed and wowed the world with his discovery of the unatural, and changed the way we view the world.
My favorite part is where he asked the newspaper to post his obituary before he died because he wanted to see what they would say :D
He was a giant easily forgotten in history, a loss that is felt more than we know.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no idea Barnum did so many things in his life. Had no idea about his political life and all the other things he was involved in. Book could have been a bit better organized. a very easy read

[Whit]

Although the librarian at the local library from which I borrowed this book (yes, some people still check books out of libraries) told me that the book had not been checked out in 12 years, I found it a very enjoyable read. I wanted to read this after watching the much acclaimed movie, "The Greatest Showman", to get a more accurate, true version of the life and times of P. T. Barnum and his "humbug". I was not disappointed.

[David Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who didn't like the movie Showman? I decided I wanted to dive a little deeper into the story of P.T. Barnum after being inspired by Hugh Jackman's portrayal. What an amazing life and a genuinely good man. He lost it all in a bad investment and suffered terrible tragedies a long the way but never gave up.

Aside from traveling the world entertaining and on the look out for bigger and better attractions he was interested in temperance movement, politics and writing. After serving two terms in the Connecticut state legislature. He called for the ratification of the 13th Amendment and during the debate in the legislature he said: "A human soul, 'that God has created and Christ died for,' is not to be trifled with. It may tenant the body of a Chinaman, a Turk, an Arab, or a Hottentot—it is still an immortal spirit". Progressive for his time, he was elected mayor of Bridgeport, where he fought for clean water and gas lights and against prostitution, corruption and racism.

He died at 81. But before he died, perhaps sensing his time was short, he requested the a New York newspaper published his obituary in advance so that he might enjoy it.

Favorite Quote:

“This is a trading world,and men, women, and children, who cannot live on gravity alone, need something to satisfy their gayer, lighter moods and hours, and he who ministers to this want is in a business established by the Author of our nature.”