The Colossal P. T. Barnum Reader: NOTHING ELSE LIKE IT IN THE UNIVERSE
by P T. Barnum
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Book Summary Information
Author: P T. BarnumEditor: James W. Cook
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-12-14
ISBN: 0252072952
Number of pages: 272
Publisher: University of Illinois Press
Book Reviews of The Colossal P. T. Barnum Reader: NOTHING ELSE LIKE IT IN THE UNIVERSE
Book Review: Excellent Assigned Text for History Courses
Summary: 5 Stars
Let me preface this review by saying that it will center entirely on the using the book in a college-level course. I used this as an assigned text in U.S. history survey in 2007. Frankly, I did not know how students would react to or engage with Barnum. They enjoyed the book and the sparks flew in our classroom discussion. I think this text works much better than Barnum's autobiography as an introduction to Barnum's historical significance. The only small criticism I will make of the book is that it would be even better (for classroom use) with a longer introduction that expands on Barnum's life, career, and historical context. James Cook has written brilliantly on these points, so perhaps a second edition will include a longer introduction. I prepared one lecture to fill in some of these gaps. Also, the first selection, "Adventures of an Adventurer" is very difficult for undergraduates to grasp, so I just omitted it from the assigned reading.
Summary of The Colossal P. T. Barnum Reader: NOTHING ELSE LIKE IT IN THE UNIVERSE
The "P. T. Barnum Reader" reveals the trailblazing American showman P. T. Barnum as, by turns, a moral reformer, a habitual hoaxer, an insightful critic, a savvy "puffer", a master of images, a sparkling writer, a relentless provocateur, and an early advocate of "family" entertainments. Taken together, these selections paint a new and more complete portrait of this complex man than has ever been seen before. James W. Cook's "The Colossal P. T. Barnum Reader" is the largest collection of Barnum's works ever produced. Included are excerpts from his pseudo-autobiographical novel "The Adventures of an Adventurer" (1841), his European letters from 1844-46 informing readers of the "New York Atlas" of his regal reception overseas, and a large selection from his "Ancient and Modern Humbugs of the World", Barnum's 1864-65 insider's look into the frauds of nineteenth-century American culture. It offers a glimpse of Tom Thumb's minstrel and singing performances in front of Queen Victoria, Barnum's many fraudulent representations of the supposedly ancient Joice Heth, and a more immediate, less filtered sense of Barnum as cultural and social critic in his serialized writings and travelogues. This volume also features reproductions of difficult to find posters from Barnum's two-decade collaboration with the prominent New York lithographers, Currier and Ives, and vintage photographs. Finally, the reader also helps us to understand Barnum's role in building the modern culture industry. We follow his career from itinerant hawker, hardly distinguishable from his pre-industrial forebears, to manager of the world's first show business empire, with a staff of thousands and brand recognition across four continents. "The Colossal P. T. Barnum Reader" tracks the shifting personas of the great showman, his representational choices, and his publics across the nineteenth century.Theater Books
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