The award-winning author of The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary, Amelia Lost, and Our Eleanor brings us the larger-than-life biography of showman P. T. Barnum. Known far and wide for his jumbo elephants, midgets, and three-ring circuses, here’ s a complete and captivating look at the man behind the Greatest Show on Earth. Readers can visit Barnum’s American Museum; meet Tom Thumb, the miniature man (only 39 inches tall) and his tinier bride (32 inches); experience the thrill Barnum must have felt when, at age 60, he joined the circus; and discover Barnum’s legacy to the 19th century and beyond. Drawing on old circus posters, photographs, etchings, ticket stubs—and with incredible decorative art by Ray Fenwick—this book presents history as it’s never been experienced before—a show-stopping event!


著有《The Lincolns》、《Amelia Lost》、《Our Eleanor》的得獎作者為我們帶來了關於表演家 P.T. Barnum 的非凡傳記。P.T. Barnum 以巨象、小矮人、及三環馬戲團而聲名遠播，本書完整且精采地介紹了這位「世界最棒表演」的幕後推手。讀者可以參觀 Barnum 的美國博物館、見見只有 99 公分高的矮人拇指湯姆和他僅 81 公分高的嬌小新娘、體驗 Barnum 在他六十歲時加入馬戲團的刺激感受，並一窺他從十九世紀到後來所帶來的傳奇故事。本書利用馬戲團的昔日海報、相片、蝕刻畫、票根與出自 Ray Fenwick 的絕佳裝飾藝術等，以前所未有的方式呈現歷史，宛如一場絕無冷場的表演！