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Barnum, [Phineas Taylor].
Barnum And Money Making: An Autobiography, By the Great American Showman, Clerk, Editor, Merchant, and Lecturer.
Publisher: Willoughby & Co., London;
Date of Publication: 1854
Stock Code: 12417
First British Edition. Small octavo, pp. iv, 331. Frontispiece engraving of Barnum’s American Museum. Publishers’ drab paper-covered boards, with inscribed paper title-label to spine. Binding a little worn with small loss at spine tips and bruised corners; inscribed title-label to spine. Small loss to front free endpaper and the final leaf of text pasted to lower board. With the tidy ownership inscription of ‘ Rich Baker Icklesham 1888’ to head of chapter one. A very good copy in the publishers’ original boards. The exceedingly rare first printing of P. T. Barnum’s scandalous autobiography, later published as “The Life of P T Barnum Written by Himself”; the author’s revelation of various deceits during his career damaged his reputation, so the book was revised and modified numerous times over many later editions; Barnum claimed he sold over a million copies. Barnum (1810-1891), the showman, businessman, hoaxer and politician, was the inspiration for the popular musicals “Barnum!” and “The Greatest Showman” and founded Barnum and Bailey’s Circus amongst a host of other successful enterprises. The first UK printing is rare both institutionally and in commerce, with only 2 copies listed on Worldcat and none on COPAC. £450.00