P.T. Barnum, America's Greatest Showman, An Illustrated Biography
by Philip B. Kunhardt Jr., Philip B. Kunhardt III, Peter W. Kunhardt
- Used
- Fine
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Fine/Fine
- ISBN 10
- 0679435743
- ISBN 13
- 9780679435747
- Seller
-
Saint Charles, Illinois, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1995. First. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. From the publisher:
"If Abraham Lincoln was the great moral force of his age, Phineas Taylor Barnum was its great provider of joy. As one of the earliest practitioners of "the show business," Barnum dedicated his long career to alleviating the "severe and drudging practicalness" he considered the chief defect of American civilization. His remedy? A prodigious swarm of divas, minstrels, circuses, museums of curiosities, beauty pageants, sideshows, fat-baby and poultry contests - whatever it took to entertain his fellow citizens while making him one of his country's first millionaires. With P.T. Barnum: America's Greatest Showman, the Messrs Kunhardt rediscover the genius and vision of an unmatched impresario and entrepreneur. In vivid words and spellbinding pictures (more than 500 photographs, engravings, and color lithographs from 41 different archives), we meet a man of complex motives, a master of merchandise, an inveterate self-promoter often reviled for his opportunism. We meet the man who did NOT say "There's a sucker born every minute"; whose best friends were clergymen; whose autobiography sold more than a million copies; who took a public leap through a flaming hoop to prove to the ASPCA that his performing horses were in no danger; who (allegedly) plotted with Samuel Clemens to lease a comet's tail to take a million passengers on a guided tour of outer space. We meet the man who built his reputation - and his fortune - largely on the exoticism of others, but whose crowning moment as a member of the Connecticut state legislature came in a speech in favor of the constitutional amendment to abolish slavery: "A human soul is not to be trifled with. It may inhabit the body of a Chinaman, a Turk, an Arab or a Hotentot - it is still an immortal spirit!" There is no denying Barnum's abiding influence, more than a century after his death, on our popular culture. For better AND for worse, we owe America's irrepressible infatuation with show biz largely to him."
A fine copy in maroon paper-covered boards with gilt titles and designs on the spine and both covers. No marks or damage at all. The unclipped DJ is also in pristine condition. Appears unread and could pass for new. DG.
"If Abraham Lincoln was the great moral force of his age, Phineas Taylor Barnum was its great provider of joy. As one of the earliest practitioners of "the show business," Barnum dedicated his long career to alleviating the "severe and drudging practicalness" he considered the chief defect of American civilization. His remedy? A prodigious swarm of divas, minstrels, circuses, museums of curiosities, beauty pageants, sideshows, fat-baby and poultry contests - whatever it took to entertain his fellow citizens while making him one of his country's first millionaires. With P.T. Barnum: America's Greatest Showman, the Messrs Kunhardt rediscover the genius and vision of an unmatched impresario and entrepreneur. In vivid words and spellbinding pictures (more than 500 photographs, engravings, and color lithographs from 41 different archives), we meet a man of complex motives, a master of merchandise, an inveterate self-promoter often reviled for his opportunism. We meet the man who did NOT say "There's a sucker born every minute"; whose best friends were clergymen; whose autobiography sold more than a million copies; who took a public leap through a flaming hoop to prove to the ASPCA that his performing horses were in no danger; who (allegedly) plotted with Samuel Clemens to lease a comet's tail to take a million passengers on a guided tour of outer space. We meet the man who built his reputation - and his fortune - largely on the exoticism of others, but whose crowning moment as a member of the Connecticut state legislature came in a speech in favor of the constitutional amendment to abolish slavery: "A human soul is not to be trifled with. It may inhabit the body of a Chinaman, a Turk, an Arab or a Hotentot - it is still an immortal spirit!" There is no denying Barnum's abiding influence, more than a century after his death, on our popular culture. For better AND for worse, we owe America's irrepressible infatuation with show biz largely to him."
A fine copy in maroon paper-covered boards with gilt titles and designs on the spine and both covers. No marks or damage at all. The unclipped DJ is also in pristine condition. Appears unread and could pass for new. DG.
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Details
- Seller
- Stanley Louis Remarkable Books (IOBA) (US)
- Seller's Inventory #
- B184
- Title
- P.T. Barnum, America's Greatest Showman, An Illustrated Biography
- Author
- Philip B. Kunhardt Jr., Philip B. Kunhardt III, Peter W. Kunhardt
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Fine
- Jacket Condition
- Fine
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First
- ISBN 10
- 0679435743
- ISBN 13
- 9780679435747
- Publisher
- Alfred A. Knopf
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1995
Terms of Sale
Stanley Louis Remarkable Books (IOBA)
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days.
About the Seller
Stanley Louis Remarkable Books (IOBA)
Biblio member since 2015
Saint Charles, Illinois
About Stanley Louis Remarkable Books (IOBA)
Seller of high quality books and ephemera, emphasizing older and unusual items, such as signed or association copies. I try to offer the kind of books, at fair prices, that appeal to me, hoping that they will appeal to others also.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Tail
- The heel of the spine.
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...