P.T. Barnum's Big Picture Book of Humbugs of the World (Illustrated) (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781499739718)

Phineas Taylor Barnum (1810 - 1891) was an American showman and businessman known for his celebrated hoaxes (Feejee Mermaid, George Washington's nanny, et al.) and for founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus. He said of himself: "I am a showman by profession ... and all the gilding shall make nothing else of me" Born in Bethel, Connecticut, Barnum founded a small newspaper before moving to New York City and embarking on an entertainment career. His first venture was Barnum's Grand Scientific and Musical Theater, followed by the purchase of the American Museum (to which he attached his name). Later on he established a traveling circus known as P.T. Barnum's Grand Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan & Hippodrome. Today, the enterprise is known as Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, "The Greatest Show on Earth." P.T. Barnum also served in the Connecticut State Legislature and was later the mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut, where he helped found the Bridgeport Hospital.