Description
The Author’s Edition of Struggles And Triumphs: or, Forty Years’ Recollections, signed by P.T. Barnum.
Octavo, [2].xii, [2], 17-324pp. Brown pebbled cloth, title stamped in gilt on the spine, wear at head of the spine, cloth chipped along the spine. Stated “Author’s Edition” on the copyright page. Complete with frontispiece portrait of Barnum, and 32 additional engraved plates. Clean text throughout, expected toning to leaves.
This copy is inscribed in another hand, with the following inscription: “Presented to Geo O. Milhouse / ___ of Providence Prep. / with the compliments of the author / May 1, 1879.” Signed by P.T. Barnum in the author’s hand below the inscription.
The first edition of Struggles and Triumphs was published by J.B. Burr & Company of Hartford in 1869.
Phineas Taylor Barnum (1810-1891) was an American entertainer, businessman, and politician best known for founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus. A master of publicity and spectacle, he popularized hoaxes, curiosities, and grand exhibitions, including the promotion of General Tom Thumb and the Swedish singer Jenny Lind. Barnum also served as mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut. He authored several books, including The Life of P.T. Barnum, Written by Himself (1855), an autobiography detailing his experiences, Struggles and Triumphs: Forty Years’ Recollections of P.T. Barnum (1869), and The Art of Money Getting (1880), offering business advice. His legacy remains influential in entertainment and marketing.
