Struggles and Triumphs (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Autobiography of P. T. BurnamBy P. T. Barnum
Length28h 30m
About this audiobook
Struggles and Triumphs is P. T. Barnum's expansive autobiography, a work at once confessional, promotional, and emblematic of nineteenth-century American self-fashioning. Recounting his rise from modest Connecticut beginnings to international fame as a showman, lecturer, museum proprietor, and impresario, the book blends anecdote, moral reflection, business counsel, and theatrical self-display. Its style is energetic and direct, shaped by the traditions of the success narrative, the public lecture, and the entrepreneurial memoir, while also revealing the cultural appetite for spectacle in antebellum and postbellum America. Barnum wrote from the vantage point of a man who had made publicity itself into an art. Born in 1810, he experienced early financial uncertainty, experimented with journalism and commerce, and built his career by understanding curiosity, popular taste, and the power of narrative. His failures, bankruptcies, reinventions, and triumphs all inform the book's insistence that perseverance and audacity are central to worldly success. This volume is recommended to readers interested in American cultural history, autobiography, popular entertainment, and the origins of modern publicity. It offers not only Barnum's life story but a revealing portrait of the ambitions, contradictions, and commercial imagination of his age.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- An Author Biography reveals milestones in the author's life, illuminating the personal insights behind the text.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 4.1 (2.6K)
Includes Amazon, Goodreads, LibraryThing, StoryGraph
GenreBiography and Memoir
Length28 hrs 30 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateJun 10, 2019
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1The Art of Money Getting (Annotated)
2Introduction
3Synopsis
4Historical Context
5Author Biography
Show all chaptersShow less
6PREFACE.
7CHAPTER I. EARLY LIFE.
8CHAPTER II. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES.
9CHAPTER III. IN BUSINESS FOR MYSELF.
10CHAPTER IV. STRUGGLES FOR A LIVELIHOOD.
11CHAPTER V. MY START AS A SHOWMAN.
12CHAPTER VI. MY FIRST TRAVELLING COMPANY.
13CHAPTER VII. AT THE FOOT OF THE LADDER.
14CHAPTER VIII. THE AMERICAN MUSEUM.
15CHAPTER IX. THE ROAD TO RICHES.
16CHAPTER X. ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL SPECULATION.
17CHAPTER XI. GENERAL TOM THUMB IN ENGLAND.
18CHAPTER XII. IN FRANCE.
19CHAPTER XIII. IN BELGIUM.
20CHAPTER XIV. IN ENGLAND AGAIN.
21CHAPTER XV. RETURN TO AMERICA.
22CHAPTER XVI. AT HOME.
23CHAPTER XVII. THE JENNY LIND ENTERPRISE.
24CHAPTER XVIII. THE NIGHTINGALE IN NEW YORK.
25CHAPTER XIX. SUCCESSFUL MANAGEMENT.
26CHAPTER XX. INCIDENTS OF THE TOUR.
27CHAPTER XXI. JENNY LIND.
28CHAPTER XXII. CLOSE OF THE CAMPAIGN.
29CHAPTER XXIII. OTHER ENTERPRISES.
30CHAPTER XXIV. WORK AND PLAY.
31CHAPTER XXV. THE JEROME CLOCK COMPANY ENTANGLEMENT.
32CHAPTER XXVI. CLOUDS AND SUNSHINE.
33CHAPTER XXVII. REST, BUT NOT RUST.
34CHAPTER XXVIII. ABROAD AGAIN.
35CHAPTER XXIX. IN GERMANY.
36CHAPTER XXX. IN HOLLAND.
37CHAPTER XXXI. THE ART OF MONEY GETTING.
38CHAPTER XXXII AN ENTERPRISING ENGLISHMAN.
39CHAPTER XXXIII. RICHARD’S HIMSELF AGAIN.
40CHAPTER XXXIV. MENAGERIE AND MUSEUM MEMORANDA.
41CHAPTER XXXV. EAST BRIDGEPORT.
42CHAPTER XXXVI. MORE ABOUT THE MUSEUM.
43CHAPTER XXXVII. MR. AND MRS. GENERAL TOM THUMB.
44CHAPTER XXXVIII. POLITICAL AND PERSONAL.
45CHAPTER XXXIX. THE AMERICAN MUSEUM IN RUINS.
46CHAPTER XL. MY WAR ON THE RAILROADS.
47CHAPTER XLI. BENNETT AND THE HERALD.
48CHAPTER XLII. PUBLIC LECTURING.
49CHAPTER XLIII. THE NEW MUSEUM.
50CHAPTER XLIV. CURIOUS COINCIDENCES.—NUMBER THIRTEEN.
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