Animal Stories: An Account of the Author's Famous Expedition in Search of Wild Animals for the Circus

Phineas Taylor Barnum was born on July 5, 1810 in the city of Bethel, Connecticut. He wasn't always the famous American showman as most people know him. In 1834 Barnum moved to New York City where he experimented with a variety of jobs. He tried selling hats and caps, running a boardinghouse, and working in a grocery store each unsuccessful.

Barnum began to write. He wrote of his perilous adventures among wild men, showing how wild beasts are captured and manageries are made.

Barnum was involved in things other than his circus. In 1865, Barnum was elected to the Connecticut legislature and led a fight against the railroad lobby during his first term, which turned out to be successful. From 1875 to 1876 he served as mayor for Bridgeport. Barnum was married and sadly his bride died in 1873. In 1874 he was remarried to an English woman. Barnum died in Bridgeport on April 7, 1891.

"The Greatest Show on Earth" was bought in 1970 after Bailey's death. Today, you may see the amazing circus, which still carries on the old tradition.

Animal Stories is written by P.T. Barnum extolling on his adventures in the wild. His descriptions of the animals, the reptiles and birds are so vivid, that one feels in the same place, at the same time as Barnum.