BARNUM PRESENTS: GENERAL TOM THUMB

by Alice Curtis Desmond ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 18, 1954

The Talking Tree (1949) proved this author's ability to write good serious reading. This does the same in biography-for while there is all the thrill of the theatre world in this life of the famous midget, there is that quality of reflective analysis that brings both character and period into perspective. Born in Bridgeport in the 1830's, Charles Sherwood Stratton stopped growing at the age of five months. Then in boyhood, Barnum's offer came along both as a godsend to save him from the drawbacks of ""normal"" life and as a medium for his gay, happy character. Europe's royal houses, all the Barnum splendour and eventual marital happiness with another midget, Lavinia Warren, followed, and the story of it is a fascinating combination of realism- full-sized and minute. Plates.

Pub Date: March 18, 1954

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Macmillan

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1954

Categories: NONFICTION