Robert Wilson (4) (1951–)

A thorough but somewhat succinct biography of Mathew Brady, photographer. Wilson had little to work with in terms of Brady's early life and education, but he made the most of it, and thankfully has a great deal of data (though perhaps not as much as we might like) from Brady's heyday as the preeminent portrait photographer of the Civil War era.

Wilson ably explores Brady's business tactics and the careful way(s) in which he drummed up business and support among the leading political and show more social figures of both Washington and New York. And he also takes a useful and very diligent look at how Brady credited his various photographers for the images they produced under his aegis.

Entirely worth reading, particularly if you've an interest in Civil War photography. show less

I doubt there are many people who have never heard of Barnum. Even if nothing else is known about the man, his longest lasting legacy, his circus, would be known. Long before the circus, his touring with nature's oddities, real or not, was his first endeavour. This brought him into the public eye, where many considered him a con man. A mermaid, a woman said to be George Washingtons nurse and 116 years old were his introduction to the public. This book fills in the blanks, how he got from show more there to becoming in his later life, altruistic and a sponsor of many worthy projects that benefited many.

He was a master at advertising, publicity, knew just how to play the newspapers. Yes, he conned many, but keep in mind they had no tv, so this was amusements that were accepted. He toured with the little general Tom Thumb, and the singer Jenny Kind. He made fortunes, lost fortunes, fire would wild out his house, his businesses, many more than once. He remade himself, time and time again. i truly felt for his wife and children, though there would be heartbreak there as well. He never stopped, going from this to that, even in his seventies.

The author, I felt, showed the good with the bad, letting the reader decide how they felt about this man. Flawed, complicated with many mistakes and start overs, but one has to admire his business acumen. His keeping his pulse on what people wanted to see, which he was more than happy to provide. His cavalier attitude towards animals was off-putting at times, and these were difficult parts, but again the author gave it to us straight. Ultimately, he gave much to his home town, among them a public library, church and hospital. This was a very interesting read.

The narrator was Arthur Morey and I give his narration four stars as well. show less

Bio of the great American showman P.T. Barnum. The book was interesting enough and I learned things about him that I was surprised as we only see caricatures of him as something of a huckster.

The real Barnum comes off more as a upstanding type who led an almost charmed life with his successes albeit off of what today we would probably refer to as spin. He certainly made a fortune, lost it, than made it again even bigger. It was never really equated to today's dollars but it might have put show more him up in the billionaire status.

I was somewhat surprised to see his circus venture came later in life and really his museums and traveling individual shows were most of his life. An interesting man in interesting times. show less

An unexceptional (I'm sorry to say) account of Clarence King's career in the American west, focusing mostly on that period of his life and less on his later time as head of the United States Geological Survey and member of the famed Five of Hearts group. The latter period is of somewhat more interest to me, but Wilson's treatment of the earlier period is fine, just lacking any real spark.