Children's book entitled "P. T. Barnum's Circus Museum and Menagerie." This volume combines the separately published Circus, Menagerie, and Circus storybooks into a single, large format book containing many illustrations and a story to be read aloud to young children. This copy of the book was originally presented to the Fairfield County Historical Society by P. T. Barnum himself on July 6, 1889. The publication date is 1888. Co-author Sarah J. Burke, was a children's book author whose work was published in the late 1800s and it possible that she wrote the story with input from Barnum, but the degree of authorship for either is unknown. The hardcover book is lavishly illustrated and includes full-color pictures, some double-page, and partly-colored illustrations that feature black and white drawings on a light green background. Barnum's liberal inclusion of color illustrations undoubtedly delighted his young readers and their parents, making the book especially appealing in an era when picture books were not as common. The same company that produced Barnum's colorful circus posters, Strobridge Lithographing Company, also did these illustrations. The extensive use of color lithography added to the book's production cost, but it is not known at this time how much the books were sold for. Barnum probably considered his book an investment in building future audiences for his shows, but as a great-grandfather, he was also genuinely interested in making children happy. Always anxious to provide value for money, it is possible the books sold for a reasonable price despite the expense of color printing. Barnum is best known today for the Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show on Earth, but his circus ventures did not come about until he was in his early 60s. His first circus, in the early 1870s, was called P. T. Barnum’s Grand Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan and Circus. Barnum subsequently opened the New York Hippodrome with similar acts. In the 1880s, competition from other circuses increased. A merger between Barnum’s show and the Great London Show of Cooper, Bailey, and Hutchinson formed the circus called Barnum and London. Barnum's partnership with James A. Bailey in 1887 formed Barnum & Bailey, which continued to be managed by Bailey after Barnum's death in 1891. After Bailey's death in 1906, the Ringling Brothers bought Barnum & Bailey and operated it separately from their own circus. In 1919 the two were combined to form Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show on Earth. This circus gave its final performance on May 21, 2017.
