ECU Libraries Catalog

Becoming Tom Thumb : Charles Stratton, P. T. Barnum, and the dawn of American celebrity / Eric D. Lehman.

Author/creator Lehman, Eric D.
Format Book and Print
Publication Info Middletown, Connecticut : Wesleyan University Press, 2013.
Descriptionxxi, 246 pages : illustrations, map ; 24 cm.
Subject(s)
Series Driftless Connecticut series
Driftless Connecticut series. ^A1179304
Contents Prologue: playing The palace -- The boy from Bridgeport -- At the American Museum -- Prince Charles the First -- Buttons, bullfights, and balloons -- Hop o' my thumb -- Heart of a child -- On the New York stage -- The measure of a man -- The wedding of the year -- The long and short of it -- A very strange honeymoon -- Tom Thumb's America -- Around the world -- At the helm -- A marriage and two funerals -- The great fire -- At Mountain Grove.
Abstract When P. T. Barnum met twenty-five-inch-tall Charles Stratton at a Bridgeport, Connecticut hotel in 1843, one of the most important partnerships in entertainment history was born. With Barnum's promotional skills and the miniature Stratton's comedic talents, they charmed a Who's Who of the 19th century, from Queen Victoria to Charles Dickens to Abraham Lincoln. Adored worldwide as "General Tom Thumb," Stratton played to sold-out shows for almost forty years. From his days as a precocious child star to his tragic early death, Becoming Tom Thumb tells the full story of this iconic figure for the first time. It details his triumphs on the New York stage, his epic celebrity wedding, and his around-the-world tour, drawing on newly available primary sources and interviews. From the mansions of Paris to the deserts of Australia, Stratton's unique brand of Yankee comedy not only earned him the accolades of millions of fans, it helped move little people out of the side show and into the lime light. -- Publisher description
Bibliography noteIncludes bibliographical references ( pages 241-242) and index.
LCCN 2013015056
ISBN9780819573315 (cloth : alk. paper)
ISBN0819573310 (cloth : alk. paper)

Available Items

Library Location Call Number Status Item Actions
Joyner General Stacks PN2287.T475 L45 2013 ✔ Available Place Hold