A new edition, published anonymously, of the French translation.
Half black cloth binding with corners, spine without lettering, rubbed with small losses to the cloth at the joints, marbled paper boards, soiled original wrappers preserved, contemporary binding.
This rare Strasbourg printing escaped Sabin. It is in fact an adaptation of Struggles and Triumphs, the autobiography of the remarkable Phineas Taylor Barnum (1810–1891), first published by him in 1869.
Widely regarded as the father of the modern circus, Barnum was also a consummate master of spectacle and publicity. His conquest of Europe, accompanied by “General” Tom Thumb, measuring just 63 cm in height, remains legendary.
At the head of the front wrapper, a signed presentation inscription: G.R. to Mr Charles Amos, an industrialist who, in the mid-nineteenth century, established a hosiery and footwear factory in Wasselonne, near Strasbourg.