Besides the towering figure of Barnum himself, this book's cast of characters includes not only Jenny Lind, Jumbo, and Tom Thumb, but also such ill-assorted figures a Chang and Eng (the original Siamese Twins), Queen Victoria herself, captive white whales, "The Feejee Mermaid," and Abraham Lincoln. This is far and away the best biography of one of the most fascinating of all Americans.