Jenny Lind, the Swedish Nightingale, was a household name in 1950 - as world-famous then as Beyonce is now. She was renowned not just as a singer but also for her charity, her generosity and, at a time when the terms 'singer' and 'actress' had scandalous overtones, her virtuous life. In this fascinating biography, Jenny Lind's great grand-daughter uncovers an extraordinary story, from the register of illegitimate births in Stockholm, to discovery by the Swedish Royal Theatre at just nine years old, to honour in the courts of Europe and a phenomenal tour of America. Jenny's story is one of huge professional triumph, offering her fame and fortune and even the interest of kings, princes and the rich and famous, yet she experienced searing heartbreak before finally finding happiness in love. A truly fascinating story, essential reading for everyone interested in music, theatre and general history.

Based on real events, a little cat, owned by Jenny Lind, the "Swedish Nightengale," helped Jenny on her way to fame and fortune.

The first book to consider the career of P. T. Barnum from a cultural studies perspective. Phineas Taylor Barnum lived from 1810 until 1891, and in the eighty-one years of his life he created show business as we know it. In E Pluribus Barnum, Bluford Adams investigates the influence Barnum had on American popular culture of the nineteenth century, and expands our understanding of the ways he continues to influence us today. Beginning with a discussion of Barnum's early shows, Adams demonstrates the dynamic interplay between Barnum's increasingly "respectable" aspirations for his entertainments and his active cultivation of middle-class sensibilities in his audiences. In his discussion of the 1850-51 concert tour of the "Swedish Nightingale" Jenny Lind, Adams explores the role played by women's rights and class issues in Barnum's management of these concerts. Barnum's American Museum and the "moral dramas" presented in its theater are examined, as well as the later circuses. Adams relates the rise of Barnum to the emergence of a new U.S. society, one riven by conflicts over slavery, feminism, immigration, and capitalism, and considers his career as a crucial moment in the on-going struggle over the politics of U.S. commercial entertainments.