Booklet entitled Life of General Mite. Written by Himself. This brief biography was written by Francis Joseph Flynn (October 6, 1864-October 5,... Show moreBooklet entitled Life of General Mite. Written by Himself. This brief biography was written by Francis Joseph Flynn (October 6, 1864-October 5, 1898) who was billed as General Mite due to his short stature as a little person. The book features no images, only plain text. It is dedicated to Flynn's parents. Flynn was born in upstate New York, and in his lifetime, worked in various circuses. He was originally exhibited in 1876 in Philadelphia, before touring. Flynn joined the Barnum circuses in 1880, and married a fellow little person named Millie Edwards in 1884. The two moved to Australia in 1890, and Flynn died in 1898 due to failure of his liver and kidneys. Barnum is best known for his involvement with the circus that bore his name, but his circus ventures came about when he was in his 60s. The first show was called P.T. Barnum' Grand Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan and Circus. Railroads propelled the circus to success, making it easier to reach a number of locations, and the intake was significant. Barnum then opened the New York Hippodrome with similar acts. In the 1880s, he encountered competition from other circuses. A merger between Barnum's show and the Great London Show of Cooper, Bailey, and Hutchinson formed the Barnum and London Circus. Negotiations in 1887 formed the Barnum and Bailey circus. The name remained until 1919 when it became the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. It came to an end in May 2017 when the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus ceased performances after 146 years. Show less