The Art of Money Getting

The Art of Money Getting is a famous lecture and pamphlet by Phineas Taylor Barnum (1810-1891), the American showman and businessman whose career as the founder of the Barnum & Bailey Circus and as a serial promoter and entrepreneur made him one of the most famous Americans of the nineteenth century.

The lecture sets out Barnum’s principles for accumulating wealth, drawing on his own serious career as a serial business success and serial business failure. Barnum had made and lost several fortunes across his long career and his advice reflects the practical wisdom of someone who had experienced both extremes. The principles he advocates include selecting an occupation suited to one’s actual abilities, avoiding debt, practicing systematic economy, advertising effectively, and dealing honestly with customers despite his own well-known association with various forms of theatrical humbug.

Barnum’s broader writing includes his Autobiography of 1855, which was one of the best-selling books of nineteenth century America. The Art of Money Getting has remained in print continuously since its original publication and is regularly cited in American business and self-improvement literature.