12 h 51 minAudiobook7 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Who better to expose a humbug than a showman whose critics call him one?
In The Humbugs of the World, P. T. Barnum turns his knowledge of publicity toward the tricks that win belief. He asks where harmless showmanship ends and outright fraud begins. His tour brings together oracles, fortune tellers, astrologers and alchemists, showing how hope and fear give deception its power.
Barnum also examines the wonders and promises of his own day: mediums, miracle cures, secret remedies and bold newspaper hoaxes. He explores why clever people can be fooled as easily as anyone else. At stake are health, money and trust—and the habit of asking for proof before accepting a claim.
What you’ll discover
- The slippery meaning of humbug Explore Barnum’s distinction between a show that entertains and a fraud that steals.
- Old tricks, familiar hopes See how fortune tellers and alchemists turn human hopes and fears into opportunities for profit.
- The hunger for wonders Enter Barnum’s examination of spiritualism, from mysterious rappings to table turning and trance messages.
- Promises that reach your pocket Follow his scrutiny of patent medicines, miracle cures and the people who promote them.
- Doubt without closing your mind Consider his call to test claims without falling into the folly of believing nothing.
Who will love it
For readers who enjoy social history, tales of swindlers, and a lively period voice, and anyone who wants to spot modern scams by studying old ones.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Humbug is a slippery word
- Old frauds feed new ones
- Spiritualism and the hunger for wonders
- Quacks sell health and easy wealth
- The press, the crowd and honest showmanship
- Doubt wisely and test every claim
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Die Schwindeleien der Welt
by P. T. Barnum · 1865
Barnum takes you behind the curtain of frauds that prey on your health, grief and savings.
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From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Humbug is a slippery word
Barnum begins by asking what humbug really is. He says the word is used for everything from harmless showmanship to outright theft, and he wants his readers to see the difference. In his view, a good deal of humbug is simply the art of drawing a crowd, with bright signs, bold claims and a little mystery.
But he does not let himself off lightly. He admits that he has used such methods, and he is frank that the public sometimes pays to be amused by claims that are not quite true. What he condemns is the deceiver who takes money or trust and gives nothing real in return. That is the line he draws, and it runs through the whole book.
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What is The Humbugs of the World about?
It is Barnum's account of frauds, scams and false wonders, from ancient oracles and witchcraft to spiritualist mediums, quack cures and swindling schemes of his own day, with advice on how to avoid being fooled.
What does humbug mean in Barnum's book?
Barnum uses humbug for deception that wins attention or money. He separates harmless showmanship that amuses a crowd from fraud that harms people by taking their savings, health or trust.
When was The Humbugs of the World written?
It was published in 1865, in the United States, during the years of the Civil War and the rise of spiritualism. It is a nonfiction work drawing on Barnum's experience and on older accounts of fraud.
The author
P. T. Barnum
1810–1891 · American showman and autobiographer
P. T. Barnum was the American showman who built the greatest entertainment empire of the nineteenth century, from his famous museum to the circus that bore his name. The Art of Money Getting distills his hard-won rules for earning and keeping wealth.
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