1 h 30 minAudiobook13 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 1 h 30 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A familiar face, a promising deal, a bag of silver: which part of the scene is the trap?
In The Book of Swindles, Zhang Yingyu takes you through the markets, inns, boats and government offices of late Ming China. Money moves quickly, and strangers have good reasons to be wary. These short tales follow con artists as they set their traps, borrow identities and turn another person's trust into a chance for profit.
The collection groups its tricks into twenty-four categories, including fake silver, stolen goods, false identity and schemes that feed on desire. One bag replaces another. A stranger claims a connection or rank. Zhang shows how each deception works and who falls for it. Most tales end with his own brief warning, making the stories both sly entertainment and a practical guide to dealing with strangers.
What you’ll discover
- The art of substitution Watch a simple exchange of look-alike bags become the heart of a swindle.
- Names that open doors Meet impostors who pose as relatives, scholars or servants of officials to gain trust.
- Hope becomes a weakness Explore schemes that work on private wishes and worries, not just the hunger for silver.
- Everyday life in motion Step beyond emperors into a busy world of travellers, householders, markets and inns.
- A storyteller's warning Follow Zhang's closing comments as he draws practical cautions from the tricks he tells.
Who will love it
You will love this book if you enjoy true-to-life crime stories, clever reversals, and the street-level detail of old China, or if you like learning how people are fooled so you can spot it first.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Appearances make a false story believable
- Visible wealth gives thieves an opening
- Easy gain draws people into traps
- Friendship can hide a patient attack
- Check silver after every handoff
- Bought favors invite staged proof
- Hidden powers need visible evidence
- Sudden affection calls for careful checks
- Protect yourself by testing the story
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The Book of Swindles
by Zhang Yingyu · 1617
A stranger rides off on a horse, robs a satin shop, and leaves the horse dealer to face the court.
Medium level5–10 hours to read2 languages
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In short
A well-dressed stranger admires a horse, rides it off, walks into a satin shop, and leaves the horse dealer holding his umbrella. By afternoon the honest dealer stands in court, accused of helping steal the cloth.
The Book of Swindles at a glance
- Reading time
- About 5 h 35 min4 h 25 min fast, 6 h 40 min slow
- Length
- 79,600 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1617by Zhang Yingyu
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Swindlers give you a prop and a pretext
Almost every trick in the book starts with a small, believable reason. In the opening case, a man says he wants to buy a silver-gray horse worth forty taels. He rides it off, stops at a satin shop, and asks the dealer to mind his umbrella. The shopkeeper sees the horse and the dealer waiting outside and lets the stranger carry out the cloth.
The swindler never meant to buy anything. The horse and the umbrella were props, and the dealer himself became the security that made the shopkeeper feel safe. A man dressed as a carpenter loudly criticizes a money changer's desk, then carries it off to chop it open in a secluded place. Everyone nearby assumes the job is real.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 13 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1617
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 1 h 0 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Zhang, Yingyu. The Book of Swindles. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-book-of-swindles.
Zhang, Y. (2026). The book of swindles. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-book-of-swindles (Original work published 1617)
Zhang, Yingyu. The Book of Swindles. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-book-of-swindles.
@book{zhang2026book,
author = {Zhang, Yingyu},
title = {The Book of Swindles},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-book-of-swindles},
note = {First published 1617}
}
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What is The Book of Swindles about?
It collects short tales of fraud from late Ming China, sorted into twenty-four kinds, including theft, silver switching, false friends, crooked brokers, fake monks, and marriage traps. Most tales end with a note on the victim's mistake and how to avoid it.
Who wrote The Book of Swindles and when?
Zhang Yingyu, a Ming-dynasty writer, compiled it in the early seventeenth century. He wrote for merchants and travelers who moved across China by road and river, and he presents the cases as warnings, drawing on court stories and local lore.
Are the stories in The Book of Swindles true?
They are presented as real cases with named people, places, and sums, and many mention actual courts and officials. Like most such collections, some details may be shaped for the lesson, so they are best read as lively, instructive accounts of the age.
The author
Zhang Yingyu
Chinese Ming dynasty writer
Zhang Yingyu was a Chinese writer from Fujian province who lived during the late Ming dynasty. He wrote The Book of Swindles, which was published in 1617. Little is known about his life, and his dates of birth and death are unknown.
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