The Humbugs of the World (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. True Crime Collection: Hoaxes, Deceits and Con ArtistsBy P. T. Barnum
Length13h 42m
About this audiobook
The Humbugs of the World is P. T. Barnum's lively taxonomy of deception, credulity, and spectacle in nineteenth-century public life. Written in a brisk, anecdotal, and often comic prose, the book ranges across quack medicine, financial fraud, spiritualist imposture, advertising stunts, and political trickery. It belongs to a distinctly Victorian-Atlantic culture of exposé literature, yet its irony lies in Barnum's double position: he condemns harmful fraud while defending theatrical illusion as harmless entertainment when the public knowingly enjoys the game. Barnum, the celebrated American showman, museum proprietor, lecturer, and entrepreneur, was uniquely equipped to write such a work. His career depended on publicity, curiosity, and the management of belief, from sensational exhibitions to carefully staged marvels. Having been both accused of humbug and proudly associated with ingenious promotion, he writes not as a detached moralist but as an insider explaining the mechanisms by which attention is captured and trust manipulated. This book is recommended to readers interested in media history, popular culture, rhetoric, and the psychology of persuasion. It remains valuable because its central insight feels strikingly modern: societies do not merely suffer deception; they often collaborate in it.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- An Author Biography reveals milestones in the author's life, illuminating the personal insights behind the text.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
GenreHistory
Length13 hrs 42 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateJun 10, 2019
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
26III. TRADE AND BUSINESS IMPOSITIONS.
2Introduction
27CHAPTER XVIII.
3Synopsis
28CHAPTER XIX.
4Historical Context
29CHAPTER XX.
5Author Biography
30CHAPTER XXI.
Show all chaptersShow less
6INTRODUCTION.
31CHAPTER XXII.
7I. PERSONAL REMINISCENCES.
32CHAPTER XXIII.
8CHAPTER I.
33IV. MONEY MANIAS.
9CHAPTER II.
34CHAPTER XXIV.
10CHAPTER III.
35CHAPTER XXV.
11CHAPTER IV.
36CHAPTER XXVI.
12CHAPTER V.
37CHAPTER XXVII.
13CHAPTER VI.
38V. MEDICINE AND QUACKS.
14CHAPTER VII.
39CHAPTER XXVIII.
15CHAPTER VIII.
40CHAPTER XXIX.
16II. THE SPIRITUALISTS.
41CHAPTER XXX.
17CHAPTER IX.
42VI. HOAXES.
18CHAPTER X.
43CHAPTER XXXI.
19CHAPTER XI.
44CHAPTER XXXII.
20CHAPTER XII.
45CHAPTER XXXIII.
21CHAPTER XIII.
46VII. GHOSTS AND WITCHCRAFTS.
22CHAPTER XIV.
47CHAPTER. XXXIV.
23CHAPTER XV.
48CHAPTER XXXV.
24CHAPTER XVI.
49CHAPTER XXXVI.
25CHAPTER XVII.
50CHAPTER XXXVII.
More from P. T. Barnum
How to Attract Success & Fortune: 30 Books from the Masters of Self-masteryP. T. Barnum, Benjamin Franklin, Wallace D. Wattles, William Walker Atkinson, Orison Swett Marden, James Allen, Russell Conwell, Henry Harrison Brown, Thorstein Veblen, Émile Coué, Kahlil Gibran, Marcus Aurelius, Niccolò Machiavelli, Lao Tzu104h 59m$0.99 · $0.00
The Art of Money Getting (Annotated)P. T. Barnum3h 1m$2 · $0.00
Struggles and Triumphs (Annotated)P. T. Barnum28h 30m$2 · $0.00
Die Schwindler der WeltP. T. Barnum13h 29m$3 · $0.00
Struggles & Triumphs: A MemoirP. T. Barnum28h 22m$2 · $0.00
The Secret of the RichP. T. Barnum2h 49m$1 · $0.00
The Art of Money Getting Or, Golden Rules for Making MoneyP. T. Barnum1h 34m$1 · $0.00
The Art of Money Getting Or, Golden Rules for Making MoneyP. T. Barnum1h 34m$1 · $0.00
The Art of Money GettingP. T. Barnum1h 34m$3 · $0.00
Frederick Douglass: All 3 Memoirs in One VolumeFrederick Douglass44h 9m$2 · $0.00
The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America (Annotated)Howard Irving Chapelle, Tappan Adney13h 9m$0.99 · $0.00
I've Been to the MountaintopMartin Luther King48m5.0 (2)$11 · $0.00
RevolutionariesSanjeev Sanyal11h 23m$29 · $0.00
We Crossed a Bridge and It TrembledWendy Pearlman6h$24 · $0.00
Unbroken Bonds of BattleJohnny Joey Jones8h 31m$8 · $0.00
The Daughter of AuschwitzTova Friedman, Malcolm Brabant7h 54m$26 · $0.00
Lily's PromiseLily Ebert, Dov Forman8h 54m$29 · $0.00
Saving My EnemyBob Welch9h 11m$20
On Democracies and Death CultsDouglas Murray10h 38m$29 · $0.00
Across the RiverKent Babb11h 40m$29 · $0.00
The Red Record (Annotated)Ida B. Wells-Barnett5h 19m$0.99 · $0.00
Balcony Over Jerusalem: A Middle East Memoir - Israel, Palestine and BeyondJohn Lyons12h 37m$33 · $0.00
The Fire Next TimeJames Baldwin2h 25m$15
EnduranceAlfred Lansing6h 1m$20
LES MISERABLES (Illustrated Edition)Victor Hugo66h 17m$1 · $0.00
BeyondStephen Walker15h 39m$33 · $0.00
The Antiquities of the Jews (Annotated)Flavius Josephus59h 14m$3 · $0.00
Kings and PawnsHoward Bryant10h 9m$29 · $0.00
No EscapeNury Turkel9h 30m$28 · $0.00
You may also like
South Wind (Annotated)Norman Douglas15h 53m$2 · $0.00
Historic Doubts Relative To Napoleon BuonaparteRichard Whately2h 29m$2 · $0.00
Notes on DemocracyH. L. Mencken4h 50m$15
Historic Doubts Relative To Napoleon BuonaparteRichard Whately2h 17m$2 · $0.00
The Sun and the MoonMatthew Goodman12h 23m$23
Forged Egyptian AntiquitiesT. G. Wakeling2h 58m$1 · $0.00
Freakonomics Twentieth Anniversary EditionSteven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner6h 45m$24 · $0.00
The Man Who Kept His Money in a BoxAnthony Trollope1h 15m$2.30
The Vision of the AnointedThomas Sowell9h 21m$20 · $0.00
A Most Dangerous MethodJohn Kerr22h 47m$30
Four Faultless Felons (Annotated)G.K. Chesterton8h 56m$2 · $0.00
The Case against Hillary ClintonPeggy Noonan5h 40m$14 · $0.00
Hate Crime HoaxWilfred Reilly9h 44m$20
The Gilded Age, A Tale of TodayMark Twain15h 58m1.0 (1)$1 · $0.00
The Confidence-ManHerman Melville10h 38m$2 · $0.00
Queen LuciaEdward Frederic Benson9h 28m$1 · $0.00
Dead SoulsNikolai Vasilievich15h 38m$3.50 · $0.00
The Collected Works of Ernest BramahErnest Bramah43h 31m$2 · $0.00
The DoubleFyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky6h 51m$1.20 · $0.00
Political SuicideErin McHugh5h 38m$17 · $0.00