Overview

The Con Man’s Formula: Hope + Fear = Desperation From the Gilded Age, through WWII, America was rife with ne’er-do-wells with their never-ending search for the next Big Score. Between 1850, and 1950 lawlessness melded with ingenuity, fueled by optimism and ruthlessness: America was dangerous, and buzzing, and where opportunity came to take flight. At anyone’s expense. The gall and gumption of these hustles strain credulity. Fake diamond fields? War with Canada? Sir Francis Drake’s unclaimed fortune? All was fair in the quest for something-for-nothing. The scammers in this volume range from Soapy Smith, the King of the Frontier Con Men, to the eponymous Ponzi; from the undeniably unscrupulous, to the ill and ill-advised. Fans of clever schemes and schadenfreude alike will be entertained by these tales of the rise and fall of some of America’s greatest hucksters.

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9781493053681

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Reviews

Railey Jane Savage relishes language almost as much as she does her delicious characters, and her book travels swiftly through the ages in some top-notch storytelling. She struts that fine line between an enchantment with her swindlers' deeds and a skeptical independence that pins them in place with historical contextualization--an unbeatable combination. --Amy Reading, author of The Mark Inside: A Perfect Swindle, a Cunning Revenge, and a Small History of the Big Con Chiselers, cheaters, swindlers and their marks: This lively and witty survey of a colorful period of enterprising and audacious cons reads like a rapid-fire telegraph from another time. Railey Jane Savage's perspective is historical, but - one very real lesson from this entertaining and deeply researched book is that, as long as people want to get rich quick, there will also be enthusiastic schemers dangling dreams on a dime. The only thing that has really changed between those times and this ... are the hats. - Amy Dickinson, Ask Amy advice columnist, NPR contributor, and NY Times bestselling author of Strangers Tend to Tell Me Things

NetGalley Review: 4 stars Last updated on 28 Aug 2021 ""Meticulously crafted and sharp-honed, this book focuses on old-fashioned bribery, deceit, and flat-out fraud over the course of one century through 1850 and 1950. Many of the swindles have a timeless feeling that makes your gut sink in despair and disbelief while reading how the fraud was pulled off on the weak, the gullible, and the unsuspecting. Nothing makes these crimes different from modern catfishing or financial trickery other than the internet was not used. I found this to be concise, uniform, and well-researched, as well as swiftly paced. It reads like a novel, with the dialogue and description to match. The people feel as real as they actually were in real life. I also enjoyed the brief forays into snarky humor that lightened some of the secondhand dread I felt while reading about people being financially and emotionally ruined by scam artists. This one-liner about multiple conmen gathered together with the intent of conning each other out of property and money (as well as their reputations) made me laugh out loud: ""Room 110 was home to an ouroboros of scammers that day.""""--Calyssa Moulton, consumer reviewer ""Chiselers, cheaters, swindlers and their marks: This lively and witty survey of a colorful period of enterprising and audacious cons reads like a rapid-fire telegraph from another time. Railey Jane Savage's perspective is historical, but - one very real lesson from this entertaining and deeply researched book is that, as long as people want to get rich quick, there will also be enthusiastic schemers dangling dreams on a dime. The only thing that has really changed between those times and this ... are the hats."" - Amy Dickinson, ""Ask Amy"" advice columnist, NPR contributor, and NYTimes bestselling author of Strangers Tend to Tell Me Things ""Railey Jane Savage relishes language almost as much as she does her delicious characters, and her book travels swiftly through the ages in some top-notch storytelling. She struts that fine line between an enchantment with her swindlers' deeds and a skeptical independence that pins them in place with historical contextualization--an unbeatable combination.""--Amy Reading, author of The Mark Inside: A Perfect Swindle, a Cunning Revenge, and a Small History of the Big Con NatGalley Review: 5 stars Last updated on 10 Aug 2021 ""This arresting book Nonfiction book contains stories of American swindles and cons from 1850-1950 before the advent of the internet, before word spread like wildfire. Such daring and deception is mind boggling! What people did...and what drove them to their actions...is discussed here. Some were preposterous, a few a bit more believable, but all fascinating to read many decades later. Reading these stories I couldn't help but feel a tiny bit of appreciation for what went into intricate plans. Written with wit and cleverness, the author uses interviews, quotes and documents as well as photographs and newspaper advertisements (""died yesterday"" struck me in particular!) to draw information from. Victims of these swindles felt taken, foolish and angered, just as they would now. I can almost picture and hear Lord Gordon's ""cworner lots"" as he carefully avoided being photographed in his own way. His deeds, imprisonment and demise are all detailed. Reading about the ""afters"" is fascinating. The California gold rush drove people to do things they typically couldn't. The story about staking claims, bags of gems, adventure, gold and arranged ""hidden"" gems is gripping. We are also told about Dr. Blood and his ""invention"" and marketing. Princess Editha Montez really takes the cake, though. Her tooth cavity trick is almost laughable. As a spiritualist she used various...er...mediums. It actually seems as though she believed her own lies and was put out when others didn't! And then there's Betty Bigley who used her calling cards in a special and devious way. We read of the scammer with a surprising Andrew Carnegie link. Circus trials, fraud, inheritance claims, buying cars for people with others' money...wow. Interesting stuff. Nonfiction and History readers, do pick this up. I learned a lot! My sincere thank you to Rowman & Littlefield, Lyons Press and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this amusing book.""--Brenda Carleton, reviewer at Agora Books NetGalley review: 4 stars Last updated on 03 Aug 2021 ""I like reading history (especially true crime) and I thought this would be interesting. I wasn't disappointed. It had stories I hadn't come across before.""--Norma Carroll, consumer reviewer

Chiselers, cheaters, swindlers and their marks: This lively and witty survey of a colorful period of enterprising and audacious cons reads like a rapid-fire telegraph from another time. Railey Jane Savage's perspective is historical, but - one very real lesson from this entertaining and deeply researched book is that, as long as people want to get rich quick, there will also be enthusiastic schemers dangling dreams on a dime. The only thing that has really changed between those times and this ... are the hats. - Amy Dickinson, Ask Amy advice columnist, NPR contributor, and NY Times bestselling author of Strangers Tend to Tell Me Things

Author Information

Railey Jane Savage is an editor and artist. She has an expensive English degree from Smith College, which has proven 100% worth the time, money, and agony that comes with a liberal arts degree. Savage loves her family and lives happily with two ill-behaved cats in Ithaca, New York.

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