Humbugs of the World

By: P. T. Barnum

Narrated by: Rick Adamson

Here is P. T. Barnum's insightful review of humbugs, scams, deceits (and self-deceits) in culture, economics, entertainment, religion, medicine, and more.

Public Domain (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Fun Observations from Barnum

Barnum writes well and does a fine job discussing mid and late 19th century "humbugs" in advertising, quack medicines, spiritualism, etc. With light humor and a witty tone, Barnum's writing give you a better sense of why he became one of the great showmen of the era. For Barnum, what defines a true "humbug" is the foisting of a fake or inferior product on the public supported solely by hullabaloo. Barnum claims he always gave the public their money's worth, and there was nothing wrong with that. Interestingly, there is a long section about "Grizzly Adams" and his trained animal show--and he is apparently not the Mountain Man of mid-19th Century California lore or the fictionalized Dan Haggerty TV version but a different character entirely. We'll worth a read and a good deal of fun to hear about flim-flam from the inside out.