Today I’m going to take a look back at David Maurer’s “The Big Con: The Story of the Confidence Man” (TBC), and pick out those points which strike me as most interesting. I will focus primarily on those matters which have implications beyond the big con, as otherwise this piece would run too long.
Chapter 9 of David Maurer’s “The Big Con: The Story of the Confidence Man” (TBC) is largely a glossary of terms used by con men of the early 20th century. It’s interesting, but mostly beside any points I’m interested in exploring here. Chapter 10 is a brief speculation on the future (now the past) of the con man, as Maurer saw it.
Chapter 8 of David Maurer’s “The Big Con: The Story of the Confidence Man” (TBC) is devoted to a survey of various “Short-Con Games”. There’s not a lot here, aside from a catalog of fraud, so I’ll cover it quickly.
Chapter 7 of David Maurer’s “The Big Con: The Story of the Confidence Man” (TBC) bears the somewhat mysterious title of “Tin-Mittens”. This phrase is defined in the book’s glossary as: “A fixer. By implication, one who likes to hear the coin clank in his hand.” This chapter discusses these fixers, and the “fix” as a whole; it describes the manner in which con men corrupted and subverted those law enforcement officials charged with stopping the big con.
Chapter 6 of David Maurer’s “The Big Con: The Story of the Confidence Man” (TBC) is entitled “Birds of a Feather”, and discusses the characteristics of con men in general terms. It’s interesting stuff, but it seems to me to be a mostly disconnected mass of trivia, and I will cover it in that spirit.
Chapter 5 of David Maurer’s “The Big Con: The Story of the Confidence Man” (TBC) consists of a discussion of “The Mob”. This chapter describes the internal organization (such as it was) of a big-con mob in the early 1900’s. It includes some interesting information on the financial arrangements of such a mob, as well as some insights into the highly specialized nature of con men.
Chapter 4 of David Maurer’s “The Big Con: The Story of the Confidence Man” (TBC) consists of a discussion of “The Mark”; it provides some insight into the qualities that make a man a likely victim of a confidence game, and supplies some examples of the various ways marks react to being taken.
Chapter 3 of David Maurer’s “The Big Con: The Story of the Confidence Man” (TBC) is a description of the basic operation of three of “The Big-Con Games”. Each can be summed up quite simply, but this chapter also offers some interesting small-picture insights into the methods of the con man,
Chapter 2 of David Maurer’s “The Big Con: The Story of the Confidence Man” (TBC) is a discussion of the history and purpose of “The Big Store”, a fictitious enterprise staffed and run by con men for the purposes of defrauding their victims. It is a remarkable testament to ingenuity, and the dangers of appearances.
Chapter 1 of David Maurer’s “The Big Con: The Story of the Confidence Man” (TBC) is entitled “A Word About Confidence Men”. This chapter offers a brief overview of the nature of con men and con games. Its greatest message is that, whatever their differences in detail, all con games are essentially the same.
