Book of Charlatans

Uncovering the professional secrets of con artists and swindlers in the medieval Middle East

The Book of Charlatans is a comprehensive guide to trickery and scams as practiced in the thirteenth century in the cities of the Middle East, especially in Syria and Egypt. The author, al-Jawbarī, was well versed in the practices he describes and may well have been a reformed charlatan himself. Divided into thirty chapters, his book reveals the secrets of everyone from "Those Who Claim to be Prophets" to "Those Who Claim to Have Leprosy" and "Those Who Dye Horses."

The material is informed in part by the author's own experience with alchemy, astrology, and geomancy, and in part by his extensive research. The work is unique in its systematic, detailed, and inclusive approach to a subject that is by nature arcane and that has relevance not only for social history but also for the history of science. Covering everything from invisible writing to doctoring gemstones and quack medicine, The Book of Charlatans opens a fascinating window into a subculture of beggars' guilds and professional con artists in the medieval Arab world.

A bilingual Arabic-English edition.

Descoperirea secretelor profesionale ale escrocilor si escrocilor din Orientul Mijlociu medieval Cartea Charlatans este un ghid cuprinzator de inselaciuni si escrocherii, practicate in secolul al XIII-lea in orasele din Orientul Mijlociu, in special in Siria si Egipt. Autorul, al-Jawbarī, era foarte versat in practicile pe care le descrie si poate ca ar fi fost el insusi un sarlatan reformat.