audiobook Twenty Years of Hus'ling by J. P. (James Perry) Johnston in History

Review

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. A peek at the pastBy Roger LongAccording to the author in a subsequent book; this volume outsold the works of Mark Twain; a contemporary; almost entirely by news butchers in the era of steam trains. It may be or may not be the truth. He wasn't above lying. Whenever Johnston needed more money; he just printed more copies of this book; sometimes fooling the innocent reader by cutting off several chapters without bothering to mention it.Johnston; from Clyde; Ohio; was a mountebank and charlatan who traveled the Midwest in the last quarter of the 1800s; selling furniture polish; cheap jewelry; patent rights to doubtful inventions; trading horses; and auctioneering. It was an era when there were no truth in advertising laws and caveat emptor applied. By the time his customers found out they were cheated; he was gone.There are some humorous sections; but mostly Johnston boasted of his business acumen against innocent farmers and villagers. What he didn't know was that he was giving us a snapshot of another era; before autos; airplanes; paved roads; or mass communication of any sort--a bucolic America.0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. This item is exactly what I was looking for.By Richard F. S.This item is exactly what I was looking for. Based on the description in the advertisement it arrived exactly as described. This is a hard to find item locally.0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Wasn't the book I thought but I loved it.By John K. DzikiThought this book was about a poker player. Ended up reading it anyway and loved it; couldn't put it down. Reading how often this guy goes broke was funny.