Description

Book Synopsis
Onboard the Fidèle, a steamboat floating down the Mississippi to New Orleans, a confidence man sets out to defraud his fellow passengers. In quick succession he assumes numerous guises - from a legless beggar and a worldly businessman to a collector for charitable causes and a ''cosmopolitan'' gentleman, who simply swindles a barber out of the price of a shave. Making very little from his hoaxes, the pleasure of trickery seems an end in itself for this slippery conman. Is he the Devil? Is his chicanery merely intended to expose the mercenary concerns of those around him? Set on April Fool''s Day, The Confidence-Man (1857) is an engaging comedy of masquerades, digressions and shifting identity, and a devastating satire on the American dream.

Trade Review
“The great transcendental satire.” —Carl Van Vechten

The Confidenceman

    Product form

    £11.69

    Includes FREE delivery

    RRP £12.99 – you save £1.30 (10%)

    Order before 4pm today for delivery by Sat 4 Jul 2026.

    A Paperback / softback by Herman Melville, Stephen Matterson, Stephen Matterson

    2 in stock

      Trusted by thousands of customers. See 2,385+ Customer Reviews

      View other formats and editions of The Confidenceman by Herman Melville

      Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
      Publication Date: 28/02/1991
      ISBN13: 9780140445473, 978-0140445473
      ISBN10: 0140445471
      Also in:
      Books by Herman Melville

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      Onboard the Fidèle, a steamboat floating down the Mississippi to New Orleans, a confidence man sets out to defraud his fellow passengers. In quick succession he assumes numerous guises - from a legless beggar and a worldly businessman to a collector for charitable causes and a ''cosmopolitan'' gentleman, who simply swindles a barber out of the price of a shave. Making very little from his hoaxes, the pleasure of trickery seems an end in itself for this slippery conman. Is he the Devil? Is his chicanery merely intended to expose the mercenary concerns of those around him? Set on April Fool''s Day, The Confidence-Man (1857) is an engaging comedy of masquerades, digressions and shifting identity, and a devastating satire on the American dream.

      Trade Review
      “The great transcendental satire.” —Carl Van Vechten

      Recently viewed products

      © 2026 Book Curl

        • American Express
        • Apple Pay
        • Diners Club
        • Discover
        • Google Pay
        • Maestro
        • Mastercard
        • PayPal
        • Shop Pay
        • Union Pay
        • Visa

        Login

        Forgot your password?

        Don't have an account yet?
        Create account