The Big Con

The Big Con examines the world of professional confidence men and their elaborate schemes in early 20th century America. Published in 1940, this groundbreaking study draws from Maurer's direct interviews with grifters, insiders, and law enforcement. The book details the mechanics, vocabulary, and social structure of the big-time confidence game, with a focus on complex long-term scams rather than small-time street hustles. Maurer, a linguistics professor, documents the specialized language and customs that developed within this criminal subculture. The narrative follows the evolution of major confidence schemes from their origins through their peak in the 1920s and 1930s. Key figures from this underground world share their methods, experiences, and perspectives through extensive first-hand accounts. Through his immersive research, Maurer reveals how these sophisticated deceptions reflected and exploited the social dynamics and economic conditions of early 20th century America. The book stands as both a detailed criminal history and a window into human nature, greed, and the psychology of trust.

Readers appreciate the detailed research and first-hand accounts from real confidence men of the 1920s-1940s. Many note the book serves as source material for movies like The Sting and point to its influence on crime fiction writers. Readers highlight the explanations of grifter terminology, methods, and psychology. Multiple reviews mention the book's documentation of how con artists selected marks and built elaborate schemes. Several readers found value in learning historical criminal tactics to avoid modern scams. Main criticisms focus on the dense academic writing style and extensive footnotes. Some readers expected more narrative storytelling rather than the scholarly approach. A few note the dated language and attitudes of the era. Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (1,200+ ratings) Amazon: 4.5/5 (300+ ratings) Sample review: "Fascinating glimpse into the golden age of the confidence game. The technical details of how these elaborate schemes worked kept me riveted, though the academic tone takes some adjustment." - Goodreads reviewer

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📚 David Maurer spent nearly 40 years interviewing real con men and learning their secret language and techniques, which formed the basis for this groundbreaking 1940 book. 🎬 The 1973 film "The Sting," starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford, was heavily inspired by The Big Con and its detailed descriptions of elaborate confidence games, particularly "the wire." 🔍 Maurer was a respected linguistics professor who originally began studying the criminal underworld to document their unique slang and vernacular, but became fascinated by the intricate psychology of confidence games. 💰 The book reveals that the most successful con men of the 1920s and 30s could make upwards of $250,000 from a single "big con" operation (equivalent to over $4 million today). 🗣️ Many common phrases we use today, such as "mark," "inside man," and "the fix is in," originated from the con men's vocabulary documented in this book.