The book of charlatans = Kitāb al-Mukhtār fī kashf al-asrār

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. Cover 1 Series Page 3 Letter from the General Editor 4 About this Paperback 5 Title Page 6 Copyright 7 Contents 8 Foreword 11 Acknowledgments 15 Introduction 16 Map: al-Jawbarī’s World: The Periphery 22 Map: al-Jawbarī’s World: The Center 23 Note on the Text 24 Notes to the Introduction 27 The Book of Charlatans 30 Chapter 1: Exposé of the Tricks of Fake Prophets 38 Chapter 2: Exposé of the Tricks of Fake Shaykhs and Illusionists among the Dervishes, the Shaykhs, and “the Righteous 49 Chapter 3: Exposé of the Tricks of Fire-and-Brimstone Preachers 68 Chapter 4: Exposé of the Tricks of Monks 74 Chapter 5: Exposé of the Tricks of Jews and Others 80 Chapter 6: Exposé of the Tricks of the Banū Sāsān 84 Chapter 7: Exposé of the Tricks of Those Who Work Solomon’s Ant 95 Chapter 8: Exposé of the Tricks of Those Who Practice War and Bear Arms 107 Chapter 9: Exposé of the Tricks of the People of the Kāf, That Is, Alchemy 111 Chapter 10: Exposé of the Tricks of Apothecaries 131 Chapter 11: Exposé of the Tricks of the People of the Mīm (Who Are Treasure Hunters Who Pretend to Have Access to Hoards of Wealth and Buried Treasure) 137 Chapter 12: Exposé of the Tricks of Astrologers Who Ply Their Trade on the Highway 143 Chapter 13: Exposé of the Tricks of Spirit Conjurors 158 Chapter 14: Exposé of the Tricks of the Doctors Who Practice on the Highways 171 Chapter 15: Exposé of the Tricks of Those Who Extract Worms from Teeth 185 Chapter 16: Exposé of the Tricks of Eye Doctors Who Use Metal Instruments 189 Chapter 17: Exposé of the Tricks of Those Who Dye Horses 190 Chapter 18: Exposé of Their Tricks; Example: Those Who Dye Humans 193 Chapter 19: Exposé of the Tricks of Those Who Manipulate Fire and Can Block Its Heat 198 Chapter 20: Exposé of the Tricks of Those Who Concoct Artificial Foodstuffs 201 Chapter 21: Exposé of the Tricks of Those Who Work Knockout Drugs and Stupefacients 205 Chapter 22: Exposé of the Tricks of Notaries, That Is, of the People Who Draw Up Contracts 209 Chapter 23: Exposé of the Tricks of Prestidigitators 212 Chapter 24: Exposé of Jewelers and Their Fake Products 215 Chapter 25: Exposé of the Tricks of Money Changers, of Scams They Pull and Scams Pulled on Them 221 Chapter 26: Exposé of the Tricks of Those Who Creep Up on Beardless Boys at Music and Chanting Performances and Weddings and on Journeys and So On 226 Chapter 27: Exposé of the Tricks of “the Masters of the Crafts" 229 Chapter 28: Exposé of the Tricks of Sneak Thieves (Thieves Who Enter Houses Unlawfully) 255 Chapter 29: Exposé of the Tricks of the Thieves Who Enter Houses by Making Holes in Walls and Committing Murder 257 Chapter 30: Exposé of the Tricks of Women, and of Their Cunning, Craftiness, and Duplicity 261 Notes 269 Glossary of People, Places, and Little-Known Simples 298 Bibliography 319 Further Reading 325 Index 327 About the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute 341 About the Translator 342 The Library of Arabic Literature 343 "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."-- Provided by publisher