The Tricks of the Town: or, Ways and Means of getting Money

The Tricks of the Town: or, Ways and Means of getting Money by John Thomson is a revelatory 1732 exposé that reads like an 18th‑century field guide to the art of making—and losing—money in London. Thomson catalogs the lures, wiles, and artifices used by the crafty to prey on the weak and unwary, offering sharp, often witty observations on bubble schemes, bargain hunters, and the everyday hustles that kept the metropolis humming. Classified in Science, the book functions as an empirical social study of urban economics and human behavior: a mix of moral warning, practical advice, and forensic curiosity drawn from papers found between Laurence Pountney’s Hill and Dover. Thomson contrasts distant wealth—Peruvian mines—with the easier profits to be picked up at home, and exposes the committee men, sham enterprises, and petty frauds that underpinned 18th‑century market life. The original spelling and tone of 1732 give readers an authentic window into the language and sensibilities of the period without modernizing its sharp judgments. Ideal for listeners interested in economic history, social science, early journalism, or the genealogy of modern scams, this audiobook is a fascinating, concise primer on how townspeople turned ingenuity into profit—and how caution and curiosity can still protect us today.