You’re listening to Short and Interesting – the podcast that reads to you short excerpts from old, weird, interesting books. This week is our first look at “The Book of Swindles” by Zhang Yingyu (夔衷). This is from sometime around 1617 in Fujian province, China, and catalogs all the various scams, schemes, swindles, and switcheroos one might encounter in Ming dynasty China (or, indeed, anywhere in the world at any time in history.) This time we’re reading: “Pilfering Green Cloth by Pretending to Steal a Goose”; “Robbing a Pawn Shop by Pretending to Leave Goods There”; “An Officer Reprimands a Captured Criminal in Order to Halve His Flogging”; “Marrying a Street Cleaner and Provoking His Death.”

This (Chinese) work is itself public domain, but we’re reading from the English transaction, which is from Christopher Wray and Bruse Rusk in 2017, and is copyright of the Columbia University Press. We are reciting the text in the spirit of fair use. Check out the Columbia University Press’s website: https://cup.columbia.edu/book/the-book-of-swindles/9780231178631/.

Music by Dan Mason. Check out and buy his music at https://danmason.bandcamp.com. For this podcast we’re using clips of three tracks from his 2019 album Hypnagogia. Available under the Creative Commons License, Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported. Creative Commons License details at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Check out our website at podcast.plutocrat.biz. Donations are gratefully accepted. Find us on Bluesky, @shortandinteresting. If you’d like to discuss copyright, contact us at copyright@plutocrat.biz. All other inquiries received at podcast@plutocrat.biz.

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You’re listening to Short and Interesting – the podcast that reads to you short excerpts from old, weird, interesting books. This week is “The Bacillus of Long Life” by Charles M. Douglas. This is a 1911 work on the health benefits of soured milk and the importance of cleanliness in the dairy industry.

Download this public domain book for free from Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/31691

Music by Dan Mason. Check out and buy his music at https://danmason.bandcamp.com. For this podcast we’re using clips of three tracks from his 2019 album Hypnagogia. Available under the Creative Commons License, Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported. Creative Commons License details at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Check out our website at podcast.plutocrat.biz. Donations are gratefully accepted. Find us on Bluesky, @shortandinteresting. If you’d like to discuss copyright, contact us at copyright@plutocrat.biz. All other inquiries received at podcast@plutocrat.biz.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is Short and Interesting – the podcast that reads to you short excerpts of interesting writing. This week we’re reading the entirety of a bottle of Dr. Bronner’s Soap. Cleanliness is next to godliness, don’t you know.

Being the text on the packaging of an item in U.S. commerce, this content is in the public domain. Nonetheless, Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps owns the copyright on this text, with all rights reserved. We are reciting the text in the spirit of fair use. Check out Dr. Bronner’s soap at their website: https://www.drbronner.com.

Music by Dan Mason. Check out and buy his music at https://danmason.bandcamp.com. For this podcast we’re using clips of three tracks from his 2019 album Hypnagogia. Available under the Creative Commons License, Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported. Creative Commons License details at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Check out our website at podcast.plutocrat.biz. Donations are gratefully accepted. Find us on Bluesky, @shortandinteresting. If you’d like to discuss copyright, contact us at copyright@plutocrat.biz. All other inquiries received at podcast@plutocrat.biz.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the first episode of Short and Interesting – the podcast that reads to you short excerpts from old, weird, interesting books. This week is the first taste of Charles MacKay’s 19th century classic, “Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds.” We’re reading a selection of stories from the section on alchemists. Specifically: Geber; Alfarabi; Artephius; and Pietro d’Apone.

Download this public domain book for free from Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24518

Music by Dan Mason. Check out and buy his music at https://danmason.bandcamp.com. For this podcast we’re using clips of three tracks from his 2019 album Hypnagogia. Available under the Creative Commons License, Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported. Creative Commons License details at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Check out our website at podcast.plutocrat.biz. Donations are gratefully accepted. Find us on Bluesky, @shortandinteresting. If you’d like to discuss copyright, contact us at copyright@plutocrat.biz. All other inquiries received at podcast@plutocrat.biz.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do you like short podcasts about interesting things? Check out this one -- it's called Short and Interesting. We find the best and most interesting bits of old, weird books about all sorts of stuff, and we read them to you. Simple, fun, thought-provoking.

Upcoming episodes include: stories about alchemists; classic scams and swindles; 19th century health crazes; the UFO cover-up exposed; indictments of consumerism; how to make hats; what to eat during wartime; etc. etc. etc.

Follow us on Bluesky, @shortinteresting, and visit our website plutocrat.biz. To discuss copyright, reach us at copyright@plutocrat.biz. All other inquiries podcast@plutocrat.biz.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.