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Cover of The Humbugs of the World
Project Gutenberg Library B1C1

The Humbugs of the World

The Humbugs of the World by P. T. (Phineas Taylor) Barnum is available here as the complete text, split into 927 reading sections of 5 sentences, each with audio and tap-to-define vocabulary.

P. T. (Phineas Taylor) Barnum40 chapters

The Humbugs of the World An Account of Humbugs, Delusions, Impositions, Quackeries, Deceits and Deceivers Generally, in All Ages by P. T. (Phineas Taylor) Barnum. Complete source text from Project Gutenberg eBook #26640.

40 chaptersComplete chronicle
Five linesIn each reading
US EnglishNarration and vocabulary
Open Chapter I

Academic course · 40 chapters

Course Syllabus

This syllabus gives direct access to every published chapter and its complete sequence of five-line English readings.

The Humbugs of the World

Select a chapter to continue in the Cinema Lecture Hall with line-by-line English learning.

0 of 912 original contextual illustrations are live; remaining readings use the book cover while their artwork is reviewed.

  1. Chapter I 22 readings five lines each Open chapter
  2. Chapter II 22 readings five lines each Open chapter
  3. Chapter III 42 readings five lines each Open chapter
  4. Chapter IV The Golden Pigeons.--Grizzly Adams.--German 16 readings five lines each Open chapter
  5. Chapter V 9 readings five lines each Open chapter
  6. Chapter VI 19 readings five lines each Open chapter
  7. Chapter VII 15 readings five lines each Open chapter
  8. Chapter VIII 32 readings five lines each Open chapter
  9. Chapter IX 15 readings five lines each Open chapter
  10. Chapter X Spiritual "Letters on the Arm."--How to Make Them 14 readings five lines each Open chapter
  11. Chapter XI 13 readings five lines each Open chapter
  12. Chapter XII 18 readings five lines each Open chapter
  13. Chapter XIII Banner of Light.--Messages from the Dead.--Spiritual 46 readings five lines each Open chapter
  14. Chapter XIV 27 readings five lines each Open chapter
  15. Chapter XV 22 readings five lines each Open chapter
  16. Chapter XVI Adulterations in Drinks.--Riding Home on Your 15 readings five lines each Open chapter
  17. Chapter XVII The Peter Funks and Their Functions.--the Rural Divine 27 readings five lines each Open chapter
  18. Chapter XVIII 34 readings five lines each Open chapter
  19. Chapter XIX A California Coal Mine.--a Hartford Coal 11 readings five lines each Open chapter
  20. Chapter XX 23 readings five lines each Open chapter
  21. Chapter XXI 20 readings five lines each Open chapter
  22. Chapter XXII 18 readings five lines each Open chapter
  23. Chapter XXIII Business Humbugs.--John Law.--the Mississippi 33 readings five lines each Open chapter
  24. Chapter XXIV The Consumptive Remedy.--E. Andrews, M. D.--Born 12 readings five lines each Open chapter
  25. Chapter XXV 15 readings five lines each Open chapter
  26. Chapter XXVI 14 readings five lines each Open chapter
  27. Chapter XXVII 17 readings five lines each Open chapter
  28. Chapter XXVIII The Miscegenation Hoax.--a Great Literary 64 readings five lines each Open chapter
  29. Chapter XXIX 30 readings five lines each Open chapter
  30. Chapter XXX Charms and Incantations.--How Cato Cured 18 readings five lines each Open chapter
  31. Chapter XXXI 10 readings five lines each Open chapter
  32. Chapter XXXII 10 readings five lines each Open chapter
  33. Chapter XXXIII 45 readings five lines each Open chapter
  34. Chapter XXXIV 13 readings five lines each Open chapter
  35. Chapter XXXV 20 readings five lines each Open chapter
  36. Chapter XXXVI 9 readings five lines each Open chapter
  37. Chapter XXXVII The First Humbug in the World.--Advantages Of 14 readings five lines each Open chapter
  38. Chapter XXXVIII 32 readings five lines each Open chapter
  39. Chapter XXXIX 17 readings five lines each Open chapter
  40. Chapter XL 59 readings five lines each Open chapter

This edition of The Humbugs of the World by P. T. (Phineas Taylor) Barnum carries the complete text of Project Gutenberg eBook #26640, divided into 40 chapters and 927 reading sections of 5 sentences each. Every sentence of the source is kept, and each chapter records which sentences cover which part of the story. Any word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.

Where can I read The Humbugs of the World in full?

The complete text of The Humbugs of the World is here, taken from Project Gutenberg eBook #26640 and divided into 927 sections.

This page carries the whole of The Humbugs of the World by P. T. (Phineas Taylor) Barnum, not an abridgement or a summary. The text comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #26640, with the Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence removed so that only the work itself remains. It runs to 4632 sentences across 40 chapters. Each chapter stores a record of which sentences cover which part of the work, so nothing is quietly dropped between the source edition and the page you read.

How is The Humbugs of the World divided for reading?

The Humbugs of the World is presented in 40 chapters, each split into sections of 5 sentences for steady reading.

Rather than presenting The Humbugs of the World as unbroken pages, the text is grouped into 927 sections of 5 sentences each. A section is short enough to hold in mind at once, which suits a reader working in a second language or returning to a long work in short sittings. The sections are gathered into 40 chapters.

Can I hear The Humbugs of the World read aloud?

Yes. Every sentence and every individual word of The Humbugs of the World can be played aloud, and each word shows its dictionary entry.

Every sentence of The Humbugs of the World can be played aloud, and so can any single word within it. Tapping a word plays it on its own and opens its dictionary entry, with the pronunciation shown in IPA alongside the part of speech and meaning. The reading voice uses United States English. This matters most for a work of this period, where a reader meets vocabulary and turns of phrase that are no longer in daily use and cannot be guessed reliably from spelling alone.

Questions about reading The Humbugs of the World

Common questions about reading The Humbugs of the World by P. T. (Phineas Taylor) Barnum on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Humbugs of the World?

Yes. All 4632 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26640 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Humbugs of the World is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #26640, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Humbugs of the World take to read?

About 386 minutes of reading across 927 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Humbugs of the World section by section

How to work through The Humbugs of the World section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Humbugs of the World to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Humbugs of the World

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Humbugs of the World, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Humbugs
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Humbugs of the World; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
World
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Humbugs of the World; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Account
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Humbugs of the World; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Delusions
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Humbugs of the World; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.