num_pages: 277
description: With a quicksilver tongue, the hands of a grifter, and a heart full of pure larceny, Mordecai Jones is a con man of comic proportions. Where Mordecai and his apprentice, Curley Treadaway, go, trouble tobacco barns burn down, prize chickens get eaten, and greedy folks lose a few dollars. In eastern North Carolinathe novels setting---confidence artists like Mordecai and Curley are known as flim-flammers; thus the books title. Originally published in 1965, this playful yet historical novel was the basis for the George C. Scott movie of the same name. After The Ballad of the Flim-Flam Man and its subsequent movie version gained national attention, news clippings of various con games started pouring in from readers all over the country. Though the characters are fictional, their misguided antics are real enough and struck chords of amused recognition across America. Today, Coastal Carolina Press is pleased to bring Mordecai and Curley back into the light of day, and the hands of readers everywhere. {The Ballad of the Flim-Flam Man} presents Guy Owen at the height of his comic his setting in place and time, his choice and shaping of material, and his ability to spin a funny yarn all combine seamlessly. Jim Owen, excerpt from the Introduction
language: English
title: The Ballad of the Flim-Flam Man
titlecomplete: The Ballad of the Flim-Flam Man
genres: Fiction, Classics
ratings_count: 52
publisher: Coast Creative Services