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My Adventures with Your Money: George Graham Rice and the Golden Age of the Con Artist
Master swindler George Graham Rice operated at the zenith of America's golden age of con artistry with plenty of illicit competition, but he stood apart from all others thanks to the sheer audacity, pure nerve and nefarious brilliance of his scams. Against the dark rise of American greed in the early 20th Century into the Roaring Twenties, the dapper but devious "GG" feasted on a nation of gullible prey with the flair of circus showman P.T. Barnum and on a financial scale comparable to modern fraudster Bernie Madoff.
Born Jacob Simon Herzig in 1870, he later changed his name - just as he would frequently change his swindles - to make himself into one of the most imaginatively successful villains in American history. With only seven dollars to his name, Rice parlayed a chance horse racing tip into millions, lost it all to pride and ego, then won it back many times over. Vilified by securities regulators as the "Jackal of Wall Street," he sparked riots in Manhattan's financial district by perfecting the art of "bucket shop" trading with the sole purpose of bilking the public blind. From the lawless frontier of the Gold Rush to his lust for dizzying riches on Wall Street, GG's supreme knowledge of "sucker psychology" empowered him to orchestrate everything from street corner rip-offs for pocket change to elaborately scripted gambling hoaxes for hundreds of thousands of dollars, all while being vilified by old-guard profiteers like J.P. Morgan and befriended by gangsters like Arnold Rothstein.
In My Adventures with Your Money, T.D. Thornton has given us an unforgettable real-life version of The Sting with one of America's most colorful con men at its center.
Born Jacob Simon Herzig in 1870, he later changed his name - just as he would frequently change his swindles - to make himself into one of the most imaginatively successful villains in American history. With only seven dollars to his name, Rice parlayed a chance horse racing tip into millions, lost it all to pride and ego, then won it back many times over. Vilified by securities regulators as the "Jackal of Wall Street," he sparked riots in Manhattan's financial district by perfecting the art of "bucket shop" trading with the sole purpose of bilking the public blind. From the lawless frontier of the Gold Rush to his lust for dizzying riches on Wall Street, GG's supreme knowledge of "sucker psychology" empowered him to orchestrate everything from street corner rip-offs for pocket change to elaborately scripted gambling hoaxes for hundreds of thousands of dollars, all while being vilified by old-guard profiteers like J.P. Morgan and befriended by gangsters like Arnold Rothstein.
In My Adventures with Your Money, T.D. Thornton has given us an unforgettable real-life version of The Sting with one of America's most colorful con men at its center.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published November 3, 2015
About the author
T.D. Thornton
5 books6 followersI'm a Boston-based writer who aspires to give a voice to dark, edgy characters lurking far beneath the radar of mainstream media.
Gamblers, grifters, hustlers, prize fighters and racetrackers are among my most appealing characters, and I have a keen interest in writing about “low” subjects with a literary twist.
The research for my most recent book immersed me in the dark art of confidence hustling. “My Adventures with Your Money: George Graham Rice and the Golden Age of the Con Artist” details the flair and showmanship of America’s greatest swindler.
My first book, “Not by a Long Shot—A Season at a Hard-Luck Horse Track,” chronicled a year at a blue-collar racetrack. In 2008 “Long Shot” won the Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award and was named a "Highly Recommended" finalist for the Massachusetts Book Award.
My journalism and creative nonfiction have appeared in The New York Times, Boston Globe, Slate, The Daily Beast and McSweeney’s.
Gamblers, grifters, hustlers, prize fighters and racetrackers are among my most appealing characters, and I have a keen interest in writing about “low” subjects with a literary twist.
The research for my most recent book immersed me in the dark art of confidence hustling. “My Adventures with Your Money: George Graham Rice and the Golden Age of the Con Artist” details the flair and showmanship of America’s greatest swindler.
My first book, “Not by a Long Shot—A Season at a Hard-Luck Horse Track,” chronicled a year at a blue-collar racetrack. In 2008 “Long Shot” won the Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award and was named a "Highly Recommended" finalist for the Massachusetts Book Award.
My journalism and creative nonfiction have appeared in The New York Times, Boston Globe, Slate, The Daily Beast and McSweeney’s.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 30, 2015
Breezy and entertaining (and maddening) story of a con artist royale who swindled thousands of people over a period of decades yet somehow never got his just desserts. Or, as Thornton posits in the book's epilogue, did he? If you're new to the genre, Maurer's "The Big Con" is still the place to start. But this is a fine addition.
March 9, 2017
A lot of detail about the actual cons mixed with historic figures, famous places, and a great taste of 1920s culture.
July 5, 2018
Fascinating, well-researched and well-told story of arguably America's most remarkable, incorrigible con artist.
July 13, 2025
A comprehensive account of the life of a con man (mostly stock speculator) from the 1910s-1930s. Mostly pretty interesting, though a bit long.
August 25, 2023
An excellent book with some very amusing stories from a legendary conman. It's interesting to go into the mind of such people. This book gives no insight into that psychology, but it is an entertaining read.
January 13, 2016
Entertaining book about one of the greatest swindlers of the early 20th century. Before there was the SEC and our security regulation it was very easy to manipulate stocks and sell them to "suckers". It amazes me how George Graham Rice was able to swindle money out of people over and over again. Yet in the end he was left with nothing while hurting so many people. I don't know how an individual can live knowing what they have done to others.
January 12, 2016
Amazing story
Truth is stranger than fiction after reading this story. GG was brilliant and fortunate to have succeeded as he did and not go jail more than he did. A fascinating story!
Truth is stranger than fiction after reading this story. GG was brilliant and fortunate to have succeeded as he did and not go jail more than he did. A fascinating story!
November 16, 2015
I won this book through Goodreads giveaways. This was a well researched, well written book. As an avid history buff it was an enjoyable read.
January 22, 2016
If you enjoy nonfiction, this is a great read. Early 20th century mining stocks = today's biotech!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews