--- title: "The Confidence-Man: His Masquerade by Herman Melville — Classic Ebook…" description: "Read a free sample of The Confidence-Man: His Masquerade by Herman Melville at Publica Now — a public-domain classic ebook, readable online." canonical: "https://publica.now/creators/vito/works/the-confidence-man-his-masquerade" --- Literary # The Confidence-Man: His Masquerade by Herman Melville [ V Vito ](https://publica.now/creators/vito) Follow $2.99 [ Sign in to buy ](https://publica.now/access?redirect=%2Fcheckout%2Fthe-confidence-man-his-masquerade) Secure payment on Stripe. publica.now never sees your card. Share Link copied Format epub Published May 03, 2026 Rating No reviews yet ![The Confidence-Man: His Masquerade](https://fls-a13cb2d7-1b3e-4883-a0bd-297afd110a11.367be3a2035528943240074d0096e0cd.r2.cloudflarestorage.com/works/01kqnn8sevbp8hg6wq9p0rqa4b/editions/2026-09-06-html-v1/cover.png?X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=d29ce3bb571c165c97a702f29f7aee93%2F20260926%2Fauto%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260926T235444Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=3600&X-Amz-Signature=d5ef770dfc151f166fde1a1f72c833f9d3c3a326ad29d901df31fa0d54e1d3e5) ## About this work At sunrise on the first of April, a mute stranger in cream-colors steps aboard the Fidèle at St. Louis, carrying nothing but a slate and an air of inscrutable innocence. The Mississippi steamer becomes a floating theatre where merchants, philanthropists, cripples, mystics, soldiers, barbers, and self-appointed sages cross paths, trade stories, and test one another’s credulity. Is the man in cream-colors a simpleton, a saint, or something more artful? As identities shift and confidence changes hands, Herman Melville turns the voyage into a darkly comic examination of charity, trust, self-deception, and the many masks worn by humanity. Filled with argument, eccentric characters, philosophical digressions, and sharp social observation, The Confidence-Man: His Masquerade is both a river journey and a searching satire of the impulses that make people believe—or refuse to believe—in one another. This Publica.now Classics edition includes a new typographic cover and publisher opening and closing pages. Sample ## Take a look inside THE CONFIDENCE-MAN: HIS MASQUERADE. BY HERMAN MELVILLE, AUTHOR OF “PIAZZA TALES,” “OMOO,” “TYPEE,” ETC., ETC. NEW YORK: DIX, EDWARDS & CO., 321 BROADWAY 1857\. Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1857, by HERMAN MELVILLE, In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York. MILLER & HOLMAN, Printers and Stereotypers, N. Y. CONTENTS CHAPTER I. A mute goes aboard a boat on the Mississippi. CHAPTER II. Showing that many men have many minds. CHAPTER III. In which a variety of characters appear. CHAPTER IV. Renewal of old acquaintance. CHAPTER V. The man with the weed makes it an even question whether he be a great sage or a great simpleton. CHAPTER VI. At the outset of which certain passengers prove deaf to the call of charity. CHAPTER VII. A gentleman with gold sleeve-buttons. CHAPTER VIII. A charitable lady. CHAPTER IX. Two business men transact a little business. CHAPTER X. In the cabin. CHAPTER XI. Only a page or so. CHAPTER XII. The story of the unfortunate man, from which may be gathered whether or no he has been justly so entitled. CHAPTER XIII. The man with the traveling-cap evinces much humanity, and in a way which would seem to show him to be one of the most logical of optimists. CHAPTER XIV. Worth the consideration of those to whom it may prove worth considering. CHAPTER XV. An old miser, upon suitable representations, is prevailed upon to venture an investment. CHAPTER XVI. A sick man, after some impatience, is induced to become a patient. CHAPTER XVII. Towards the end of which the Herb-Doctor proves himself a forgiver of injuries. CHAPTER XVIII. Inquest into the true character of the Herb-Doctor. CHAPTER XIX. A soldier of fortune. CHAPTER XX. Reappearance of… [ Sign in to buy ](https://publica.now/access?redirect=%2Fcheckout%2Fthe-confidence-man-his-masquerade) The sample continues in the full work. 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