Aladdin and Co

An American novel published in 1904 and narrated by Albert Barslow. A young politician whose career has just come to an end, Albert moves with his wife Alice to join his childhood friend Jim Elkins in Lattimore, a quiet little town in the American West. Jim's plan is to make everyone believe the town is about to become a big city, because as long as people believe it, the price of land keeps rising. The two partners buy land, lay out a new district and bring in the railway. A lively, good-humoured satire of speculation fever, where easy money looks like the magic of Aladdin's lamp.