The Richest Man In Babylon

Chapter 11 At the head of his caravan, proudly rode Sharru Nada, the merchant prince of Babylon. He liked fine cloth and wore rich and becoming robes. He liked fine animals and sat easily upon his spirited Arabian stallion. To look at him one would hardly have guessed his advanced years. Certainly they would not […]

Chapter 10 St. Swithin’s CollegeNottingham UniversityNewark-on-Trent Nottingham October 21, 1934 Professor Franklin Caldwell,Care of British ScientificExpedition,Hillah, Mesopotamia. My dear Professor:The five clay tablets from your recent excavation in the ruins of Babylon arrived on the same boat with your letter. I have been fascinated no end, and have spent many pleasant hours translating their inscriptions.

Chapter 9 The hungrier one becomes, the clearer one’s mind works— also the more sensitive one becomes to the odors of food.Tarkad, the son of Azure, certainly thought so. For two whole days he had tasted no food except two small figs purloined from over the wall of a garden. Not another could he grab

Chapter 8 Old Banzar, grim warrior of another day, stood guard at the passageway leading to the top of the ancient walls of Babylon. Up above, valiant defenders were battling to hold the walls. Upon them depended the future existence of this great city with its hundreds of thousands of citizens.Over the walls came the

Chapter 7 Fifty pieces of gold! Never before had Rodan, the spearmaker of old Babylon, carried so much gold in his leather wallet. Happily down the king’s highway from the palace of his most liberal Majesty he strode. Cheerfully the gold clinked as the wallet at his belt swayed with each step—the sweetest music he

Chapter 6 A bag heavy with gold or a clay tablet carved with words of wisdom; if thou hadst thy choice, which wouldst thou choose?”By the flickering light from the fire of desert shrubs, the sun-tanned faces of the listeners gleamed with interest.“The gold, the gold,” chorused the twenty-seven.Old Kalabab smiled knowingly.“Hark,” he resumed, raising

Chapter 5 “If a man be lucky, there is no foretelling the possible extent of his good fortune. Pitch him into the Euphrates and like as not he will swim out with a pearl in his hand.”—Babylonian Proverb.The desire to be lucky is universal. It was just as strong in the breasts of men four

Chapter 4 The glory of Babylon endures. Down through the ages its reputation comes to us as the richest of cities, its treasures as fabulous.Yet it was not always so. The riches of Babylon were the results of the wisdom of its people.They first had to learn how to become wealthy.When the Good King, Sargon,

Chapter 3 In old Babylon there once lived a certain very rich man named Arkad. Far and wide he was famed for his great wealth. Also was be famed for his liberality. He was generous in his charities. He was generous with his family. He was liberal in his own expenses. But nevertheless each year

Chapter 2 Bansir, the chariot builder of Babylon, was thoroughly discouraged. From his seat upon the low wall surrounding his property, he gazed sadly at his simple home and the open workshop in which stood a partially completed chariot.His wife frequently appeared at the open door. Her furtive glances in his direction reminded him that

Chapter 1 In the pages of history there lives no city more glamorous than Babylon. Its very name conjures visions of wealth and splendor. Its treasures of gold and jewels were fabulous. One naturally pictures such a wealthy city as located in a suitable setting of tropical luxury, surrounded by rich natural resources of forests,