THE PENNY CAPITALIST: How to Build a Small Fortune from Next to Nothing

A wealth-building guide which, however, fails to explain the costs typically involved in any attempt to gain something for next-to-nothing. Orthodox investment outlets--like securities or collectibles--have no appeal for roguish Algernon H., who concentrates on offbeat enterprises. He sets great store by garage sales as sources of goods that not only may be worth appreciably more than their purchase price but also can take the place of household items, thus freeing cash for penny-capitalist pursuits. Unfortunately, Horatio, a resident of rural New Mexico who has built his net worth to roughly $300,000 in the past 20 years, never discloses how city-dwellers are to find enough backyard bazaars to make some killings. Nor does he dwell on the illiquidity of the markets for Japanese imari porcelain, antique silver bracelets, or other potentially valuable discards, much less tell tyros how to know bargains when they spot them. Also intertwined with his upbeat personal anecdotes is skimpy and sometimes risky counsel on credit usage, gussying up financial statements for lenders, reverse budgeting and related techniques that can work only in inflationary times. Indeed, pointed panels from the Pogo, B.C., and Wizard of Id cartoon strips are the most solid asset of a book that makes self-aggrandizement seem more like a scavenger hunt than a treasure hunt.