Synopses & Reviews
George Washington may never have told a lie, but he may be the only personand#151;our history is littered with liars, deceivers, fraudsters, counterfeiters, and unfaithful lovers.and#160;
The Encyclopaedia of Liars and Deceiversand#160;gathers 150 of them, each entry telling the intriguing tale of the liarand#8217;s motives and the people who fell for the lies.
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To collect these stories of deceit, Roelf Bolt travels from ancient times to the present day, documenting a huge assortment of legerdemain: infamous quacks, fraudulent scientists, crooks who committed and#147;pseudocidesand#8221; by faking their own deaths, and forgers of artworks, design objects, archaeological finds, and documents. From false royal claims, fake dragonand#8217;s eggs, and bogus perpetual motion machines to rare books, mermaid skeletons, and Stradivari violins, Bolt reveals that almost everything has been forged or faked by someone at some point in history. His short, accessible narratives in each entry offer biographies and general observations on specific categories of deceit, and Bolt captures an impressive number of famous figuresand#151;including Albert Einstein, Cicero, Ptolemy, Ernest Hemingway, Franand#231;ois Mitterand, and Marco Poloand#151;as well as people who would have remained anonymous had their duplicity not come to light.
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Funny, shocking, and even awe-inspiring, the stories of deception in this catalog of shame makeand#160;The Encyclopaedia of Liars and Deceiversand#160;the perfect gift for all those who enjoy a good tall taleand#151;and those people who like to tell them.
Review
and#8220;Another intriguing title from a smart and intriguing publisher, Boltand#8217;s is a book to inspire both pleasure and paranoia. . . . The Encyclopaediaand#160;is a marvel.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;Strangely addictive. A reader is apt to feel repelled by a hoaxsterand#8217;s audacity and heartlessness yet intensely curious about how and why the deed was done.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;A cornucopia of curiosities, Boltand#8217;s A to Z of 150 case studies is a raconteurand#8217;s dream. Brimming with tales of forgeries, fakers, the faithless, and the facile, it pays homage to the weird and sometimes wonderful, from criminal milkmen in 21st-century China, Ptolemyand#8217;s plagiarism in AD 150, Clever Hans, the horse that appeared to master arithmetic, and Hitlerand#8217;s diaries. . . . deception is endemic in society. Bolt, as ringmaster of this menagerie of malcontents and mischiefs, allows us to glimpse outside the confines of the everyday. It is utterly diverting.and#8221;
Review
andldquo;In a time when getting to the andlsquo;truthandrsquo; can involve ill-informed conjecture or a maze of grey areas, this encyclopedia provides a useful countermeasure with its treatment of verifiable falsehoods, fibbers, and andlsquo;factsandrsquo; found fictitious.andrdquo;
Synopsis
In this infinitely citable book, the author of two bestselling treasuries of scandal recounts some of the greatest deceptions of all time. Organized by theme (con artists, the press, military trickery, scientific fraud, imposters, great escapes, and more). Farquhar takes in everything from the hoodwinking of Hitler to Vincent the Chin Gigante's thirty-year crazy act.
Synopsis
We may say that honesty is the best policy, but history—to say nothing of business, politics, and the media—suggests otherwise. In this infinitely citable book, the author of two bestselling treasuries of scandal recounts some of the greatest deceptions of all time. With what forged document did the Vatican lay claim to much of Europe? Who wrote Hitler’s diaries? Why do millions still believe the vague doggerel that Nostradamus passed off as prophecy? Organizing his material by theme (con artists, the press, military trickery, scientific fraud, imposters, great escapes, and more), Michael Farquhar takes in everything from the hoodwinking of Hitler to Vincent “the Chin” Gigante’s thirty-year crazy act.
A Treasury of Deception is a zestful, gossipy exposé—and celebration—of mendacity.
A Treasury of Deception also includes:
- Ten tricksters from scripture
- Ten great liars in literature
- Ten egregious examples of modern American doublespeak
- Ten classic deceptions from Greek mythology
Synopsis
Throughout history we have been subject to the covert artistry of liars, deceivers, fraudsters, counterfeiters, or unfaithful lovers. In nearly 400 entries,
The Encyclopedia of Liars and Deceivers documents a huge assortment of legerdemain: from infamous quacks to fraudulent scientists, and from crooks who faked their own deaths (and#147;pseudocidesand#8221;) to forgers of artworks, design objects, archaeological finds, and documents of all sorts. From false royal claims, dragonand#8217;s eggs, and perpetual motion machines, to rare books, mermaid skeletons, and Stradivari violinsand#151;you name it and itand#8217;s been forged or faked by someone, at some time in history.
The book contains a large number of famous figuresand#151;from Albert Einstein, Cicero, and Ptolemy, to Ernest Hemingway, Franand#231;ois Mitterrand, and Marco Poloand#151;as well as scores who would have remained unknown if their duplicity had not been uncovered. All take their rightful place in the catalogue of shame that is The Encyclopedia of Liars and Deceivers. The book will bring immense cheer to those who enjoy tall tales, as well as those who like to tell them.
About the Author
Michael Farquhar is a writer and editor at the Washington Post specializing in history. He is the author of the bestsellers A Treasury of Great American Scandals and A Treasury of Royal Scandals. He appeared on the History Channel’s Russia, Land of the Tsars and will be featured on a forthcoming program about the French Revolution.
Table of Contents
Introduction
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An A to Z of 150 Case Studies
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References and Sources
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Photo Acknowledgements
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Index