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Loading... Tricky Vic: The Impossibly True Story of the Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower (edition 2015)by Greg Pizzoli (Author)
Work InformationTricky Vic: The Impossibly True Story of the Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower by Greg Pizzoli
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. This is the story of Robert Miller, AKA Count Victor Lustig, a con-man in the US and Europe during the 1920s. Lustig conned people through elaborate scams, even fooling Al Capone at one point. Eventually arrested for counterfeiting thousands of dollars, he ended up in Alcatraz and died of pneumonia in 1947. Mostly a biography, there are also informational aspects in this book as well, sidebars that give context to the reader about life during the prohibition, learning what counterfeiting is, and information about historical landmarks in both the US and in Europe. While this is a picture book, the subject matter is more geared towards upper elementary to middle school. Having known Greg Pizzoli from his fun little picture books like Number One Sam and Templeton Gets His Wish, I was taken aback when I saw he's written Tricky Vic: The Man Who Stole the Eiffel Tower; Tricky Vic is a complex nonfiction story for children. But don't let that keep you from this little delight of a book. Tricky is a wonderful story of a bad guy who runs scams on people, including the almost-unbelievable scam of selling the Eiffel Tower. It's breathtaking in the rich meanderings of the plot, and it's all true. Take a look. no reviews | add a review
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In the early 1900s, Robert Miller, a.k.a. "Count Victor Lustig," moved to Paris hoping to be an artist. A "con" artist, that is. He used his ingenious scams on unsuspecting marks all over the world, from the Czech Republic, to Atlantic ocean liners, and across America. Tricky Vic pulled off his most daring con in 1925, when he managed to "sell" the Eiffel Tower to one of the city's most successful scrap metal dealers! Six weeks later, he tried to sell the Eiffel Tower all over again. Vic was never caught. For that particular scam, anyway. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresNo genres Melvil Decimal System (DDC)364.16Social sciences Social problems and services; associations Criminology Crimes and Offenses Crimes of propertyLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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