A Treasury of Deception: Liars, Misleaders, Hoodwinkers, and the Extraordinary True Stories of History's Greatest Hoaxes, Fakes and Frauds
by Michael Farquhar
On This Page
Description
Conmen, tricksters, charlatans, impostors, and down right liars seeking wealth, 15 minutes of fame, or the alleviation of blam rely upon the maxim that "there's a sucker born every minute." A tribe of Stone Age people is discovered in the Philippines, animals in the Central Park Zoo have escaped and are attacking New Yorkers, and P.T. Barnum displays the amazing Feejee Mermaid. History is filled with examples of the media, governments, and churches falling for as well as employing deceit.Tags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
Not nearly as niche as the monocled man on the cover would have you believe. This is not a rib-tickling compendium of turn of the century bamboozlers, it is a perfunctory review of world history that somehow manages to lump WWI and WWII under the banner of "hoaxes." I've been had!
Exactly what it says on the cover. I think the book would have benefited from a tighter focus, or an overall arc. Instead, it bounces between a variety of lies, scams, hoaxes, and tricks without any dramatic pressure or overarching ideas.
Entertaining, but shallow.
Entertaining, but shallow.
Short stories about deceptions. Good read, some were scary, how easily the world can be manipulated and fall for hoaxes.
Humorous and history very lite.
A fun little diversion.
Ratings
Members
- Recently Added By
Author Information
19 Works 2,969 Members
Michael Farquhar is Lecturer in Middle East Politics at King's College London.
Common Knowledge
- Original title
- A Treasury of Deception: Liars, Misleaders, Hoodwinkers, and the Extraordinary True Stories of History's Greatest Hoaxes, Fakes and Frauds
- Alternate titles
- Treasury of Deception
- Original publication date
- 2005
- Epigraph
- All that deceives may be said to enchant. --Plato
- Dedication
- For my mom and dad, who (except about Santa Claus) have always told me the truth.
- First words
- Introduction: "Beauty is truth," Keats wrote, "truth beauty."
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)The fact is, subliminal advertising does not work, though unscrupulous merchants continue to try it from time to time.
Classifications
- Genres
- Nonfiction, History, General Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 001.95 — Computer science, information & general works Computer science, knowledge & systems Knowledge and learning in general Aliens/UFOs Hoaxes
- LCC
- HV6751 .F37 — Social sciences Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology Crimes and offenses
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 348
- Popularity
- 90,413
- Reviews
- 5
- Rating
- (3.43)
- Languages
- English, Italian
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 13
- ASINs
- 3
