An enthralling exploration of the most audacious and underhanded deceptions in the history of mankind, from sacred relics to financial schemes to fake art, music, and identities.
"World history is littered with tall tales and those who have fallen for them. Ian Tattersall ... has teamed up with Peter Nâevraumont to create this anti-history of the world, in which Michelangelo fakes a masterpiece; Arctic explorers seek an entrance into a hollow Earth; a Shakespeare tragedy is 'rediscovered'; a financial scheme inspires Charles Ponzi; a spirit photographer snaps Abraham Lincoln's ghost; people can survive ingesting only air and sunshine; Edgar Allen Pie is the forefather of fake news; and the first human was not only British but played cricket"--
