出版社: Tilbury House Publishers; 1 (2016年9月6日) 丛书名: History in 50 精装: 288页 语种: 英语 ISBN: 0884484653 条形码: 9780884484653 商品尺寸: 17.5 x 2.8 x 25.1 cm
商品描述:
The con artists in this book pursued a variety of ambitions--making money, winning wars, mocking authority, finding fame, trading an ordinary life for a glamorous one--but they all chose the lowest, fastest road to get there. Every hoax is a curtain, and behind it is a deceiver operating levers and smoke machines to make us see what is not there and miss what is. As P.T. Barnum knew, you can short-circuit critical thinking in any century by telling people what they want to hear. Most scams operate on a personal scale, but some have shaped the balance of world power, inspired explorers to sail uncharted seas, derailed scientific progress, or caused terrible massacres. A HISTORY OF AMBITION IN 50 HOAXES guides us through a rogue's gallery of hustlers, liars, swindlers, imposters, scammers, pretenders, and cheats. In Gale Eaton's wide-ranging synthesis, the history of deception is a colorful tour, with surprising insights behind every curtain.