A Treasury of Deception: Liars, Misleaders, Hoodwinkers, and the Extraordinary True Stories of History's Greatest Hoaxes, Fakes, and Frauds

by Michael Farquhar

Book Overview

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?...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0143035444
• ISBN13: 9780143035442
• Release Date: May 2005
• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.3" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Absorbing

What I liked most about the book was the author's no nonsense style. The problem with many history books is the historian often takes a long winded way to explain facts. Michael gets straight to the point and only narrates details that are neccessary . Each story is only a few minutes long, so if you did not like one, there is another one to look forward to.

Deception Throughout History

In seventy chapters organized into ten parts (themes), plus four appendices, the author does an absolutely superb job of illustrating how deception of various sorts has played (and surely continues to play) such a prominent role in human history. As is standard in this author's books, the writing style is clear, friendly, quite engaging, extremely witty and lots of fun to read. In short, the book is almost impossible to put down. This excellent book can be enjoyed by everyone, especially history buffs. Anyone who finds history a rather boring subject but is fortunate enough to read this book (or any of this author's other "Treasury" series books) is in for a rare treat and the bonus realization that reading history can be great fun.

Fun with skepticism

The very first chapter, on the prophecies of Nostradamus, is worth the price of the book. Farquhar points out that Nostradamus built his prophetic reputation by making vague pronouncements so filled with symbolism that they could be interpreted to predict nearly anything. If more people read Farquhar, there'd be a lot fewer people wasting their time with other prophetic works that use the same approach, such as the book of Isaiah and the Revelation of St. John. This is something of a personal issue for me. My own father, an intelligent and talented man who could have done a lot of good in the world, spent years obsessing uselessly over these prophecies. The rest of the book has plenty more great stories. Admittedly, Farquhar doesn't go into great detail with any of them, but so what? You can always go elsewhere to dig deeper if something interests you. A few words to the wise. Farquhar makes skepticism fun, but don't forget that skepticism can go too far. Piltdown Man was a fraud, but the theory of evolution is not.

A new book by my favorite historian

I never thought I liked history (except historical romance), until I started reading Michael Farquhar. He truly makes history fun, not the dry boring stuff we had to do in school. And since I learn something when I read his books, it's just an added bonus. I too read his first two books, and I think this one is my favorite--I love hearing how historical figures tricked and hookwinked each other over time.

A Terrific Read!

I read Michael Farquhar's two other books, "A Treasury of Royal Scandals" and "A Treasury of Great American Scandals" and I loved them both. His latest book is even better than the first two. It presents many facets of deception through history in a most entertaining way. Each chapter is a different story of lies and trickery, all separated into ten thematic parts. My favorite was the hoodwinking of Hitler. Just brillant! I highly recommend this book to anyone with even the slightest interest in history or the human capacity to deceive.