The Museum of Hoaxes: A History of Outrageous Pranks and Deceptions by Alex Boese

From the Publisher

The Museum of Hoaxes takes you on a tour of hundreds of documented hoaxes, many collected here for the first time. Read about the curiosities and cons of the most notorious hornswogglers and flimflam men of the nineteenth century; be astounded at the imposters, pretenders, and tricksters of the twentieth. The Queen of England, Jimmy Carter, the editors of The New York Times -- no one is immune to the cunning of history's hoaxers. From the origin of April Fools' Day to the Taco Liberty Bell, from Bigfoot to the War of the Worlds -- it is filled with photographs and illustrations.

Tom Adamich - KLIATT

Have you ever wanted to know the origin of the "jackalope"-a cross between a jackrabbit and an antelope? Do you ever think about exactly how April Fools' Day began? These and many other interesting facts are presented here. Alex Boese, Webmaster of the popular Web site of the same name (www.museumofhoaxes.com) has collected an impressive number of deceptions-with both friendly and not-so-friendly origins-and describes each one in a historical context. According to Boese, hoaxes are public displays of unusual, outlandish, or extraordinary acts. Hoaxes can be rated on a scale of their impact on the public-at-large. For example, an April Fools' joke played on your brother would rank low on the impact scale, while the Martian invasion reported by Orson Welles on national radio in 1938 would rank high and is considered by many to be an historical event. Boese also explains the similarities and differences when comparing hoaxes to frauds, pranks, urban legends, and tall tales. Divided into chronological time periods from before 1700 to the present, The Museum of Hoaxes provides a well-written overview of each period described. Furthermore, an index, hoax category breakdown, and extensive bibliography give the book credibility as a type of trivia reference source. KLIATT Codes: JSA-Recommended for junior and senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 2002, Penguin Putnam, Plume, 266p. bibliog. index., Ages 12 to adult.

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Table of Contents