This book examines a broad range of infamous scams, cons, swindles, and hoaxes throughout American history—and considers why human gullibility continues in an age of easy access to information.
Covering American cons and hoaxes past and present, including the Great Moon Hoax of 1835, the controversy over "subliminal messaging" (do bands, filmmakers, and advertisers really put secret messages in their works?), the panic about "satanic" daycare operators in the 1980s, and recent Internet scams, this book provides a fascinating, fact-based look at infamous frauds across the centuries. Offering an engaging mix of history, sociology, and psychology, author Nate Hendley gives readers an appreciation of how prominent scams, cons, "confidence men," and hoaxes have impacted American society, past and present.
Each entry details the scheme or hoax and the pertinent con artist/schemer involved, examining the sociological, cultural, political, and/or economic effect of the scams. Each topic is accompanied by a short bibliography of further reading selections. As the old saying goes, "There is a sucker born every minute"—and there has always been a keen-eyed swindler to take advantage of the situation. The Big Con: Great Hoaxes, Frauds, Grifts, and Swindles in American History explores this sordid underbelly of American civilization and invites readers to revel in the felonious experience.
- 400 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Section One: Classic Cons
- Section Two: Business Fraud
- Section Three: Despicable Scams
- Section Four: Great Pretenders
- Section Five: Hoaxes, Urban Legends, and Popular Delusions
- Section Six: Dubious Remedies
- Section Seven: Online Scams
- Section Eight: Para-Abnormal Fraud
- Section Nine: Pop Culture Cons
- Section Ten: A Gallery of Rogues (and One Hero)
- Section Eleven: Interviews
- Selected Bibliography
- Index
- About the Author
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Yes, you can access The Big Con by Nate Hendley in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Law & Law Theory & Practice. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.