cover image A History of Ambition in 50 Hoaxes

A History of Ambition in 50 Hoaxes

Gale Eaton. Tilbury House, $24.95 (288p) ISBN 978-0-88448-465-3

This addition to the History in 50 series explores hoaxes and the motivations behind them. “There is something artistic about a fine hoax,” Eaton writes. “Like a good novel or a conjurer’s trick, it creates an alternative reality.” Proceeding chronologically, she recounts each ruse in brief entries that also include maps, sidebars, and other supplemental information. In the case of an 18th-century man, William-Henry Ireland, his desire for recognition by his father led him to forge false letters and even a play supposedly written by Shakespeare. In 19th-century New York, the Fox sisters were instrumental in the rise of Spiritualism, even though they revealed that their spiritual communications had been faked. In a broad-ranging and fascinating study of artifice, Eaton raises intriguing questions about human instincts, especially the ones to deceive and believe. Simultaneously available: A History of Travel in 50 Vehicles. Ages 12–up. (Aug.)