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History's Greatest Deceptions and Confidence Scams
Throughout history, there have always been fraudsters and tricksters ready and willing to part people and their money with smooth talking and tall tales, but the first formally recorded “confidence trick” was uniquely American in its origins and set the bar for both simplicity and sheer guts, both hallmarks of the most successful frauds ever perpetrated.
From the ancient Egyptians to the modern era, join the authors as they take you on a romp throughout 4000 years of human history to reveal the tricks and schemes that were perfected by colorful characters throughout the ages. Using humor, and wit, the authors paint a tapestry of deception and subterfuge perpetrated by the brilliant minds of each era.
From the ancient Egyptians to the modern era, join the authors as they take you on a romp throughout 4000 years of human history to reveal the tricks and schemes that were perfected by colorful characters throughout the ages. Using humor, and wit, the authors paint a tapestry of deception and subterfuge perpetrated by the brilliant minds of each era.
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
ebook
Published April 3, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
October 30, 2022
A Scammy Good Show!
It appears that since the days of the Egyptian pyramids cons and scams have been going on.
There have been all kinds of deceptions, including selling a bridge, the Eiffel Tower, twice and selling land on a made up country.
This book talks about Charles Ponzi, known as the inventor of the Ponzi Scheme. And don’t forget Bernie Madoff-he’s in here, too.
Lots of interesting information about scammers and con artists, who you will enjoy reading about.
The author pulls you in and makes you feel you are there when it happens. Enjoy yourself.
Five fantastic stars. 💫
It appears that since the days of the Egyptian pyramids cons and scams have been going on.
There have been all kinds of deceptions, including selling a bridge, the Eiffel Tower, twice and selling land on a made up country.
This book talks about Charles Ponzi, known as the inventor of the Ponzi Scheme. And don’t forget Bernie Madoff-he’s in here, too.
Lots of interesting information about scammers and con artists, who you will enjoy reading about.
The author pulls you in and makes you feel you are there when it happens. Enjoy yourself.
Five fantastic stars. 💫
July 26, 2018
Wow, ok where shall I start? First, I'm not a big history fan, but I loved the movie and a friend told me to get this book for a deeper background on Frank Abagnale Jr, The person played by heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio. The chapter on Frank was really informative.
That story aside, this book contained a bevy of stories about different instances of deception/scams throughout human history. It took a while for me to figure out that the authors put them in some sort of date order. The Story on Egypt, Catholic Indulgences, and the wall street icon, Duer were my favorite. Lots of humor and wit to go with each story. Some stories were a bit drier than others, but I chalk that up to my lack of attention span because the humor was consistent throughout. Other reviewers have complained about the lack of a bibliography, I personally found that it would just have been a distraction and besides, if I wanted to read further on a tidbit I was able to easily use Google to find out more info. (Who needs a bibliography when Google is there to the rescue?) I certainly won't knock it for the lack of source material. The last two chapters brought me closer to the authors. I finished it with a feeling that I got to know them through their own personal stories of victimization. Read it, its light, airy and fun. And you'll learn something.
That story aside, this book contained a bevy of stories about different instances of deception/scams throughout human history. It took a while for me to figure out that the authors put them in some sort of date order. The Story on Egypt, Catholic Indulgences, and the wall street icon, Duer were my favorite. Lots of humor and wit to go with each story. Some stories were a bit drier than others, but I chalk that up to my lack of attention span because the humor was consistent throughout. Other reviewers have complained about the lack of a bibliography, I personally found that it would just have been a distraction and besides, if I wanted to read further on a tidbit I was able to easily use Google to find out more info. (Who needs a bibliography when Google is there to the rescue?) I certainly won't knock it for the lack of source material. The last two chapters brought me closer to the authors. I finished it with a feeling that I got to know them through their own personal stories of victimization. Read it, its light, airy and fun. And you'll learn something.
May 26, 2018
I did not expect this book to be as entertaining as It was. An interest in the subject matter grabbed my attention from the start, and I can say I was not disappointed. As the title and summary indicate, this book covers various Deceptions and confidence scams throughout the course of human history. The subject matter seems well researched, although I did not go through the trouble of fact-checking. Bibliographies would have been nice. We kind of have to take the author's word on the stories of each chapter.
The Authors did a good job at twisting humor in the stories. This helped take what would probably be a dry historical story to a level that left me wanting more. throughout several stories in this book, I found myself laughing out loud on the commuter train where I spent most of the time reading.
The personal stories at the end of the book covered the author's own personal experiences with deception in their own lives. It was a nice touch to conclude the book.
Each chapter is its own story, so you can pick up and read a quick one, and no need to read it in any order. All in all, if you like a little bit of humor in your history, you'd probably like this one.
The Authors did a good job at twisting humor in the stories. This helped take what would probably be a dry historical story to a level that left me wanting more. throughout several stories in this book, I found myself laughing out loud on the commuter train where I spent most of the time reading.
The personal stories at the end of the book covered the author's own personal experiences with deception in their own lives. It was a nice touch to conclude the book.
Each chapter is its own story, so you can pick up and read a quick one, and no need to read it in any order. All in all, if you like a little bit of humor in your history, you'd probably like this one.
July 26, 2018
History, the other side
I enjoyed reading this book and learning about the different deceptions and scams in our history. It seems that there were con men (and women) through out human history. The authors definitely painted an interesting history of the human condition, not only what tricks were used, but how those tricks were perfected over the years of different scams. It's a grand read that was well put together. Definitely these authors have some experience and knowledge to share with their readers.
I enjoyed reading this book and learning about the different deceptions and scams in our history. It seems that there were con men (and women) through out human history. The authors definitely painted an interesting history of the human condition, not only what tricks were used, but how those tricks were perfected over the years of different scams. It's a grand read that was well put together. Definitely these authors have some experience and knowledge to share with their readers.
April 24, 2018
I Bought this book on a whim because the subject matter was of interest to me. I never expected the humor and wit peppered into every chapter. The authors clearly share the same sarcastic view on the various stories that are portrayed. The book is basically a rundown of different deceptions throughout Human history. The title says it all. Not heavy reading, but something that can be very easily put down and picked back up later. Overall was satisfied with the content
October 31, 2018
A very interesting book with a lot of detail provided to really give the reader a good sense of the time and location for each of the infamous deceptions and con jobs related.
I especially enjoyed the story of the fake Egyptian animal mummies. The matter-of-fact process of mass-producing cheap knock-offs tickled my irreverent funny bone and set the tone for appreciating the sense of humor that accompany all of the stories.
From Ancient Egypt to the Roman rise of Christianity, the light-hearted romp through sacred territories continues and I, tongue in cheek, laughed right along as Constantine "created his own narrative out of faith, myth, and the need for celestial endorsement."
Reading like a campfire tale, we journey next to China where we are treated to humorous accounts of military strategies that look "like Mad Max but with horses instead of cars" and the creation myth of the divinely delicious "Mantou," or "Barbarian Head Dumplings."
From the Old World to the New World, the authors' engaging accounts of historical scams are eye-opening and audacious and really deserve to be more widely known. We could all certainly benefit from the lessons that may be gained from studying these scams.
This book is not for the stuffy scholar. It's much better suited to the fans of Monty Python and will keep them cracking up all the way to the end. I give it 4 stars out of 5, mostly due to the lack of a bibliography. A list of resources would give a big boost to the book's credibility and probably offer a great deal more food for thought for interested readers.
I especially enjoyed the story of the fake Egyptian animal mummies. The matter-of-fact process of mass-producing cheap knock-offs tickled my irreverent funny bone and set the tone for appreciating the sense of humor that accompany all of the stories.
From Ancient Egypt to the Roman rise of Christianity, the light-hearted romp through sacred territories continues and I, tongue in cheek, laughed right along as Constantine "created his own narrative out of faith, myth, and the need for celestial endorsement."
Reading like a campfire tale, we journey next to China where we are treated to humorous accounts of military strategies that look "like Mad Max but with horses instead of cars" and the creation myth of the divinely delicious "Mantou," or "Barbarian Head Dumplings."
From the Old World to the New World, the authors' engaging accounts of historical scams are eye-opening and audacious and really deserve to be more widely known. We could all certainly benefit from the lessons that may be gained from studying these scams.
This book is not for the stuffy scholar. It's much better suited to the fans of Monty Python and will keep them cracking up all the way to the end. I give it 4 stars out of 5, mostly due to the lack of a bibliography. A list of resources would give a big boost to the book's credibility and probably offer a great deal more food for thought for interested readers.
January 26, 2019
Excellent work, very clever writing and humor throughout. Bit over the top in the humor department for a history work, but it makes what otherwise could have been very dry material, very easy to digest. I suppose people with a passing fancy for history will enjoy it because of the fun. Especially loved the chapter on William Duer and the author's descriptive moment that wall street was born.
February 8, 2019
What an absolutely charming book. Lots of stories I did not know about. The witty humor and style kept me surprised and entertained. Id recommend this book for anyone with the slightest little bit of interest in stories that are told to entertain and educate.
Just wish it was longer, I wanted more.
Just wish it was longer, I wanted more.
March 12, 2019
Not Bad
A pretty good collection of stories. I would have liked to see more stories before the 20th century but everything was well written and entertaining. That said, I have it four stars because it really needed better editing. Still worth a read though.
A pretty good collection of stories. I would have liked to see more stories before the 20th century but everything was well written and entertaining. That said, I have it four stars because it really needed better editing. Still worth a read though.
April 29, 2019
Meh. The stories are interesting. The prose isn’t anything interesting. I’d say it’s a dumbed down version of anything Robert Greene’s written.
February 12, 2020
Interesting if a bit too wordy
October 4, 2021
Vaguely humorous look at scams throughout history starting with the ancient Egyptians.
December 19, 2023
The authors both seemed passionate about this topic but it was hard to tell just how much effort they put into this book. Also difficult to judge was who the target audience was.
I didn't care for the writing style. Many parts overly simplified historical information, and the pop-culture metaphors and similes further served to overly simplify events, if not completely distort reader's perceptions who are not already familiar with the events or references. No extra detail is added to these which leaves the readers to try and sort out how the two things are suppose to be similar.
Chapter 3 argues Constantine was a fake Christian. I didn't find that compelling at all.
A line is on page 8 that implies bronze isn't a metal, a factually incorrect statement.
From what I know, most people in the middle ages did not believe the earth was flat, yet on page 41 the authors say they did believe that.
Overall, the collection of deceptions isn't terrible, but the execution was far less than ideal. I don't recommend getting this book.
I didn't care for the writing style. Many parts overly simplified historical information, and the pop-culture metaphors and similes further served to overly simplify events, if not completely distort reader's perceptions who are not already familiar with the events or references. No extra detail is added to these which leaves the readers to try and sort out how the two things are suppose to be similar.
Chapter 3 argues Constantine was a fake Christian. I didn't find that compelling at all.
A line is on page 8 that implies bronze isn't a metal, a factually incorrect statement.
From what I know, most people in the middle ages did not believe the earth was flat, yet on page 41 the authors say they did believe that.
Overall, the collection of deceptions isn't terrible, but the execution was far less than ideal. I don't recommend getting this book.
August 23, 2018
Great read. Very clever writing. I wasn't aware of the details of most of these historical stories and found them highly entertaining. My Husband kept taking the book from me and basically fought me for access. I kept having to take it away from him despite his purchasing it for me originally LOL.
So if you are wondering, the book is a collection of stories, all fairly short to knock off on a commute or if you have a spare 20-30 minutes. If you want to jump around in the book, you can, because you dont have to read chapter one to understand what's going on in chapter two. It covers a couple of thousand of years of history, so if you are a fan of history, this one will entertain you, you wont be disappointed.
So if you are wondering, the book is a collection of stories, all fairly short to knock off on a commute or if you have a spare 20-30 minutes. If you want to jump around in the book, you can, because you dont have to read chapter one to understand what's going on in chapter two. It covers a couple of thousand of years of history, so if you are a fan of history, this one will entertain you, you wont be disappointed.
January 22, 2020
First off let me say this book is Well written. Like previous reviewers I liked both the content and the sense of humor the authors had. I thought the content was excellent. However, this book is only going to get two stars. Why you might ask, this rating is due to a very important fact. A book like this had to have been researched. The authors even state as much near the end of the book. That being the case the book should have had either a work cited or a bibliography or both. This book had neither. So while I found the book well-written factually interesting and having a good sense of humor due to the lack of a reference section all I can give this book is two stars.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews