Fakers, Forgers & Phoneys: Famous Scams and Scamps

by Magnus Magnusson

Masterfully exploring the shadowy world of deception and counterfeiting, this intriguing collection gathers 16 case studies. True tales include a mystery man known by the unlikely name of George Psalmanazar who fooled the London literary world in 1704 with lurid accounts of cannibalism and polygamy in his native island of Formosa, Taiwan; the fabricated "missing link" human skull which was discovered in a gravel pit in 1912; and how an obese cockney adventurer in Australia succeeded in passing himself off as a slim young English aristocrat who had disappeared more than 10 years earlier in 1854. More recent scams unveiled are a house-painter-cum-art-restorer who fooled the art world and became a national TV celebrity in 1979, and a suave London conman who inveigled a struggling artist to become involved in the greatest British art scam of the 20th century.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sociology

414 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Magnus Magnusson, KBE, was an Icelandic television presenter, journalist, translator and writer. He was born in Iceland but lived in Scotland for almost all of his life, although he never took British citizenship. He came to prominence as a BBC television journalist, and was best known as the presenter of the BBC television quiz programme Mastermind, which he hosted for 25 years.

Under Icelandic naming conventions, his name would have been Magnús Sigursteinsson (Magnús, son of Sigursteinn), but his family adopted British naming conventions and he took his father's surname. Although born in Reykjavík, Magnusson grew up in Edinburgh, where his father, Sigursteinn Magnússon, was the Icelandic consul.

Reviews

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really wasn't that good - rather disappointing - I can't help thinking that this was published, and will be bought, because of the author's television fame. There certainly isn't enough information or insight to make you any kind of expert in fakes, forgers or phoneys. I would give this book a wide berth.

[Gilles Demaneuf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book. Sheds light on some very interesting characters.