Fakers Hoaxers, con artists, counterfeiters, and other great pretenders
(Book)

An exploration of the varieties of faking, from its historical roots in satire and con artistry to its current boom. Paul Maliszewski journeys into the heart of our fake world, telling tales of the New York Sun's 1835 moon hoax, Jayson Blair's faked New York Times stories, early American con artists, James Frey and his fake drug memories, Internet hoaxes, forged Vermeers, and more. Through these stories, he explains why fakers almost always find believers and often flourish. Since 1997, the author has been on the trail of fakers and believers, asking the tricksters why they dissembled and the believers why they were ever fooled. He tells us much about what we believe and want, why we trust, and why we still get duped.--From publisher description.