Title Details

A racy, highly entertaining history of cons and conmen, this survey shows how the great, the good, and the bad—from Oscar Wilde to Al Capone—have fallen victim to the wiles of the trickster. To the many people who have been the subject of a con, this book will be of personal interest, while luckier readers will be fascinated to learn how it has happened to others. In Capone's case, he purchased a machine from "Count" Victor Lustig, guaranteed to produce dollar bills. Other great cons described in this alarming yet funny book are Royal Cons, Psychic Swindlers, Fairground Cons, Sexual Swindles, and Gambling Swindles. In 1726, Mary Tofts supposedly gave birth to a series of bunnies in London. In 1908 in Paris, Henry Lemoine persuaded a diamond magnate he could manufacture diamonds from coal. In 1926 in Paris, "Count" Victor Lustig sold the Eiffel Tower for scrap—twice. In 1990, Charles Daugherty, a 26-year-old black man was arrested for criminal impersonation; he had enrolled in Corondao High School as a 17-year-old white female student, and joined the all-female cheerleading squad. In 1996, two Americans came to England to sell a box which manufactured Bank of England notes.