A Century of Swindles

<P>From the Gilded Age through WWII America was rife with ne’er-do-wells on a never-ending search for the next big score. Between 1850 and 1950 lawlessness melded with ingenuity fueled by optimism and ruthlessness: America was dangerous buzzing and where opportunity came to take flight. The perfect conditions for swindlers.<BR /><BR />The gall and gumption of their hustles strain credulity. Fake diamond fields? War with Canada? Sir Francis Drake’s unclaimed fortune? Apparently all was fair in the quest for something-for-nothing.<BR /><BR />The scammers in this volume range from the undeniably unscrupulous to the ill and ill-advised. Fans of clever schemes and schadenfreude alike will be entertained by these tales of the rise and fall of some of America’s greatest swindlers.</P>