The Big Con

This book examines a broad range of infamous scams cons swindles and hoaxes throughout American historyand considers why human gullibility continues in an age of easy access to information.Covering American cons and hoaxes past and present including the Great Moon Hoax of 1835 the controversy over subliminal messaging (do bands filmmakers and advertisers really put secret messages in their works?) the panic about satanic daycare operators in the 1980s and recent Internet scams this book provides a fascinating fact-based look at infamous frauds across the centuries. Offering an engaging mix of history sociology and psychology author Nate Hendley gives readers an appreciation of how prominent scams cons confidence men and hoaxes have impacted American society past and present.Each entry details the scheme or hoax and the pertinent con artist/schemer involved examining the sociological cultural political and/or economic effect of the scams. Each topic is accompanied by a short bibliography of further reading selections. As the old saying goes There is a sucker born every minuteand there has always been a keen-eyed swindler to take advantage of the situation. The Big Con: Great Hoaxes Frauds Grifts and Swindles in American History explores this sordid underbelly of American civilization and invites readers to revel in the felonious experience.