{"product_id":"9780884484936","title":"A History of Ambition in 50 Hoaxes (History in 50 Series)","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhat do the Trojan Horse, Piltdown Man, Keely Motor Company, and Ponzi Scheme have in common? They were all famous hoaxes, carefully designed and bolstered with false evidence.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe con artists in this book pursued a variety of ambitions—making money, winning wars, mocking authority, finding fame, trading an ordinary life for a glamorous one—but they all chose the lowest, fastest road to get there.   Every hoax is a curtain, and behind it is a deceiver operating levers and smoke machines to make us see what is not there and miss what is. As P.T. Barnum knew, you can short-circuit critical thinking in any century by telling people what they want to hear. Most scams operate on a personal scale, but some have shaped the balance of world power, inspired explorers to sail uncharted seas, derailed scientific progress, or caused terrible massacres. A HISTORY OF AMBITION IN 50 HOAXES guides us through a rogue’s gallery of hustlers, liars, swindlers, imposters, scammers, pretenders, and cheats. In Gale Eaton’s wide-ranging synthesis, the history of deception is a colorful tour, with surprising insights behind every curtain.  \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFountas \u0026amp; Pinnell Level Z+\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Tilbury House Publishers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47070974083312,"sku":"9780884484936","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780884484936_p0.jpg?v=1763850588","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780884484936","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}