Ingenious automatons which appeared to think on their own. Dubious mermaids and wild men who resisted classification. Elegant sleight-of-hand artists who routinely exposed the secrets of their trade. These were some of the playful forms of fraud which astonished, titillated, and even outraged nineteenth-century America's new middle class, producing some of the most remarkable urban spectacles of the century.

In "The Arts of Deception," James W. Cook explores this distinctly modern mode of trickery designed to puzzle the eye and challenge the brain. Championed by the "Prince of Humbug," P. T. Barnum, these cultural puzzles confused the line between reality and illusion. Upsetting the normally strict boundaries of value, race, class, and truth, the spectacles offer a revealing look at the tastes, concerns, and prejudices of America's very first mass audiences. We are brought into the exhibition halls, theaters, galleries, and museums where imposture flourished, and into the minds of the curiosity-seekers who eagerly debated the wonders before their eyes. Cook creates an original portrait of a culture in which ambiguous objects, images, and acts on display helped define a new value system for the expanding middle class, as it confronted a complex and confusing world.

While we live in a technologically and scientifically advanced age, superstition is as widespread as ever. Not limited to just athletes and actors, superstitious beliefs are common among people of all occupations, educational backgrounds, and income levels. In this fully updated edition of Believing in Magic, renowned superstition expert Stuart Vyse investigates our tendency towards these irrational beliefs. Superstitions, he writes, are the natural result of several psychological processes, including our human sensitivity to coincidence, a penchant for developing rituals to fill time (to battle nerves, impatience, or both), our efforts to cope with uncertainty, the need for control, and more. In a new Introduction, Vyse discusses important developments and the latest research on jinxes, paranormal beliefs, and luck. He also distinguishes superstition from paranormal and religious beliefs and identifies the potential benefits of superstition for believers. He examines the research to demonstrate how we can better understand complex human behavior. Although superstition is a normal part of our culture, Vyse argues that we must provide alternative methods of coping with life's uncertainties by teaching decision analysis, promoting science education, and challenging ourselves to critically evaluate the sources of our beliefs.

Mount Desert Island has attracted scoundrels and scandals for more than 100 years. Steady as the tide, every summer brings a rush of summer residents from eastern cities to the island and nothing thrilled them so much as a good scandal. In its heyday, Mount Desert was a wild oasis where the summercators could carry on in comparative privacy. Today, unfortunately, unlike Las Vegas, what happened on Mount Desert doesn't always stay on Mount Desert. The scandals that were the talk of the picnics and outings that filled the summer visitors' days are brought back to life in Bar Harbor Babylon. Murderers, thieves, cheaters and scammers have all made their mark on the tiny towns of Mount Desert. This book will take the reader on a tour of the misadventures and misfortunes that punctuate the island's wealthy and privileged past.

This new research monograph discusses the basis of one of Ireland's most extensive (and profitable) hoaxes: the MacCarthy Mor Affair, and the attendant scandal surrounding the selling of Irish traditional titles to otherwise sane businessmen and professionals. Murphy's research covers the origins of the old Gaelic titles in pre-Norman Ireland. Principally the title of Chief, the collapse of the Gaelic order, the survival of some chiefly titles, the Gaelic Revival and the emergence of the Office of Arms. An account is given of the Office of Chief Herald as part of the new Irish state and the courtesy recognition under Dr. MacLysaght in 1944 and years that followed. Finally the emergence of one Terrence MacCarthy of Belfast as "MacCarthy Mor, Prince of Desmond" and his initial success and final unmasking is amusingly and cogently described.

Texfake is the result of three years of investigation into the scandal surrounding the 1988 discovery of forged copies of the Texas Declaration of Independence. The New York Times, Texas Monthly, and The New Yorker all carried articles on the affair, but this is the definitive account of the history and impact of the Texas forger and his wares. Austin rare book dealer Taylor lays out the facts concerning the forgeries: who made them; when and how they were made; how they were discovered; and whether or not the dealers involved know what they were selling. He also reveals for the first time the devastating impact of the looting of Texas libraries by thieves in the 1960s. Taylor discusses in detail all of the printed Texas documents known to have been forged or fabricated and includes a census of every known copy, genuine or fake. The thirty-nine illustrations demonstrate how to distinguish between genuine and forged copies. Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Larry McMurtry's introduction delivers on his promise to "slap on a little of the color that Tom Taylor has had to leave off." McMurtry offers an amusing but clear-eyed account of the principal dealers in the affair, Dorman David and John Jenkins, and their "top-speed stampede through the trade" from the perspective of a former employee of David's bookshop and later a dealer who knew both men.