The Century of Deception
The Birth of the Hoax in the Eighteenth Century
Published on 7. October 2021
320 pages
978-1-908906-45-8 (ISBN)
Description
In 1749, a newspaper advertisement appeared declaring that a man would climb inside a bottle on the stage of a London theatre. Although the crowds turned up in their hundreds to witness the trick, the performer didn't. Over the following decades, elaborate jokes and fanciful tales would continue to bamboozle people across England. In The Century of Deception, magician and historian Ian Keable tells the engrossing stories of these eighteenth-century hoaxes and those who were duped by them. The English public were hoodwinked time and time again, swallowing whole tales of rapping ghosts, a woman who gave birth to rabbits, a levitating Frenchman in a Chinese Temple and outrageous astrological predictions. Not only were the hoaxes widely influential, drawing in celebrities such as Samuel Johnson, Benjamin Franklin and Jonathan Swift, they also inflamed concerns about 'English credulity'.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Illustrations
15 b&w illustrations; 15 Illustrations
File size
21,36 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-908906-45-8 (9781908906458)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
10/2021
The Westbourne Press
€44.76
Shipment within 3-4 weeks
Person
Ian Keable is a professional magician who has won several awards for his unique brand of comedy magic. He has made numerous appearances on television and has presented programmes for BBC Radio. His publications include Stand-Up: A Professional Guide to Comedy Magic and Charles Dickens Magician: Conjuring in Life, Letters and Literature.
Content
- Cover
- Title
- Copyright
- Contents
- Prologue
- One - 'Lately Arrived from Formosa'
- Two - 'But a Trifle'
- Three - 'An Extraordinary Delivery of Rabbets'
- Four - 'I Had Rather Relate Your Stories Than Other Men's Truths'
- Five - 'A Common Tavern Bottle'
- Six - 'This Resolutely-Virtuous Creature'
- Seven - 'Miss Fanny's Theatre in Cock Lane'
- Eight - 'Invisible Agent'
- Nine - 'A Chinese Temple Rising Out of The Clouds'
- Ten - 'When This Solemn Mockery is O'er'
- Epilogue
- Acknowledgements
- Bibliography
- Illustration Credits
- Index
