Farquhar, Michael. A Treasury of Deception: Liars, Misleaders, Hoodwinkers and Extraordinary True Stories of History's Greatest Hoaxes, Fakes and Frauds.

FARQUHAR, Michael. A treasury of deception; liars, misleaders, hoodwinkers and the extraordinary true stories of history's greatest hoaxes, fakes and frauds. Penguin. 284p. bibliog, c2005. 0-14-303544-4. $14.00. JSA 

This collection of deceptions will appeal to all ages from middle school through adults. Kids may learn to be a little less gullible when they read of the journalists, kings, famous Americans like Franklin and Lincoln, generals and snake oil salesmen who have deliberately tricked people into believing falsehoods for sometimes good, sometimes evil, and often financial ends. Older readers will enjoy remembering some of the biggest hoaxes that have taken place during their own lifetimes, like the fake Howard Hughes autobiography and the New York Times and Washington Post writers who embarrassed their papers during the 1990s. They may also remember the many phony Anastasias of Russia, and the hoaxes put on by P.T. Barnum, who often took credit for things he never said, like "A sucker is born every minute."

While many of the stories are short and funny, others, like the many horrific stories spread by Hitler to incite hatred of Jews, had terrible consequences. The author concludes his book with famous escapes and appendixes of tricksters from scriptures, literature, and Greek mythology and examples of American doublespeak, which shows that deception has been going on forever. He also includes a short bibliography that reflects the wide chronological, geographical and national regions he covers in the book. Nola Theiss, Sanibel, FL.