Hoax: A Novel

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Readers of this long-running series starring New York Assistant D.A. Butch Karp and his lethal but lovable wife Marlene Ciampi will wonder why three-quarters of their 16th adventure is devoted to a rehash of their personal history, a dissection of their tangled psyches, and a tedious retelling of events that have little bearing on what passes for the plot of this one. Once again, it's a story of higher-up cover-ups of both political and priestly evil--in this case, a candidate for mayor who's as murderous and venal as ever was, and a serial pedophile killer who happens to be a Catholic cleric. Unlike the previous books in Tanenbaum's oeuvre, this one lacks the skill and verve of Michael Gruber (Tropic of Night), the uncredited writer largely responsible for making the series come alive on the page. Whoever took over needs to learn the difference between telling and showing before he or she tackles the next in Tanenbaum's series. --Jane Adams

Book Description

The shooting death of a rap mogul is the first link in a sinister chain ensnaring New York District Attorney Butch Karp. With his wife and daughter on a New Mexico retreat, Karp is left to fend for his teenaged sons and himself. Descending into the hip-hop underworld to prosecute a killer, Karp comes head-to-head wih Andrew Kane, a powerful would-be mayor whose corrupt web of influence leads Karp to unveil a shocking church sex-abuse scandal. In a world where secrets can be buried for an often-deadly price, Karp discovers there is no safe haven.

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"New York District Attorney Butch Karp goes head-to-head with a crooked wannabe mayor, the rap underworld, and rogue churchmen in yet another pile-driving thriller in the New York Times bestselling series. When a rap impresario is gunned down in his limo in New York City, it appears that gang-related violence has reared its ugly head once again. But nothing's as it seems in this taut, virtuoso thriller from the pen of Robert K. Tanenbaum. For a start, there's the long tentacles of Andrew Kane, a man who would be mayor, a man who wants to control the power elite like pawns, and a man who has terrible secrets, and knows worse about his friends and foes alike. In addition, the Catholic Church is about to face some secrets of its own, especially when Karp's wife, Marlene, rehabilitating at a Taos, New Mexico art colony, stumbles upon a sex abuse murder scandal brewing in a nearby church retreat. Eventually, the action swings back to a roiled New York, where evidence surfaces connecting rogue priests to murdered kids. Hoax features enough sensational plot twists, heart-racing action, and brilliant crime-solving to fill ten books, as Karp attempts to untangle the web of violence and corruption, both of which threaten his career, and the lives of his family."

Customer Reviews:

Who is the real author?.......2007-09-15

I don't know who wrote this, but it couldn't have been the Robert Tanenbaum I've followed loyally for years. Previous novels in this series have exhibited an enchanting metamorphosis for the Karp/Ciampi clan. The entire writing style is completely different. I have no words to express my disappointment.Will the real author please stand up?

Surfeit of Cliches.......2007-07-03

Never having encountered Butch Karp and his dysfunctional family before, I was, at first, intrigued by the developing cabal of shady New York politicians, rap artists and Native American culture. But I was soon disgusted by the corny cliches that penetrate this lengthy novel to a cloying degree. Meals are described in terms that seem to come straight from printed placemats at highway diners, the natives are chisel-faced alcoholics, the towns of the midwest are tidy, God-fearing communities with blushing troopers, and descriptions of New Mexico scenery seem to have been copied verbatim from Albuquerque realtors. Compounding the inescapable impression of cribbed claptrap are a number of astounding inaccuracies. How do the two boys (Zach and Giancarlo), born to a Catholic mother, end up in Bar Mitzvah classes? What Jew would refer, with a straight face, to the "Old Testament" or the "Judeo-Christian tradition?" And where did Tanenbaum get the idea that Bar Mitzvah training involves studying laws of the Talmud (whatever that is supposed to mean)? Is it too much to ask that someone who plans to write a novel and intersperse its content with brief (or lengthy) lectures on all sorts of topics, at least acquaint himself with the subject matter and try to add some original language?

Deserves No Stars!.......2007-05-06

I was going to title my review Tannenbaum has lost it, only to discover from other reviews that Robert Tannenbaum didn't write his own books. This may be the worst piece of trash I have ever read and I have been a long time reader of the Karp/Ciampi books. As of late however, I became more and more upset with the brilliance of the children, each of whom is unique in some way, and somehow gets involved in plot after contrived plot. Nevertheless, I decided to give Hoax a try as the premise of a murdered rap star sounded interesting. You don't even get into the murder until well into the book and in the meantime you are forced to endure the unending drivel about Karp's conflict in running for office and another history of Native American ritual. Go back and read the first half dozen of "Tannenbaum's" books, and then drop the rest. After a 100 pages or so, this book was in the pile to go back to the used bookstore. Unreadable.

Oh, yeah. It's ALL a hoax. .......2006-11-12

As a big fan of the earlier Robert K. Tanenbaum novels (or, perhaps more accurately, the Michael Gruber novels), might I say here: blech.

This is possibly the most artless piece of pap imaginable. What makes it so infuriating is that the earlier books were so enjoyable and readable--despite the absurdly far-fetched plot lines. Here, not only is the writing a festival of telling instead of showing (it feels like a self help book in that regard), it seems that the editor is completely asleep at the switch--if there even was an editor. (The good ones don't let stuff like this get past the BS filter.)

If you want to read Butch Karp, back up to the earlier work. This is one destined for the shredder.

My First Tanenbaum.......2006-10-26

This was the first of Robert K. Tanenbaum's books. I read the back of the book at the bookstore and decided to give it a shot. Personally, the book seems to drag in spots, and the constant jumping from New Mexico to New York and the randomness of the characters was frustrating to me. However, I enjoyed the book enough to purchase 4 more of his books. I personally liked "Fury" more than "Hoax" but the earlier books were a true delight. I have to give "Hoax" a 3. It wasn't the worst book I've ever read, but I wouldn't call it the best either. I have every intention of picking up all of the earlier books, so "Hoax" wasn't a total loss for me.

If you, like my Dad, have a hard time with books that jump around, you probably won't be pleased with Hoax. The fact is, this book goes from New York to New Mexico and back again, oftentimes in a sequence of events that makes little sense and is sometimes hard to follow. It isn't unusual for me to read anywhere from 3 to 6 books at the same time, so I follow numerous plot lines well. However, "Hoax" seems, to me, to have too many plot lines going on at once. It makes for a frustrating read, but the story lines eventually come together.

Overall, "Hoax" impressed me enough to go out and get a few more of his books, but after reading some of the earlier novels, I see where long-time readers' frustrations are coming from.

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Come for the Jackalope, stay for the fun
IF YOU ENJOY A GOOD HOAX...
Ho hum hoaxes
Lightweight Intro to the World of Fakes
When did you last get conned?

The Museum of Hoaxes
Alex Boese
Manufacturer: Dutton Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0525946780
Release Date: 2002-11-07

Book Description

Based on the author's popular website, Alex Boese's The Museum of Hoaxes takes readers on a tour of hundreds of documented hoaxes, many published here for the first time. You'll read about the curiosities and cons of the most notorious hornswogglers and flimflam men of the nineteenth century; you'll be astounded at the impostors, pretenders, carnies, and tricksters of the twentieth.

Learn how Edgar Allan Poe got away with an astonishing literary deception. Or how P. T. Barnum turned hoaxing the public into big business. It's all here, from the origin of April Fools' Day to the Taco Liberty Bell, from Bigfoot to the War of the Worlds to recent Internet hoaxes. There's also a Gullibility Test that challenges readers to answer the question: "Would these hoaxes have fooled YOU?"

Written with both humor and historical insight, and complete with photographs and illustrations, The Museum of Hoaxes will be the gift book of choice for anyone who has ever been duped, deceived, tricked, or trumped . . . or just likes watching the pros in action.

Customer Reviews:

Come for the Jackalope, stay for the fun.......2007-01-13

Great book!

From Pope Joan to pyramid schemes to Piltdown man, this book is full of all those great deceptions from time immemorial.

And the best thing about it is that the book shows in it's easy to read style that from time to time everyone has been hoaxed.

So if P.T. Barnum's suckers are born every minute they nevertheless even made it all the way to the White House and the British Throne.

Great book!

IF YOU ENJOY A GOOD HOAX..........2005-11-07

...then be sure to pick up the book TURN ME ON, DEAD MAN by Andru J. Reeve. It's the true saga of the story behind the infamous "Paul-Is-Dead" hoax of 1969, when millions believed a persistent rumor that Beatle Paul McCartney was killed in a car crash, his death kept a secret while the Beatles replaced him with a lookalike and planted "clues" to his death on subsequent Beatles albums. It's an amazing story and Reeve explores the who-what-and-whys of the story, explaining how this hoax was perpetrated and who was behind it. One of the most talked-about books of the year -- and it's available right now, right here at Amazon.com !!!

"An Amazing Book! I couldn't put it down!" -- Dr. Heritage Smith, folklorist and urban legends historian

Ho hum hoaxes.......2005-08-30

Like many physical museums, Alex Boese's "The Museum of Hoaxes" is comprehensive, well-ordered, but a bit dull. It was a book easy to put down, but offered enough material that it eventually as taken up again. Boese orders the book roughly chronologically, starting with early forgeries such as the Donation of Constantine and the possibly spurious tales of Marco Polo. He moves through the ages, lightly covering well known hoaxes such as the Cardiff Giant, filling in the centuries with hoaxes I had never heard of such as the various newspaper circulation-building hoaxes of the 19th century. One, the Great Moon Hoax of 1835, insisted that a new telescope had the ability to see man-bats and beavers on the moon.

The book moves into the 20th century, discussing the Hitler Diaries hoax, Clifford Irving's hoax biography of Howard Hughes, the Tawana Brawley case and Rosie Ruiz's fake completion of the 1980 Boston marathon. The book also covers the pranks of Alan Abel, Disk Tuck and Jerry Skaggs, whose feats were more about making social statements than in hoaxing for gain or attention. In 1962, in one hilarious episode, Tuck hired pregnant women to hold signs at Nixon rallies reading "Nixon's the One!" Nixon returned the favor on the American public in a less humorous vein when Donald Segretti set up his dirty tricks operation.

TMOH does have failings. It often chops its stories short, giving little follow-up, leaving the reader suspended in mid-air. And while the book does cover crop circles and UFOs, it remains agnostic about the truth of these and other controversial items, perhaps in fear of alienating readers. And for a book on the cleverness and slyness of human beings, it is woefully short of both values; a book on hoaxes should be fun!

TMOH is a straightforward, light introduction to many instances where the average human intellect is deluded by tricksters and wits.

Lightweight Intro to the World of Fakes.......2005-02-21

"Museum of Hoaxes" is a relatively short book collecting some of the most infamous hoaxes of the past 2,000 years. Everything within is given a similar, cursory treatment. That would be acceptable if there were more illustrations; I was surprised to see just how few plates exist in a book dedicated to hoaxes. Without illustrations, many of the hoaxes (such as the Chess Machine) are difficult to fully comprehend. The result is as superficial as a Saturday morning noncredit course at a community college.

Still, I'm glad I bought the book. It *is* a fun read, and a good introduction to the world of hoaxing. I plan to lend it out to my students in order to encourage them to develop skeptical thinking. I expected more coming from the creator of the Museum of Hoaxes website, but the book succeeds within its own modest limits.

For an equally poppy but far more comprehensive look at a related area, check out "Too Good to be True" by Brunvand.

When did you last get conned?.......2005-02-16

This book was a lot better than I thought it would be when I picked it up.I expected it was just going to be a collection of old hoaxes,many of which I was probably somewhat aware of anyway.Such was not the case.This book is an overview of the whole world of hoaxes.First, there are all kinds of dodges,fakes,frauds,flimfam,humbug,imposture,jeu d'esprit,practical jokes,pranks,shams,and on and on.Boese explains all of them and this book collects them all under the umbrella of hoaxes.He starts the book off with a Gullibility Test and the reader is quickly convinced the world is full of this stuff and that we have heard a lot of it for so long that we assume it must be true.Boese tries to explain why people are so prone to believe hoaxes and does a pretty fair job of it.He follows the development of hoaxes from the Middle Ages to the present time.He shows how hoaxes have progressed along with the advance of all forms of communication ;from the early days of storytelling,books,photography,radio,TV,and now the World Wide Web.Maybe the one thing he may have missed is that one time when a hoaxer was tarred and feathered but now he gets off with a tap on the wrist;this must surly contribute the great explosion in hoaxes.He gives a good selection of hoaxes from over the years and of the various types of hoaxes.
For someone who really enjoys digging into hoaxes they'll find included a list of 111 books and other references,that will be a wonderful resource.
Along with all this, he tries to show us how we can look at an issue,and try to determine if a hoax is involved.He gave it a good try, but I'm not sure even he believes that there is any perfect defense against a well thought out and perpeturated hoax.
After reading this book the reader is bound to look at event with a totally different viewpoint.Maybe we will suspect when the masses swallow the hook,line and sinker.The reward will be in "I felt there was something wrong about that!"
If that wasn't enough ;Boese gives his Museum of Hoaxes Web site. I went to it, and it is terrific. This book is just an introduction to it.

The Da Vinci Hoax: Exposing the Errors in The Da Vinci Code

Average customer rating:

True research
The Final Word on the Da Vinci Code
Debunking or jumping on the bandwagon?
Superb!
Accurate but Dry... Very dry

The Da Vinci Hoax: Exposing the Errors in The Da Vinci Code
Carl E. Olson , and Sandra Miesel
Manufacturer: Ignatius Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Moleskine Pocket Ruled Notebook

ASIN: 1586170341

Book Description

The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown's best selling novel, purports to be more than fiction: it claims to be based on fact and scholarly research. Brown wants his readers to believe that he is revealing the long-concealed truth about Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and early Christianity, a truth that he says has been suppressed by the malevolent and conspiratorial forces of the Catholic Church. The novel alleges that there has been throughout history a secret group of true followers of a Gnostic Jesus and his wife, Mary Magdalene, the true "Holy Grail". Almost everything most Christians and non-Christians think they know about Jesus, according to Dan Brown, is completely wrong, the result of Catholic propaganda designed to hide the truth from the world.

But are The Da Vinci Code's claims fact or just plain fiction? Is the novel well-researched as claimed? What is the truth about Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and the early Church? Has the Catholic Church distorted the real Jesus? Why is the novel so popular? What about the anti-Catholic, anti-Christian agenda behind the novel?

Best selling author Carl Olson and journalist Sandra Miesel answer these and other important questions. Their painstaking research into The Da Vinci Code and its sources reveals some surprising truths. No one who has read or heard about The Da Vinci Code should miss this provocative and illuminating new book.

Customer Reviews:

True research.......2007-04-23

This book is a prime example of properly done research. Every fact substantiated, every statement followed up by a reference, and every aspect of "DaVinci Code" examined in minute detail. This is what true research should look like. To all the conspiracy buffs out there this work should be a mandatory reading. Highly recommended even despite the fact that the chapters on Priory of Sion and the Templars are somewhat dragging.

The Final Word on the Da Vinci Code.......2006-07-17

The tremendous exposure given to Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code (no doubt to reach a frenzied pitch with the soon release of the film based on Brown's novel), its claim to present a truer accout of Christian history than that given by the Church, and the confusion it has caused among many Christians has necessitated a Christian response. Indeed there has been many such responses but the sheer volume of falsehoods passed off as known facts in Brown's writing makes even the cataloguing of the mistakes a herculean task. Thus the books written in response tend either to be point-by-point lists of Brown's claims with refutations (these are useful as supplementary material but tend to be disjointed and as exciting to read as stereo instructions) or more methodical works that limit their scope and seek to cut off Brown at the foundational level.

A notable exception to this is The Da Vinci Hoax by Catholic authors Carl E. Olson and Sandra Miesel. In an exhaustive survey of Brown's "research", they do a masterful job of examining every facet of The Da Vinci Code's often self-contradictory claims and exposes each historical inaccuracy, unwarranted assumption, and logical fallacy to the light and leaves Brown's much discussed theories in tatters. It is quite clear that the errors in the book are so egregious and the evidence to the contrary so overwhelming that one strains to see how any reasonably intelligent person could come up with such nonsense. The clear implication is that the book is not so much the result of an honest historical investigation presented in novel form as a blatant attack upon the credibility of Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular. Indeed, the after effects of the controversy as measured in doubts engendered in many Christians may be with us long after Brown's work has been relegated to the trash heap occupied by other sensationalistic pop conspiracy theories.

Olson and Miesel leave virtually no stone unturned in their thorough exposure of Brown's thesis. After an initial introduction outlining the scope of the phenomnon and the importance of the Church to vigorously defend the faith against it, they, in successive chapters, investigate the facts concerning gnosticism, Mary Magdalene, early Christians beliefs concerning Jesus, and the facts concerning Constantine and the events surrounding the Council of Nicea. Once the facts on these matters is given, there is little room for belief in any of the crackpot conspiracy theories Brown tries to peddle off as representative of contemporary scholarly research.

Where does Dan Brown stand once it is known that the gnostic writings he cites were written centuries after the New Testament books? Where is the conspiracy against Mary Magdalene when she was held in high esteem by those whom Brown contends slandered her? What is the role of Constantine once it is established that all sides at Nicea believed Christ was somehow divine but the argument was over the nature of His divinity? How is it that the silencing of the "sacred feminine" took place during and after Nicea when the popularity of gnosticism had collapsed long before of its own inherent weaknesses? By the end of the fourth chapter the edifice which Brown constructed has been shown to have been built upon sand and the authors have unleashed a mammoth earthquake to leave it in ruins.

Just to leave no doubt in the matter, Olson and Meisel then turn to the whole medieval fantasy of the Knights Templar and the Priory of Sion. At this point, Brown's foundation has already have crumbled and now the authors begin to crush the debris. The coup de grace is when Brown's alleged evidence for the Priory of Sion contention is shown to be an admitted hoax concocted by a French con artist named Pierre Plantard. This is not controversial news - it was exposed in a BBC documentary years ago and was widely known among those who had investigated the matter. That Brown would not have come across this information if he had done any level of serious research is simply unthinkable and underscores the disingenious elements behind the entire project. The authors then close by examining the remaining claims that do not fit into any of the previously discussed categories.

The overall effect is a total destruction of any credibility in Dan Brown's work. Given the great amount of unjustified attention given to The Da Vinci Code and the importance of the matter for the Church, a comprehensive refutation was a necessity. Olsen and Miesel have done the entire Church a great service and may have written the final word on the matter. Certainly this is essential reading for all concerned with the frenzy surrounding this latest cultural phenomenon.

Debunking or jumping on the bandwagon?.......2006-07-10

One of the reviewers here asked the question whether Dan Brown actually believed all the nonsense he put into "The Da Vinci Code?" and concludes "If he did, he was a fool. If he didn't, he was a charlatan." I think the matter is more insidious than that. Mr. Brown did write his book - pretty slipshod, if you ask me - with a tram ticket to the bank in his pocket. His line of defence will always be: "It's fiction people, just fiction! Poetic license, so don't get yourself worked up!" Nothing wrong with the fiction part, of course, but getting worked up is what keeps the cash-register ringing.

This man didn't just tell a story, in which case it would be only a matter of telling whether it is a good or a bad story. (The story is lousy; some two hundred years ago a critic stated, that there is in all the gospels not even enough space to squeeze in a knife to find something in it that could yield a good visual for a story. Whatever is good in Mr. Brown's book, he had to make it up himself.) No, what we have here is a cold-blooded speculation on the wallets of a certain type of reader. The type of reader who discusses a piece of fiction as a statement of fact. I am not saying this is the reader's fault. What I am saying is, the reader who fits the profile is the credulous New Ager's type and the believer disappointed by his faith.

The operative word is "profile." Dan Brown, or his agent, or the publisher, had a clear understanding what kind of reader was about to lap up his book. And they obviously got it right.

Superb!.......2006-06-29

The authors have done a superb job of revealing the lies, fantasies, and willful misrepresentations contained in that awful piece of junk, "The Da Vinci Code."

The errors are not minor details. For example, the very idea that that Constantine convened the Council of Nicea to declare Jesus divine is just nonsense. In fact, one of the main reasons for convening the council was to settle a debate concerning the nature of Christ's divinity: was he the SAME AS God (homoousian) or SIMILAR TO God (homoiousian)? Christ's divinity was never in question.

By the way, I am not entering this discussion as a Catholic, or even a Christian. I do not think you need to be a Christian to abhor the lie. And "The Da Vinci Code" is just teeming with lies.

What else could be wrong here? Well, the whole idea that the "Catholic Christians" kidnapped Jesus from the "Gnostic Christians" is completely backwards!

Folks, it really seems that there was a man we know as Jesus. After his crucifixion and death, his disciples, family and other adherents formed the original Christian Church. They were all Jews, and eventually forced by circumstances to leave the Jewish faith. But this original church was formed CENTURIES before the Gnostic movements attempted to capitalize on the popularity of the new faith.

Mary Magdalene? A minor character in the Gospels. And, mark you well: despite all of their flaws, the Gospels are the only possible source for the life of Jesus, aside from a few scattered comments in Jewish and Roman sources. Why should Mary Magdalene be raised to the most important person in Christian history?

More to the point, who ever dreamed that Jesus MARRIED Mary Magdalene and fathered a child by her?

Most of the nonsense in "The Da Vinci Code" goes right back to that awful book, "Holy Blood, Holy Grail." The influence is so obvious that the authors of HBHG actually sued Dan Brown for plagiarism. They lost, on the rather odd grounds that "facts" could not be copyrighted -- as if their book contained any facts!

If you want the quick demolition, just read the chapter on the Priory of Sion and Pierre Plantard.

The question that arises, for me, is the following one: did Dan Brown actually believe all the nonsense he put into "The Da Vinci Code?" If he did, he was a fool. If he didn't, he was a charlatan.

Fool or charlatan, there is no "third option."

Believe it or not, one elderly women actually screamed that "The Da Vinci Code" could not have been printed if it was not true! She obviously didn't place a Bible on the table and scream the same thing, I wonder why.

Human stupidity and cupidity are endless.

This book gets my highest recommendation!

Accurate but Dry... Very dry.......2006-06-23

The Da Vinci Hoax is a good book but it is exceedingly DRY, as most scholarly works are. And therein is the rub. Books filled with truth, lots of good factual research, a lot of footnotes and references are normally dry and not easy reading. The beauty of the Da Vinci Code is the book is easy and fun to read. What better way to put forth a hoax?

So the hoaxer, Mr. Brown who wrote the Da Vinci Code, will win the war even though his tomb is filled with easily discredited "facts". So the Da Vinci Hoax proves that scholarly writing will lose out to mass market writing. The intellectuals will know that Mr. Olsen is correct and Mr. Brown is not, but the mass public will still think Mr. Brown's book is full of facts and the damage will be done. This is often the case in today's world. Fact is overcome by fiction because fiction just sells better. This leads to poor political decisions and even worse, but that is the world of today. Truth is turned upside down by the mass media and facts are no longer facts (or even important as facts).

I liked the Da Vinci Hoax. It thoroughly disassembled the Da Vinci Code and "proved", if that can be said of attacking a fiction work, that Mr. Brown's book is so full of errors it is laughable. As Mr. Olsen says, it fails the "desk encyclopedia test "meaning it makes claims that a decent desk encyclopedia will expose as erroneous.

The only problem is the Da Vinci Hoax reads like a textbook, and most people don't like reading textbooks. I like reading historical material, even in textbooks, but at times I found myself plowing through Mr. Olsen's writings and trying to fall asleep. It is tough going in spots, but dedicated historians or art critic types or intellectuals will make it through and read all the footnotes. But that isn't the normal person. The normal person will not read this book, or not read very far. This same person will read the Da Vinci Code and love every moment of it because it is a mystery story with a lot of intrigue and at least some action.

The authors of the Da Vinci Hoax are concerned about the damage the Da Vinci Code will do to Christianity in general and Catholic Christianity in particular; however, this kind of scholarly book will not reach the readers of the Da Vinci Code. What is needed is a book where the heroes are involved in some kind of action that tells the truth about history and the Catholic Church in an exciting way. Scholars already knew, or could easily find out, the truth behind the Da Vinci Code. Most scholars would have dismissed the book and movie as junk anyway. So a book needs to be written to attack the "facts" in the Da Vinci Code that is fun to read, filled with adventure etc. Otherwise the hoaxer will win and western societies lose.

The Big Book of Hoaxes: True Tales of the Greatest Lies Ever Told! (Factoid Books)

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short stories
IF YOU ENJOY A GOOD HOAX...
Stunning art and great historical value
Too Good To Be True?
GREAT REFERENCE BOOK

The Big Book of Hoaxes: True Tales of the Greatest Lies Ever Told! (Factoid Books)
Carl Sifakis
Manufacturer: DC Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1563892529

Customer Reviews:

short stories.......2007-01-23

The layout of this book is in comic book form. I didn't realize that and was a little bit put off. However, the stories are interesting and short. Which comes in handy if you are reading this while commuting to work.

IF YOU ENJOY A GOOD HOAX..........2005-11-07

Stunning art and great historical value.......2003-12-27

That's what the overall great series "Big book of.." offers. Comic art of the finest order and incredible historical value.
In this case, it's hoaxes or seeing it another way the ability of humans to be fooled in the most unlikely and bizzare ways, a process that more than often has led in a dramatic change in the course of history.

For those that are familiar with the "Big book.." series the comics offered here are nothing less than gems as some of the greatest comic makers colloborate to put this together.
But if you use these books as reference points (their bibliographies are treasures for such a use) you're bound to wind up with a very in-depth knowledge of history, one that's far-distanced from the mainstream-polished version you've been served up to now.
Some of the stories on display on this book might be somewhat known, most are not, but what's even more impressive is that some seem too outrageous to even be close to the truth. Sadly, for the record of human history all of them are 100% real.

Highlights include:
-the story of F.Kreisler who duper critics into thinking he was playing pieces of great composers but had instead composed them on his own. And this for decades! One of the great embarrasments for the world of critics and a lesson to be discovered.
-the infamous Hitler diaries, a definitive case showing that money and greed dictates the "news".
-The BBC riot panic and the very similar but far more sophisticated "War of the worlds" by O.Welles
-The Boxer rebellion in China, instigated by 4 journalists and a fake story they put up in Denver!
-Sawing Manhattan in half (!!!!)and how 1000s of workers were actually convinced that this "project" was to take place, showed up on the day it was supposed to start only to find none of the "organisers" there...
-Brian Hughes the king of pranksters as well as another prankster who actually managed to sell New York..
-the much unknown to many tulip hysteria in Holland.

These are of course just a few of the tens of stories included in this truly great book. As most of the "Big book of..." are slowly taken out of print you should make sure you can get what's still available. It looks like you should hurry especially if you are a dedicated comic fan and if you simoultaneously appreciate comics that reflect the facts.

Too Good To Be True?.......2000-06-08

This is the seventh volume in Paradox Press's "Big Books" series, and it's another winner! It's a book of lies, but all-true stories about them. From the Piltdown Man to Orson Welles' War of the Worlds, it's all unbelievably good.

GREAT REFERENCE BOOK.......1999-12-31

This book will make an informative, entertaining, off-the-wall addition to my reference library. I'm planning on buying more of this "Big Book of..." series.

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A Perfect Hoax (Hesperus Classics)
Italo Svevo
Manufacturer: Hesperus Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Zeno's Conscience: A Novel

ASIN: 1843910586

Book Description

Influenced by the rise of the science of psychology and the turmoil of the early 20th century, A Perfect Hoax is an ironic and affectionate story of illusion, self-deception, and impracticality in a practical world. Mario Samigli is in his seventies; he has all but given up his cherished aspirations as a writer and smiles at the world through his one remaining literary outlet—fables. When a travelling salesman with a taste for practical jokes persuades him that a Viennese publishing company wants to translate his early failed novel, Mario is caught in a fantasy of success and fame, and neglects his beloved invalid brother. A Perfect Hoax follows the elaborate prank as it escalates, forcing Mario blindly down a road that can only lead to disappointment.

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Joining the Crowd
Enlightening.
This hobbit cannot praise enough. . .
An outstanding book! Strong words which needed to be said.
This book exposes a lot of false claims about C. S. Lewis.

The C.S. Lewis Hoax
Kathryn Ann Lindskoog
Manufacturer: Multnomah Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0880702583

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Joining the Crowd.......2007-09-29

As a serious student of literary fraud I join with those who were disappointed at the extent to which questions raised go unanswered in this book. Since there are two other similar titles by the same author, perhaps I should explore them before coming to a conclusion ... however, conjecture doesn't solve anything and that's the problem with this book. A bit of "what if?" is tolerable but "Hoax" goes on and on. The only solid stuff is in comparing old text and new, telling me the author likely didn't have the resources to pursue more sophisticated investigative techniques. In which case the publisher owed it to readers to provide those resources. For all that, I found the book readable and it or one of her other similar titles would no doubt be a "must" for those interested in the controversy. Lindskoog is on the right track but too often her wheels are just spinning. As she is at the head of the pack on this one, it would be great if a publisher would advance her what is needed to bring in the necessary specialist hounds to back her up.

Enlightening........2006-09-08

I really enjoyed reading this book. I was only recently struck by this obsession with C. S. Lewis and have come to notice the name Walter Hooper everywhere. I would have believed he was who he claimed to be had I not by accident picked up this book.

I realize that the author is biased, occasionally provides evidence that are somewhat sketchy, and--of all things--attacks Hooper's sexual preference, but her sarcasm is brilliant. Besides, no matter how one-sided she is, facts are facts. I only feel sorry that this had to happen. I would have loved to see how Lewis's papers would turn out had they fallen into the right hands.

This hobbit cannot praise enough. . ........2001-09-28

. . .this remarkable bit of literary detection by Mrs. Lindskoog.

Informed hobbits have known for quite some time that there have been serious issues of legitimacy and integrity surrounding the writings and literary legacy of CS Lewis, close friend and fellow Inkling of our own great Professor. In this volume, Mrs. Lindskoog traces the history and lineage of Lewis' literary legacy and demonstrates that there has, in all likelyhood, been a great deal of fraud and deceit practiced upon lovers of Lewis by a number of individuals who should have known better.

This hobbit can only hope that Mrs. Lindskoog's book quickly returns to print and is widely read and disseminated among those of our fellows who truly loved Mr. Lewis and respected his legitimate work.

An outstanding book! Strong words which needed to be said........2000-06-30

All true lovers of the writings and person of C.S. Lewis, and all academics interested in Lewis from a literary standpoint will benefit greatly from this book.

Lindskoog pins down, through incredible academic detective work, what many of us suspected for some time, but were unable to voice or prove, namely, that Lewis's "literary executors" have tried (and in many cases succeeded) in pulling the wool over our eyes!

Lindskoog has demonstrated that many of the quaint little stories about bonfires, lost manuscripts, personal secretaries, etc. have, in many cases, been outright fabrications foisted on an unsuspecting public. It's a shame that in the confusion following Lewis's death, a better executor could not have been found; perhaps, if this had been the case, much trouble would have been averted.

Well, it's all water under the bridge now. The truth is out there, and real Lewis scholars know what it is. Dr. Hooper and his cronies have been thoroughly discredited. Now if only he would quit writing introductions. . .

This book exposes a lot of false claims about C. S. Lewis........1999-01-08

Lord Acton said that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. St. Paul said that the love of money is the root of all evil. These two principles have combined in the C. S. Lewis literary estate. As one of the many economically foolish things CSL did in his life, he left the management of his literary estate to two friends who did not have the experience or time to manage it. At the first opportunity his friends unloaded the management upon the first person handy, a student from America who was keenly interested in Lewis' books and occasionally visited him in the last summer of his life.

Predictable results occurred. This person wielded power over publishers who made huge profits from the books. He had the power to say which academics had access to certain Lewis archives and which got permission to quote Lewis. The publishers had to include this person's book introductions in which he rewrote himself in a favorable light into history. Ambitious specialists needed to agree with the claims. One such claim was that this person was Lewis' live in, full time, private secretary for several years. This person also "discovered" many unknown Lewis literary works and revisions of existing works that were significantly lower in literary quality than the original, known Lewis literature and in some cases contained religious and ethical themes that were the exact opposite of Lewis' adamantly held views.

In this book Kathryn Lindskoog does a thorough job of investigative journalism in deflating much of the rewritten history and "new" Lewis works with documentary evidence and eye witness accounts. This book reads much like a Chapman Pincher espionage expose. This book attracted much attention, and further eye witness accounts and leads to more documentary evidence and was followed by a second book, "Light in the Shadow Lands," five years later.

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3 Books: 1) The DaVinci Code (Dan Brown) / 2) The DaVinci Legacy (Lewis Perdue) / 3) The DaVinci Hoax: Exposing the errors in the Da Vinci Code (Carl E. Olson) (Unboxed Set of Da Vinci Code Related Books)
Dan Brown , Lewis Perdue , Lewis Purdue , Carl E. Olson , Carl E. Olsen , and Sandra Miesel
Manufacturer: various
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000WWB6B8

Product Description

3 Books: 1) The DaVinci Code (Dan Brown) / 2) The DaVinci Legacy (Lewis Perdue) / 3) The DaVinci Hoax: Exposing the errors in the Da Vinci Code (Carl E. Olson) (Unboxed Set of Da Vinci Code Related Books) , in either Hard or Softcover, (See Seller Condition Comments), Shipped in one package to save on shipping costs.

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The Big Hoax
Carlos Trillo , and Roberto Mandrafina
Manufacturer: Dark Horse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Iguana

ASIN: 1569716293

Book Description

Denaldo Reynoso is a down-on-his-luck ex-cop, kicked to the curb for daring to do his job in the corrupt Banana Republic of La Colonia. Now, no good to himself or anyone else, he agrees to help a captivating woman known far and wide in La Colonia, a living myth of perfect virtue and reported healing powers, a facade that conceals a sordid web of deceit and depravity as ugly as the illusion is beautiful. But Reynoso's desperate grasp for redemption unleashes a plague of evils, none more lethal than the Iguana, an unstoppable assassin whose mission is to bury the truth...and anyone who threatens to reveal it! Written by CyberSix creator Carlos Trillo and illustrated by Roberto Mandrafina, The Big Hoax is another essential Venture graphic album, published in collaboration with Strip Art Features, and available for the first time in an English-language edition!

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Hoax a Novel
Lars Lawrence
Manufacturer: INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHERS CO
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000Q9RAYY

A Hoax/Supercheria (Hispanic Literature)

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A Hoax/Supercheria (Hispanic Literature)
Leopoldo Alas
Manufacturer: Edwin Mellen Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0773489789

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