The Great Diamond Hoax of 1872: The History of 19th Century America's Most Notorious Fraud
ISBN: 9781537731162
$8.99
*Includes pictures
*Includes contemporary accounts of the hoax written by victims and newspapers
*Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading
*Includes a table of contents
“[T]he most gigantic and barefaced swindle of the age.” – The San Francisco Chronicle’s description of the Great Diamond Hoax of 1872
It’s only natural that people have always been attracted to get-rich-quick schemes, and in spite of their best efforts, almost everyone has been tempted at one time or another by a promise of riches that can be obtained with little or no work. The attraction is even stronger during periods when ordinary people have indeed struck it rich, particularly the California Gold Rush and the Yukon Gold Rush in the mid-19th century and late 19th century respectively. Having heard stories of men who went west with nothing and returned as millionaires, people were more inclined than ever before to believe that “there’s gold (or silver or diamonds) in them thar hills.”
*Includes contemporary accounts of the hoax written by victims and newspapers
*Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading
*Includes a table of contents
“[T]he most gigantic and barefaced swindle of the age.” – The San Francisco Chronicle’s description of the Great Diamond Hoax of 1872
It’s only natural that people have always been attracted to get-rich-quick schemes, and in spite of their best efforts, almost everyone has been tempted at one time or another by a promise of riches that can be obtained with little or no work. The attraction is even stronger during periods when ordinary people have indeed struck it rich, particularly the California Gold Rush and the Yukon Gold Rush in the mid-19th century and late 19th century respectively. Having heard stories of men who went west with nothing and returned as millionaires, people were more inclined than ever before to believe that “there’s gold (or silver or diamonds) in them thar hills.”