Here lies Fanny Lynes , whose whispers from beyond the grave set London alight with scandal. Here swings Mary Bateman , who lived a life of solace and lies - and died a prophetess and murderer. Here stands Mary Willcocks . Or is it Anne Burgess? Or perhaps Princess Caraboo, from the distant island of Javasu? A ghost. A witch. A princess. Three transgressive women, fighting for their lives in the shadows of the Enlightenment. The discoveries emerging from the laboratories and libraries of 18th century Britain unsettled as much as they excited. Rationalism jarred with superstition. Who was - and was not - to be believed in this ferocious battle for certainty? From the chaos, these women and their hoaxes rose as symbols of terror and fascination. But were their lies entirely their own? And at what cost did they come to the those around them? Questioning culpability and complicity, Madeleine Pelling''s engrossing history of this great age of the hoax reveals a veiled world of moral panic, tale tales and true crime, and holds a mirror to our own turbulent relationship with the truth.

Autorentext

Madeleine Pelling is an award-winning cultural historian, author and broadcaster, and has held research fellowships at the universities of Yale, Edinburgh and Manchester. She is the co-host of History Hit's popular After Dark podcast and is a regular contributor for TV and radio, including for Channel 4, Sky Arts, Warner Bros and the BBC. Her words appear in the Guardian, Independent, BBC History Magazine and History Today, amongst others. She is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

Klappentext

'An entertaining read that vividly brings to life its motley cast of rogues, frauds and unfortunates' The Times
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'Scintillating ... a thrill ride through the filthy streets and dank rooms of Georgian England where the lies and deceptions that fooled a nation were born' Hallie Rubenhold, author of The Five**
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Here lies Fanny Lynes**, whose whispers from beyond the grave set London alight with scandal.
Here swings Mary Bateman, who lived a life of lies - and died a prophetess and murderer.
Here stands Mary Willcocks. Or is it Anne Burgess? Or Princess Caraboo, from the distant island of Javasu?

A ghost. A witch. A princess. This is a story of those who lie. And of those who choose to believe them.
The discoveries of the Enlightenment unsettled as much as they excited. New truths challenged longstanding beliefs. Rationalism jarred with superstition. Which voices would be heard in this ferocious battle for certainty?

From the chaos, three women and their hoaxes rose as symbols of terror and fascination. But were the lies surrounding Fanny Lynes, Mary Bateman and Mary Willcocks entirely of their own making? Why were the public transfixed?

Questioning culpability and complicity, Pelling's engrossing history of this great age of the hoax reveals a veiled world of moral panic, tall tales and true crime, and holds a mirror to our own turbulent relationship with truth.