Great Exploration Hoaxes

By: David Roberts

Narrated by: David de Vries

Did Peary reach the North Pole? Was Admiral Byrd the first to fly over it? Did Frederick Cook actually make the first ascent of Mt. McKinley? Spanning 450 years of history, Great Exploration Hoaxes tells the spellbinding stories of ten men who pursued glory at any cost even the truth. Acclaimed author and explorer David Roberts delves deeply into the psychology behind the stunt and asks why these individuals, all of whom were exceptionally able, would perpetrate fraud on such a grand and public scale and defend it to their deaths, even in the face of damning evidence, and why these dubious achievements are still so hotly debated, often hundreds of years afterward.

Demonstrating that the qualities that brought an individual so close to his goal were often the same ones that drove him to fake success, Great Exploration Hoaxes is history at its best: entertaining, provocative, and revealing of human nature.

©1982 David Roberts. (P)2020 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

excellent as always

when mr roberts and mr de vries are working a project together, believe it's going to be fantastic

maybe we all need to keep bruce in mind and cut people slack and graciously give the benefit of doubt to those we find questionable.

Very interesting

An interesting array of examples of exploration hoaxes. Good descriptions of these events. Makes you think.

Possible hoaxes laid out like a trial

I had never heard about most of these men and their claims but I loved how the author showed both sides and left it up to the reader to decide the truth. I will now, look at every claim more critically rather than being lead blindly by the masses.

Good introduction to these hoaxes

I thought this was a good introduction to several exploration hoaxes, only two of which I'd heard of before. It's great that the author mentions the titles of some other books that go into some of these hoaxes in greater detail in case one wants more extensive details.

The one issue I have is that the author twice stated that St. Paul, MN is located in Hennepin County. Having lived in St. Paul, MN, for 10 years, I can assure you that it is not in Hennepin County, but rather in Ramsey County.

Sans grand intérêt.

Hoaxes sans conséquences historiques, le livre traîne pour faire espérer un vrai scandale ou démasquer un affabulateur. Flop apres flop.