Hoax: Hitler's Diaries, Lincoln's Assassins, and Other Famous Frauds

Hoax: Hitler's Diaries, 

Lincoln's Assassins, 

and Other Famous Frauds

Author(s): Edward Steers Jr.

Joe Nickell (Foreword)

Publisher: University Press of KY

ISBN: 978-0-8131-4159-6

This book was one of those that was in a class all by itself. That's not to say that it was particularly good or bad, however. In fact, there were probably only two chapters in the entirety of the novel that I had trouble or felt uncomfortable reading. Also right off the bat, this review is loaded with spoilers, so if you plan on reading the book, pick a different web page now.

Probably my most favorite part of the book was at the very beginning (sad, but true!). The first hoax they discussed was about Joseph Smith's first vision in a document referred to as the "Salamander Letter." Now anyone who has taken  or given Latter-day Saint missionary discussions definitely knows right off the bat that this letter is false without even reading. Some of the quotes at the beginning of the book are pretty profound as well, such as one from Napoleon Bonaparte, which reads: "History is a set of lies agreed upon." 

Some of the other frauds, however, I almost fell for, or just made interesting stories. The book covered a lot of different historical objects and events, such as the Shroud of Turin, The events surrounding Pearl Harbor and World War II, as well as Lincoln's assassination. They even threw in a documents that I had never even heard of, called the Oath of a Freeman.

All in all, I feel that this book in a sense has an appeal to both history enthusiasts and conspiracy theorists. It is definitely worth a read if you haven't picked it up yet.