This book provides a set of money-making schemes and detailed practical jokes from around the world. There are more than 1000 entries, fully indexed, cross-referenced and laid out in an A-Z system. This book also has the details of the origins and methods of numerous classic scams - from the age-old shell competition to cash machine swindles of at present - and gives a biographical information on a range of shaded characters. Topics include the imaginary skull of "Piltdown Man" which was regarded as the lost link for a invention before it was proved to be an complicated hoax and "Dr" John Brinkley who became a millionaire with his quack.

Carl Sifakis is a free-lance writer who has written nearly a dozen popular reference books as well as Encyclopedia of American Crime. He currently lives in New York.