Hoax - Truth and Lies in the Age of Enlightenment

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.

About the author

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.

Product details

• Authors: Madeleine Pelling
• Publisher: Profile Books
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 07.05.2026
• EAN: 9781805222354
• ISBN: 978-1-80522-235-4
• No. of pages: 320
• Subjects: Guides > Spirituality > Ancient knowledge, ancient cultures; Humanities, art, music > History > Modern era up to 1918; HISTORY / Social History, HISTORY / Europe / Great Britain / Georgian Era (1714-1837), 18th century, c 1700 to c 1799, United Kingdom, Great Britain, HISTORY / Europe / Great Britain / General, Social and cultural history, Ghosts & poltergeists, Ghosts and poltergeists, C 1700 To C 1800