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Title details for Drake's Fortune by Richard Rayner - Available

Drake's Fortune

by Richard Rayner
ebook
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His scam was as simple as it was brazen. Before and during the Great Depression, Oscar Hartzell persuaded tens of thousands of Midwesterners to part with millions of dollars to start a legal fund that would see the mythical fortune of Sir Francis Drake restored to his rightful heir. In return for their contributions, donors would get shares in the riches, estimated to be worth $100 billion. The money of course went in the pocket of Hartzell, who transformed himself into a hedonistic English aristocrat even as the folks back home continued to see him as a hero.
As he recounts this amazing tale, Richard Rayner tells the larger history of cons in America. We have always had a soft spot for the crafty or larger-than-life swindler, and with Drake’s Fortune, Rayner offers a delightful portrait of a uniquely American character.
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Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

Kindle Book

  • Release date: October 14, 2003

OverDrive Read

  • ISBN: 9781400075904
  • Release date: October 14, 2003

EPUB ebook

  • ISBN: 9781400075904
  • File size: 2269 KB
  • Release date: October 14, 2003
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Formats

Kindle Book
OverDrive Read
EPUB ebook

subjects

Biography & Autobiography History True Crime Nonfiction

Languages

English

His scam was as simple as it was brazen. Before and during the Great Depression, Oscar Hartzell persuaded tens of thousands of Midwesterners to part with millions of dollars to start a legal fund that would see the mythical fortune of Sir Francis Drake restored to his rightful heir. In return for their contributions, donors would get shares in the riches, estimated to be worth $100 billion. The money of course went in the pocket of Hartzell, who transformed himself into a hedonistic English aristocrat even as the folks back home continued to see him as a hero.
As he recounts this amazing tale, Richard Rayner tells the larger history of cons in America. We have always had a soft spot for the crafty or larger-than-life swindler, and with Drake’s Fortune, Rayner offers a delightful portrait of a uniquely American character.
Expand title description text
Biography & Autobiography History True Crime Nonfiction