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The title subject is not the only subject; we also dive into the birth of the penny newspaper in the 1830s (New York's Sun, which printed the great hoax in 1835, was the first), and the careers of James Gordon Bennett (the publisher of the Sun's great rival, the Herald), Edgar Allen Poe (who felt ripped off), and P.T. Barnum (who knew a good con when he saw one).
Very entertaining. ...more
Very entertaining. ...more
For anyone in the newspaper business, this will be a fun read/listen. Back to the heyday of the business--How newspapers transformed from products for the elite to one for the everyman. Penny papers, fierce competition, dirty tricks, hoaxes, P.T. Barum, it's all there in all its historical glory--just like the lengthy title says.
Excellent narration and interesting story but only 3 stars (means I liked it) because it did tend to bounce around often and I found myself wondering how I transitioned ...more
Excellent narration and interesting story but only 3 stars (means I liked it) because it did tend to bounce around often and I found myself wondering how I transitioned ...more
This was really interesting, but not quite what I thought it would be. The title is accurate--it bounces among hoaxers and showmen (including PT Barnum), dueling journalists launching the first penny newspapers in New York City, and The Moon Series published by The Sun, a hoax science story purporting to talk about discoveries on the moon including life in the form of Lunar Man-Bats. It's a history of New York City, the news business, the fight for abolition, the "humbug" culture and the beginni
...more
Oct 07, 2017
MichelleCH
marked it as to-read
