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 lies – and died a
prophetess and murderer.

Here stands Mary Willcocks. Or is it Anne Burgess? Or Princess Caraboo,
from the distant island of Javasu?

A ghost. A witch. A princess. This is a story of those who lie. And
of those who choose to believe them.

The discoveries of the Enlightenment unsettled as much as they excited. New
truths challenged longstanding beliefs. Rationalism jarred with superstition.
Which voices would be heard in this ferocious battle for certainty?

From the chaos, three women and their hoaxes rose as symbols of terror and
fascination. But were the lies surrounding Fanny Lynes, Mary Bateman and Mary
Willcocks entirely of their own making? Why were the public transfixed?

Questioning culpability and complicity, Pelling’s engrossing history of this
great age of the hoax reveals a veiled world of moral panic, tall tales and
true crime, and holds a mirror to our own turbulent relationship with truth.

Author: Madeline Pelling
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Ips – Profile Books
Published: 09/01/2026
Pages: 320
ISBN: 9781805222354
Language: English