Would you buy a box that printed money, or accept an unseen acre of land because it was being given away? Would you turn down a quick buck for something just a smidge outside the law--or refuse that super-sized TV because it fell off the back of a truck? Since civilization first spilled a trickle of coins through man"s fingers and placed a value on objects, rapacious rogues have been eager to pick a pocket through swindles, tricks and cons - and for every conman there's a sucker ready to buy into that 'sure thing'. $cam$ $cheme$ $cumbag$ dishes the dirt on some of the biggest fraudsters in history who offered a shortcut to riches. You'll meet the inventive Rhodocanakis who created his ancestors past - and thereby, his own future. Profligate Madame Therese who made millions with only one brick. The Red Baron who took 14 years to prove he owned 17,000 square miles of Arizona and died a pauper. And Bernie Madoff who ran the biggest Ponzi scheme ever. Avarice was at the beginning of their alphabet. You'll laugh at the suckers' mistakes - but are you about to be the next eager victim?
About the Author: PAT SILVER-LASKY wrote as a team with her late husband, Hollywood screen writer and author, Jesse L. Lasky, Jr., son of the film pioneer. With Jesse, Pat wrote 4 books (including the American best seller historical novel, The Offer), 8 films, nearly 100 TV scripts, & award winning 'Ten Who Dared'. Verse play, 'Ghost Town' won awards. TV series, 'Philip Marlowe' won 3 awards. Born in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A., Pat attended the University of Washington as a Drama Major, Stanford University and Reed College, where she produced and directed their first play. As Barbara Hayden she appeared in feature roles in films, inc. Sammy Fuller's The Crimson Kimono. Wrote lyrics for 14 published songs, including "While You're Young" for Johnny Mathis, and lyrics for two films at Columbia. Pat has lived in London since the early 1960's and has duel citizenship. In 1987 she and Jesse wrote the play, 'Vivien', based on their book, "Love Scene", the story of Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh. Pat directed its highly acclaimed first production in Los Angeles, 1987 and London Rehearsed Reading of 'VIVIEN' in 1992. She lectured on script writing, was Script Consultant at the London Film School. SCREENWRITING FOR THE 21ST CENTURY was published for B.T. Batsford (Chrysalis) in 2004. PETER BETTS' career took him from the drawing board on projects such as Concorde to Marketing Manager for international concerns: Philips, Bosch and Sanyo. During this time he painted and sold over 400 watercolors echoing the Chinese style of brushwork, then ran a small advertising/promotion company. Later he supplied cartoons to magazines and the UK national newspaper The Sunday Express. As Peeby he has had 8 books of cartoons published in England, the series A Loony Look At ... aimed at the children's market and The Wacky World series for the adult gift market. To learn more about the film business he became a movie extra in the U.K., before he emigrated with Pat to California and returned to painting with his Contours portfolio, recently invited to present a one man exhibition; topographical abstracts of US locations: New York, San Francisco etc.