The great diamond hoax

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Harpending, Asbury, 1839-1923

Contributor:

Wilkins, James Hepburn

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource : multiple file formats

Place of Publication:

Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg,

Summary:

"The Great Diamond Hoax and Other Stirring Incidents in the Life of Asbury Harpending" is a historical account edited by James H. Wilkins and likely written in the early 20th century. The book recounts the life of Asbury Harpending, who became embroiled in one of the financial world's most infamous cons- the diamond hoax of the 1870s. It also shares Harpending's adventurous exploits during his youth, including mining ventures in California and relationships with colorful figures of the era. The opening of the book introduces Asbury Harpending reflecting on his life and the unfortunate association of his name with a notorious diamond swindle that had ramifications for his reputation. He explains that he wishes to clarify his role in the incident, which he claims was that of a dupe alongside well-known financiers. In the first chapter, he shares the tale of his adventurous youth, including running away from home to seek fortune in California and the early experiences that shaped him. These experiences set the tone for the themes of fortune, misfortune, and the excitement of the American frontier that are woven throughout his life story. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Credits:

Produced by Charlie Howard and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)

Notes:

Reading ease score: 69.8 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read.

Release date is 2015-04-30