David Sinclair (3)

This is an easy-reading account of the great Poyais fraud, although hampered somewhat by the patchiness of the sources about McGregor and his associates.

I picked this up after listening to a Behind the Bastards episode on Sir Gregor MacGregor whose con I'm interested in updating and fictionalizing. David Sinclair's prose can be quite dry at times, but his healthy balance of admiration and contempt for MacGregor grounds the story. There is a direct line to modern confidence tricksters and frauds, like Fyre Fest as well as the crypto market, NFTs, and perhaps Elon Musk and other tech billionaires.

Great Read

"The Land That Never Was" is a wonderful book about a very strange episode in world history. MacGregor's life and story as one of the world's most despicable con-men is described in detail that is easy to read and enjoyable, despite the tragedy that befell many of MacGregor's followers.

While it might not be the most important event in history, it is certainly fascinating. "The Land That Never Was" is a great example of solid writing and good research.

An account of a Scottish man who lived a life of fraud and deception with impressive audacity. He sold land and promoted settlement of a land that did not exist gaining converts on the basis of fake military prowess and an elaborate set of brochures and documents.