The Giant and How He Humbugged America

Review of the Day: The Giant and How He Humbugged America by Jim Murphy

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Jul 31, Rachel Grover rated it it was amazing Shelves: Jim Murphy has done it again. Awesome narrative nonfiction tale of one of the greatest hoaxes in American history, and I didn't know anything about it! The end notes are great, as he describes his research process and has thorough resources in the bibliography for additional information. Looking forward to ordering this for my MS library!

Jul 13, Alyson rated it really liked it. Mar 18, Samuel Valentino rated it liked it Shelves: The book is more informative than engaging, but nonetheless it is very informative. A succinct but thorough history of the Cardiff Giant, and the players involved. What was most surprising to me is that the bulk of the action took place within a three-month span!

I'll hold off giving details of it, since I don't want to post spoilers, but I had always assumed that events had unfolded over a much longer period of time. Seeing photos of the giant, in situ in particular, were a bonus! Jul 20, Richie Partington rated it it was amazing. To make extra money, Lydia Newell sold gingerbread cookies and sweet cider to those waiting on the viewing line. As did his contemporary, P. What we should, of course, learn from this fascinating history lesson is that we need to fully and independently investigate amazing claims that come our way before buying into them.

When we read something, hear something from a friend, or come upon information through the media or online, we need to consider the source, try to understand what agenda is driving the person or persons disseminating the information, and we need to try to independently verify what it is that we are being sold.

Bush and their advisors having a hearty laugh Murphy also shows how investors in the giant were defrauded because applicable laws did not exist at the time to safeguard them. More sophisticated readers will recognize the parallels between this situation and that of the financial collapse of , where investors were caught up in unregulated investment schemes that so seriously damaged Wall Street, financial institutions, and individual investors.

Barnum humbugs them, and then they pay to hear him tell how he did it. Here in the twenty-first century, there is no room and no excuse for being so easily humbugged. It is also a really entertaining read to boot. Aug 31, Jean rated it liked it Shelves: While several men helped Newell dig a new well, they hit upon what they believed to be a large stone. Upon further investigation, the stone resembled an oversized human foot. With some more help, the men were able to unearth the entire body of what appeared to be a giant man who had been petrified turned to stone.

Local Native American legends had told of a group called the Onondaga, who were stone giants that had terrorized the area long ago.

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Could this petrified man be a lost member of the Onondaga? Or was he proof of the existence of giants mentioned in the Bible? The author believes the crowds were especially drawn to the news of the giant because of the dark times they were living in—deaths in the civil war, the assassination of President Lincoln, and a massive economic depression.

So was it a hoax, or was the giant truly a fossilized man? In this book, Murphy has presented a true story many are probably unfamiliar with, and he has presented it well. Murphy seems to have used every resource at his disposal to gather facts from all sides of the story of the Cardiff Giant, as evidenced by his extensive bibliography of interviews, books, newspaper clippings, and photographs. I found it interesting to follow the story of the giant and its creators and to wonder about how so many people could have been so easily fooled.

The photographs and replications of posters add greatly to the text and should help the young reader to better understand the goings-on and mood of the time. However, I am left wondering if young readers will be interested enough in this story to want to read it in the first place. It is aimed at ages grades , and the writing style seems to that level, but there is not a lot to draw a young reader in to the book.

The subject of the Cardiff Giant may have been better suited to a chapter in a book on oddities instead of carrying a text by itself. I read this book as an electronic edition on a Nook e-reader, and it did not translate appropriately to the smaller format. Also, because of the column format, the text size was either very large or too small to read with no in between. However the appearance was fine on my computer screen. Jan 12, Eyehavenofilter rated it it was ok Recommends it for: Not really unless you like a really dry martini!

When an upstate farmer unearths a 10 ft tall monolith of a man in , all sense of normalcy and reason go right out the window. News of this "discovery" spreads like the plague, and as they say " the game is afoot". What exactly is this, thing? Scientists descend on Cardiff like locusts, all viewing for a chance to document, examine and pontificate on their hypothesis.

Imagine want this would be like today with social media? Gideon Emmons and Henry Nichols headed out to dig up a well on his friend Newell's property. After digging a short while they hit something very solid. Assuming it was an Indian grave, it piqued their interest to dig deeper.

Colorado History: "The Giant and How He Humbugged America"

There is only one photo in existence of the Cardiff Giant while it was still on Newell's land. Newell got spooked and wanted to cover it back up with dirt and forget about the whole thing. That wasn't going to happen As the crowds began to gather, there was no turning back for the men and , most of the crowd agreed it must be the body of an Onndaga Indian, known for their height and ferociousness. Others thought it was alien in nature.

Meanwhile back in the hole water started seeping in causing great concern for the integrity of the find. Eventually bowing to local pressure Newell set up a pump to keep the grave dry, and built a fence around it to keep people from getting too close. He was all for them taking a look, just not touching his " Indian", as long as they paid the 50 cents entrance fee. A pamphlet was written entitled The American Goliath: A Wonderful Geological Discovery, complete with measurements and illustrations that was for sale too.

But was there any validity to back all this Barnum and Bailyesque ballyhoo? People started asking questions that Newell could or would not answer. So scientists were brought in to examine the Goliath. Was Newell a bold faced liar? He swore he didn't create this monstrosity, was it real or constructed? And if so by whom? This was a lackluster book that could have been so much more interesting had it been written with some imaginations no flair.

Sep 21, Barbara rated it really liked it Shelves: The always-reliable Jim Murphy chronicles one of the biggest hoaxes in American history, describing the discovery of the Cardiff Giant in on a farm near Cardiff, New York. Murphy is careful not to give away too much at the start of the story, allowing readers to ponder the possibility of the existence of a petrified giant 10 feet in length. As he allows scientists, newspapers, first-hand accounts, and the general public to weigh in on the issue, readers are liable to wonder if such a man co The always-reliable Jim Murphy chronicles one of the biggest hoaxes in American history, describing the discovery of the Cardiff Giant in on a farm near Cardiff, New York.

As he allows scientists, newspapers, first-hand accounts, and the general public to weigh in on the issue, readers are liable to wonder if such a man could have existed. And then, just when readers are about to buy into it all, in the same fashion that the curious onlookers of those times did, he lets them know that William Newell, the farmer on whose land the creature was found, and George Hull, a skillful con artist, had concocted the whole thing. As the story unravels and the truth about the hoax is revealed, the lives of several individuals are ruined, and money is lost.

Since the book also contains brief descriptions of more recent hoaxes, I felt empathy for those who saw what they wanted to see and were fooled so easily. Circus impressario and collector of oddities, P. Barnum doesn't come off too well in the account either since he tried to purchase the Giant, and when that failed, found his own.

One part that amused me was how the giant's private area was covered with a leaf for modesty's sake and to keep from agitating the females who were viewing the body.

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Because Murphy describes the time period, readers will be able to catch glimpses of America and its citizens flocking to see this wonder that turned out not to be all that wonderful. Apr 22, Jim Erekson rated it liked it Shelves: Inspired by the Bernie Madoff scheme, Murphy decided to write something about hoaxes in general.

The basic underpinning is that people believe what they really want to believe, and that a compelling narrative often beats out rational and empirical evidence. I enjoyed each phase in the Cardiff Giant's travels through the entertainment world, including erstwhile Mormon sensationalist. The fact that there was a general buzz in the country, a desire for some story like this giant, tells something ab Inspired by the Bernie Madoff scheme, Murphy decided to write something about hoaxes in general.

The fact that there was a general buzz in the country, a desire for some story like this giant, tells something about the emerging mass media and information ages. This story made me feel like the people of the US were hungry for mass media long before it arrived, and that hoaxes like this were a bit easier to perpetrate because they were good entertainment.

Newspapers were already in play, but live entertainment was still central, and this kind of sensational find was interesting. Murphy made interesting choices of visuals, including the few photos he could gather of the stone behemoth itself. What is impressive are the full source notes, which lead to primary and contemporary secondary sources. This book is in the top ranks for sourcing, and because the hoax topic is broad and conceptual instead of linked directly to only this featured example, it is a book that cannot be replaced easily by a simple trip to wikipedia.

It would be a good introduction to a wider inquiry on deception. Becky Terhune, graphic designer, made some excellent choices in fonts, page layout, and color scheme. Oct 25, Kate rated it it was ok Recommends it for: I wanted to like it since Jim Murphy's nonfiction books are almost always engaging and well researched.

The Giant was well researched but the story didn't grab me. It started off well, but I had to make myself keep reading. I have a few quibbles with material included. It felt like some of the explanations of the times went on too long; for example,the explanation of the 15th amendment. On the other hand, an illustration on p. Also, Boss Tweed was not a player other than having appointed the judge that was a player, yet Tweed is listed at the beginning of the book as such. Lastly, I had to look up the quote on the back of the book, "There's a sucker born every minute.

Barnum had said this, but discovered that Murphy is correct in attributing this quote to David Hannum, one of the owners of the Cardiff Giant. But why does this appear only on the back of the book? This would have been great to include in the narrative about the public's acceptance of the Giant and how Barnum is often given credit for this statement.

And to list David Hannum on p. A good story about a particular hoax and information on others, but overall this is not one of Murphy's best books. Jul 12, Ms. Yingling rated it it was ok. It's hard for middle school students to understand how hard up for entertainment people were in the s-- heck, they have trouble believing there were only four television channels forty years ago.

But at the time, the discovery of a ten foot tall fossilized "man" in New York State was big news. Scientists and other experts were brought in to opine of the nature of the find, newspapers reported eagerly, and people came from all over to see the Cardiff Giant.

Early on, there were doubts as to t It's hard for middle school students to understand how hard up for entertainment people were in the s-- heck, they have trouble believing there were only four television channels forty years ago. Early on, there were doubts as to the authenticity of the "man", but this did not lessen the appeal of seeing it. In fact, after Barnum was not able to purchase it for his own shows, he had one made, and THAT attracted large crowds. Eventually, facts came to light that the Giant was a hoax, and interest in it died down. Murphy always does a great job of researching any topic, and his writing is breezy and interesting.

In an afterword, Murphy discusses how he had been interested initially in doing a book about Bernie Madoff or Ponzi, but he didn't find either man compelling enough to research. I felt rather the same way about this book-- the Cardiff Giant was of limited interest to me. The illustrations were sometimes rather random; having just read His Name Was Raoul Wallenberg and enjoyed the photos, documents, etc. Jun 17, Heidi rated it it was amazing. Jim Murphy just has a way of writing a very readable book.

He's careful to include background information and brief explanations of topics he refers to without disrupting the flow of the story. This particular story is both fascinating and mind-boggling. Not only did the men behind the hoax fool much of the public but they also fooled dozens of acclaimed scientists as well.

Colorado History: “The Giant and How He Humbugged America”

Of course a good number of those scientists were not archaeologists or experts in the field at all. Those experts that did Jim Murphy just has a way of writing a very readable book. Those experts that did examine the giant and the ground he was found in expressed doubts as to the giant's authenticity. The story then gets crazier as P. Barnum gets involved and instigates the creation of a fake of the fake.

However, like many 'crazes' this one died down too as more and more pieces of the hoax came to light and people became disillusioned. Of course, it would be nice to say that such things don't happen today, but of course they do, people can and often are still fooled all the time. Murphy explains a few other hoaxes that have occurred over the years at the end of the book.

A well-told story and interesting look at the power of belief as well as the power of the media to influence what people see. I appreciated the time Murphy takes at the end to explain his research process and how he decided to write about this topic, great for using in the classroom. Oct 27, Phoebe rated it liked it Shelves: This well-researched book about the Cardiff giant and the other hoaxes spawned in its wake is interesting, but may not hold readers' attention for pages.

Jim Murphy's usual careful and excellent writing does carry this crazy tale about a giant statue unearthed on a little upper New York State farm in , that attracted 6 million visitors over the course of its heyday, before its true nature was revealed. Murphy takes pains to give young readers the bigger picture, stating firmly that altho This well-researched book about the Cardiff giant and the other hoaxes spawned in its wake is interesting, but may not hold readers' attention for pages.

Murphy takes pains to give young readers the bigger picture, stating firmly that although hoaxes are funny and often defended as nothing more than elaborate practical jokes, at their heart they are deceptions. Another intriguing bit of fallout from the incident is that the many "experts" who weighed in on the giant's authenticity, and who felt foolish later, were taught the importance of second opinion and scientific analysis.

But even as recently as , hoaxes still happen, and such Goliaths as National Geographic can be hasty and wrong. Upper elementary, junior high. Sep 23, Kristen rated it it was amazing Shelves: A petrified giant was unearthed in upstate New York in the 19th century and created an uproar all over the world about whether it was real or not. The biggest humbug of that time period, this giant was displayed for people to see and many people profited off the scheme. Within the book, lots of information is provided as to how the scam was pulled off along with the reaction of America to such an event.

This book was well-written and with large enough text and pauses to let younger readers learn A petrified giant was unearthed in upstate New York in the 19th century and created an uproar all over the world about whether it was real or not. This book was well-written and with large enough text and pauses to let younger readers learn about this interesting event in our past history.

The photographs throughout are fantastic and the end of the book tells more about how the author researched and wrote this book. An interesting nonfiction book like this will transport readers back to the period of time when this happened, while teaching them a little of what life really was like back then. Murphy did a great job of building up the story before really mentioning how the actual scam was pulled off. I liked the human nature of some of the characters and how they were not outright villains that were doing this just for fun.

Feb 04, Nicole rated it it was amazing. Scholastic, Nonfiction pages Recommended for grades I love a good hoax book! See my loving review of The Fairy Ring. I read that before my blog. Shucks, I really love that hoax. In this splendid hoax we meet some men carrying out a dastardly plot to unearth and show off a petrified giant, found in Cardiff, New York in the late s. The giant becomes the talk of the country, with visitors paying lots to glimpse the giant. The giant is a miracle, proof of ancient civilizat Scholastic, Nonfiction pages Recommended for grades I love a good hoax book!

The giant is a miracle, proof of ancient civilizations, even proof that the giants in the Bible were real, no one knows whether the giant is a petrified man, or a statue, but all agree that he is OLD. Of course, they were all wrong. The back of the book has a few pages of other hoaxes, that stood a chance at changing the way mankind understands his roots.

And the book reminds readers that while the hoaxes are intriguing they are all rooted in deception, period. Give this book to a history buff, or someone that just enjoys strange histories. Apr 03, Emily rated it it was ok. This book has an awesome cover and made me want to read it. The event evoked some memory for me -something I had read in the past. It started off interestingly enough, but lost steam somewhere in the middle, I ended up skimming a lot of the ending. Because I didn't read it word for word, I may have missed a coupe of things that bothered me about the book.

One of those things was the lack of explanation, etymology of the word humbug, which most young readers are not going to be familiar with exce This book has an awesome cover and made me want to read it. One of those things was the lack of explanation, etymology of the word humbug, which most young readers are not going to be familiar with except as an expression used by Scrooge regarding Christmas.

It seems to be a key part of the book; I should think a word in the title requires some page time. It also bothered me that the quote on the back cover doesn't get more explanation-again the intended audience of this book may equate the quote with Barnum, who also appears in the book. I didn't catch in my quick reading any reference to the fact it was said by another player in the hoax.

Oct 26, Samantha rated it really liked it Shelves: The story of one of America's most famous hoaxes. The Cardiff Giant was believed to be a petrified man when he was unearthed on a farm in New York in , but it was all a big scam. The scam was dreamed up by George Hull who was inspired to create a stone giant after a conversation with a preacher while on a business trip. The two men argued over the validity of the Bible and Hull's plan was to fool the preacher and others across the country who blindly believed in such things. Hull became rich The story of one of America's most famous hoaxes.

Hull became rich, while others went bankrupt. Murphy does a great job of describing and organizing all the major players in this event and tracing the giant's rise and fall. Other famous hoaxes are briefly mentioned and the author writes a note about his research. Great nonfiction pleasure read. Recommended for grades Jun 05, Tiffany rated it liked it Shelves: When a huge stone man is found in Cardiff, New York in , hundreds flock to see what is being called a "petrified man". But is it real, or a hoax?

With a perfect storm of unqualified experts and a public wanting to believe in giants and myth, this hoax goes on for years, with innocent investors being left penniless. Like so many books before, Murphy takes a short history lesson and weaves it into something important and unique. Children today are bombarded with myths both unbelievable mermai When a huge stone man is found in Cardiff, New York in , hundreds flock to see what is being called a "petrified man".

Children today are bombarded with myths both unbelievable mermaid, Loch Ness monster and believable drink soda, eat pop rocks, die , so they need to understand how to find good sources and experts. This book could lead to a great lesson on archaeology and integrity. Readers could discuss what today's Cardiff Giant would be. Soon investors were getting involved and accusations of a gigantic hoax were leveled at those involved.

Dreamed up by the mildly brilliant schemer George Hull, Murphy tracks the rise and inevitable fall of a giant that typified an America moving into the 20the century, trying to find its way. Murphy tells us in his extended note "A Word About My Research", the impetus for this book came from none other than Bernie Madoff himself.

Initially Jim thought it might make sense to write a bit of children's nonfiction on Bernie, before deciding that there was a very great likelihood that it would "lack historical perspective and be more of a glorified magazine piece" to say nothing for how poorly it would date. In this light the Cardiff Giant is positively sparkling with energy and amusement, though Murphy never lets us forget that in the midst of the hoax "at the heart of each episode, whether done for profit or laughs, was deception.

A man killed himself in the wake of the Giant reveal and there is only a short drop from a large scale prank of this sort to a more contemporary monetary bilking of an American public. All it takes is a little push. Even as he connects the tale to the present, Murphy knows how to tie the Giant's story to its times. Every good phenomenon ends up being a case of being in the right place at the right time. In this particular example, the Giant came to prominence in the midst of two major historical shifts. On the one hand you had a post-Civil War America that was, in Mr.

Murphy's words, desperate for "something positive and inspiring to think about". Fights over the fifteenth amendment were springing up left and right and newspapers in particular were desperate to think about something else for a change. Then, on the other hand, you had the rise of the Industrial Revolution with small towns feeling inadequate, desperate to connect to something bigger literally, in this case to themselves.

Murphy has a kind of gift for looking at the big there's that word again picture, letting kid readers know that no event, no matter how weird, exists in a vacuum. I can only hope that history teachers teach this to their kids, and encourage them to look at our own current phenomenons, placing them in contemporary context too. Murphy takes care to begin his tale without the benefit of any preface or opening. Certainly there's a Cast of Characters that, if read carefully, might reveal where this story might go and for the record, I LOVED that he put that list at the start of the book rather than the end but once you start reading all assumptions instantly fly out the window.

Murphy puts you there on the spot as events play out. Everything from a one-armed worker's hangover to the blaze of autumnal leaves makes it into the introductory scene.

The result is an immediate sense of wonder akin to what the hired workers would have felt. Any kind of a preface would have defeated the immediate sense of mystery. Maybe Murphy figured that the best way to tell about a hoax was to hoax the reader as well so that by the time you read the words "The ugly truth was that Stub Newell was a bold-faced liar" you're as shocked as any curiosity seeker at the time would have been. I recently visited with my sister in Beverly Hills and as we walked through the streets of Hollywood passing everything from a Guinness Book of World Records museum to a Ripley's Believe It Or Not I came to the not wholly unexpected conclusion that there is very little difference between the American appetite for the spectacular today versus the American appetite for the spectacular a hundred or more years ago.

Jim Murphy knows this. It's interesting to pair his book alongside Candace Fleming's The Great and Only Barnum as two distinct and different looks or are they the same? The Giant may now be just another roadside attraction, but Murphy's book is the kind of text that we can only hope will stand the test of time. For ages 10 and up.

Jim Murphy just has a way of writing a very readable book. He's careful to include background information and brief explanations of topics he refers to without disrupting the flow of the story. This particular story is both fascinating and mind-boggling. Not only did the men behind the hoax fool much of the public but they also fooled dozens of acclaimed scientists as well.

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Of course a good number of those scientists were not archaeologists or experts in the field at all. Those experts that did examine the giant and the ground he was found in expressed doubts as to the giant's authenticity. The story then gets crazier as P. Barnum gets involved and instigates the creation of a fake of the fake. However, like many 'crazes' this one died down too as more and more pieces of the hoax came to light and people became disillusioned. Of course, it would be nice to say that such things don't happen today, but of course they do, people can and often are still fooled all the time.

Murphy explains a few other hoaxes that have occurred over the years at the end of the book. A well-told story and interesting look at the power of belief as well as the power of the media to influence what people see. I appreciated the time Murphy takes at the end to explain his research process and how he decided to write about this topic, great for using in the classroom. This is a very quick read for elementary students. Jim Murphy does a great job telling the story of the Cardiff Giant, which fooled many people in He includes lots of primary documents, such as photographs and newspaper articles, as well as detailed Source Notes, a Selected Bibliography, Photo Credits, and an Index.

He carefully kept the mystery sealed as to whether or not it was a real petrified man, letting readers draw their own conclusions until he enlightened them further on in the narrative. Boys, especially, will love it. See all 3 reviews. Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more about Amazon Giveaway. Set up a giveaway. There's a problem loading this menu right now.

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