Pretenders and Imposters - Part Two

More book suggestions for readers interested in those who presented themselves as someone else.

The Man Who Lost Himself: The Unbelievable Story of the Tichborne Claimant by Robyn Annear

All through the summer of 1874, The Times devoted an entire page - six tight-packed columns - every day to the progress of the great Tichborne trial, the longest-running and most mesmerising legal trial of the 19th century. The story of the man at the centre of it all they called the Tichborne Claimant. He called himself Sir Roger Tichborne, long-lost heir to a baronetcy and vast estates in Hampshire, a man who had disappeared at sea in 1854, apparently emerging from the Australian bush 12 years later - ten stone heavier, a butcher by profession and having forgotten how to speak his native French.

Memoirs of the Pretenders and Their Adherents - 2 Volumes by John Heneage Jesse

Both Published in the mid-19th Century and feature the Stuart Pretenders to the English throne.

The Great Impostor: The Amazing Career of Ferdinand Waldo Demara by Robert Crichton

The fantastic lives and careers of Ferdinand Waldo Demara make a fantastic irony of the platitude that truth is stranger than fiction. For with Ferdinand Demara, truth is fiction. In this forthright account of a remarkable fraud, Robert Crichton presents the man, his reasons, and his methods. A New York Times bestseller when it was originally published in 1959, and serving as the inspiration for the Tony Curtis film of the same name, this is the fascinating and disturbing story of America’s Great Impostor.

The Princess Tarakanova by G. P. Danilevski

Princess Tarakanova was a pretender to the Russian throne. She styled herself, among other names, Princess of Vladimir, Fräulein Frank, and Madame Trémouille. Tarakanova claimed to be the daughter of Alexei Razumovsky and Elizabeth of Russia, reared in Saint Petersburg. She was eventually arrested in Livorno, Tuscany by Alexei Grigoryevich Orlov, and died in prison. A popular theory postulates that her death was faked and she was secretly forced to take the veil under the name "Dosifea." This mysterious nun was recorded as living in Ivanovsky Convent from 1785 until her death in 1810.

The Amazing Mrs Livesey: The remarkable story of Australia's greatest imposter by Freda Marnie Nicholls

The truly remarkable life of the notorious Ethel Livesey, a serial fraudster and confidence trickster who became a media sensation after she ran out on her society wedding in 1945 and was later arrested for obtained goods by false pretences. Ethel Livesey was quite a gal. When her career imploded (with the abandonment of her glittering society marriage in post-war Sydney just two hours before the guests were due to arrive), the story of the Amazing Mrs Livesey was blazoned across newspapers around the world. But what was fact and what was fiction?

The Man in the Rockefeller Suit:The Astonishing Rise and Spectacular Fall of a Serial Impostor by Mark Seal

This shocking expose goes behind the headlines to uncover the true story of Clark Rockefeller, wealthy scion of a great American family who kidnapped his own daughter and vanished. The police and FBI were baffled. Tips poured in, but every lead was a dead end . . . because 'Clark Rockefeller' did not exist. In a gripping work of investigative journalism, Mark Seal reveals how German native Christian Gerhartsreiter came to the United States, where he stepped in and out of identities for decades, eventually posing as a Rockefeller for twelve years, married to a wealthy woman who had no idea who he really was.

Great Canadian Imposters by Cheryl MacDonald

From Canadian history come the stories of imposters. Meet the cross-dressing Isabel Gunn, disguised as fur-trapping "John Hubbisher." Read about a woman who posed successfully as Dr. James Barry, surgeon and early women's rights advocate. Follow the astonishing life of Archie Belaney, who convinced millions of people that he was Grey Owl, a First Nations conservationist. These are just three of the many scammers, double agents, and con artists in this fascinating collection.

The Man Who Believed He Was King of France by Tommaso di Carpegna Falconieri

The setting of this improbable but beguiling tale is 1354 and the Hundred Years’ War being waged for control of France. Seeing an opportunity for political and material gain, the demagogic dictator of Rome tells Giannino di Guccio that he is in fact the lost heir to Louis X, allegedly switched at birth with the son of a Tuscan merchant. Once convinced of his birthright, Giannino claims for himself the name Jean I, king of France, and sets out on a brave—if ultimately ruinous—quest that leads him across Europe to prove his identity.4