HOAXES AND SCAMS: A Compendium of Deceptions,...

HOAXES AND SCAMS: A Compendium of Deceptions, Ruses and Swindles by Carl Sifakis (Facts on File: $19.95; 308 pp., illustrated). Sifakis grafts two books together in this entertaining volume, a history of famous scandals and an analysis of everyday cons. The explanations of rigged carnival games and three-card monte (the game hucksters play on New York street corners) can help readers avoid being bilked. Sifakis’ tongue-in-cheek accounts of famous frauds--from the Affair of the Queen’s Necklace that helped to bring down the Ancient Regime to Teapot Dome and the television game show scandal that inspired “Quiz Show”--are even more amusing.