The Giant and how he humbugged America

112 Pages·2012·8.72 MB·english

by  Jim Murphy

e
h
T
a HOW HE
HUMBUGGED
AMERICA
by
Jim Murphy
Scholastic Press
New York
Copyright © 2012 by Jim Murphy
All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.,
Publishers since 1920. SCHOLASTIC, SCHOLASTIC PRESS, and associated logos
are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,
or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission,
write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Murphy, Jim, 1947–
The giant and how he humbugged America. / by Jim Murphy. — 1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-439-69184-0 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Cardiff giant — Juvenile literature.
2. Cardiff (N.Y.) — Antiquities — Juvenile literature.
3. New York (State) — Antiquities — Juvenile literature.
4. Forgery of antiquities — New York (State) — Cardiff — Juvenile literature. I. Title.
F129.C27M87 2012
974.7’65 — dc23
2011036798
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 12 13 14 15 16
Printed in China 67
First edition, October 2012
The display type was set in I.F.C. Los Banditos.
The text was set in Hoefler.
Book design by Becky Terhune
Special thanks to Steven Diamond, Allen Gottlieb, and Nicole Durrant from
Scholastic’s photo research department for their tenacious work in tracking down the art.
And to Wayne Wright, Head Librarian, Research Library, New York State Historical Association,
Cooperstown, New York, for his thoughtful and meticulous fact checking and consultation of the manuscript and art.
To Al, Bruce, and Charlie —
Giants among men
and true McScummin brothers

CONTENTS
THE CAST OF CHARACTERS 7
I. The Discovery 13
II. Word Spreads 19
III. The Scientists’ Opinions 23
IV. Open for Business 30
V. Changes 38
VI. Embarrassing Accusations 46
VII. The Ugly Truth 51
VIII. A Giant Move 59
IX. Enter Barnum 64
X. Giant Problems All Around 71
XI. A Giant Farewell 77
XII. A Final Resting Place 81
OTHER FAMOUS HOAXES 94
A WORD ABOUT MY RESEARCH 99
SOURCE NOTES 102
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 111
CREDITS 113
INDEX 114