| The Sun and the Moon: The Remarkable True Account of Hoaxers, Showmen, Dueling Journalists, and Lunar Man-Bats in Nineteenth-Century New York | 
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Avg. Customer Rating:   (based on 1 reviews)
Sales Rank: 19081
Category: Book
Author: Matthew Goodman
Publisher: Basic Books
Studio: Basic Books
Manufacturer: Basic Books
Label: Basic Books
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Edition: Reprint
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.2
ISBN: 0465002579
Dewey Decimal Number: 974.7103
EAN: 9780465002573
ASIN: 0465002579
Publication Date: November 3, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The remarkable true story of the hoax that bewildered Nineteenth-Century New York and created tabloid journalism. In the sweltering summer of 1835, New York City, still reeling from the effects of a cholera epidemic, was coaxed into a mood approaching mass hysteria by a series of articles in the Sun, the first of New York City's penny papers. Seven articles, purporting to be the first report of the lunar discoveries made by a world-famous British astronomer, described in astonishing detail the existence of life on the moon--birds, buffalo, one-horned zebras, and four-foot-tall man bats. Intended as a satirical attack on the religious philosophers of the day, "The Moon Hoax" became the most widely circulated newspaper story in the world. And the Sun, a brash working-class upstart paper less than two years old, became the most widely read newspaper in the world, giving birth to a media revolution in the New World and a brand of tabloid journalism that prevails today. The Sun and the Moon overflows with larger than life characters--known and unknown to modern readers, including Richard Adams Locke, British radical turned newspaper editor and creator of the hoax; a young, upwardly mobile, and ever industrious P. T. Barnum; and the fledgling editor of the Southern Literary Messenger, a fellow named Edgar Allan Poe. These three men, along with countless others, have parts to play in the delightful, entertaining, and surprisingly true story of how the Moon Hoax captivated New Yorkers and ultimately triggered the birth of the modern newspaper business.
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| Customer Reviews:
The flying lunar man-bats who fooled New York November 13, 2008
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
The Sun and the Moon tells the fascinating and true story of Richard Adams Locke and the New York Sun 'life on the moon' hoax of the 1830's.
Goodman weaves a compelling narrative thread that traces the growth of penny newspapers amidst the turmoil of abolitionism and a steady stream of incredible scientific discoveries. Anyone passionate about historical New York and the newspaper trade will be highly entertained by the oddball cast of characters including dueling newspaper editors along with better known personages such as PT Barnum and Edgar Allan Poe. The Sun and the Moon maintains a very readable balance between biography, historical tome and interpretation from a modern perspective.
The moon hoax itself was ground zero for fabulist media coverage that gathered steam in the 20th century with hoaxes like the Shaver Mystery and continues today. Goodman has done some fine detective work on uncovering the heart of this oddball story, as well as highlighting Locke's motivations in writing a satire on the conflict between science and religion that became a legendary story about human nature and our desire to believe. Highly recommended.
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