notorious charlatans include eminent characters such as royal pretenders (take for instance Perkin Warbeck, who faked his way to King Henry VII's throne). Other characters include magicians, self-professed witches and clairvoyants, women masquerading as men and the like - the very stuff needed to set your mind whirling far and wide.

This is a must-read for fans of the fantastic yet hilarious tales penned by Terry Pratchett, co-author of 'Good Omens', the TV adaptation of which stars Michael Sheen and David Tennant.
Also a perfect pick for those captured by historical enigmas such as Harry Houdini, about whom the debate whether he is fact or fraud still rages on. Abraham "Bram" Stoker was born in Dublin in 1847. Turning to fiction in his later years, Stoker published his first short story 'The Crystal Cup' (1872) in London Society magazine. In the 1880s and 1890s, he published 'Under the Sunset' (1882) and an adventure novel titled 'The Snake’s Pass' (1890). It was the publication of 'Dracula' in 1897 which launched Stoker into literary stardom.