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David Sinclair biography

Author Biography  | Interview  | Books by this Author  | Read-Alikes

David Sinclair

David Sinclair

David Sinclair Biography

David Sinclair is the author of eight previous books, including the recent Hall of Mirrors and the best-selling The Pound: A Biography. He has enjoyed a long career as a senior journalist with some of Britain's leading newspapers, and divides his time between London and Normandy.



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Interview

David Sinclair discusses his biography of Gregor MacGregor, a 19th century swindler who conned hundreds of settlers into buying land in a country that didn't exist - a fact they did not discover until they'd traveled half way round the world to Central America to claim their property.

How did you first hear about Sir Gregor MacGregor, and what made you decide to write a book about him?
When I first heard the outline of the MacGregor story, I found it so hard to believe that I felt it must be worth further investigation--and that if it did turn out to be absolutely true, it would definitely deserve a book. It came about at a New Year party, when I was living in Ireland. A friend of mine, Desmond FitzGerald, who holds the ancient Irish title of The Knight of Glin, told me that he had found among the family archives at Glin Castle, in County Limerick, material relating to the involvement of two of his ancestors with a certain General Sir Gregor MacGregor in a sensational 19th century fraud. MacGregor had invented an entire country in Central America. Not only had he sold land there to hundreds of people in Scotland, and persuaded them to emigrate, but he had also floated a £200,000 loan on the London capital market for the "government" of this fictitious country. How had he gotten away with it? Desmond did not know. What concerned him was whether his forebears had been part of the plot, or ...

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Books by this Author

Books by David Sinclair at BookBrowse
The Land That Never Was jacket
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Read-Alikes

All the books below are recommended as read-alikes for David Sinclair but some maybe more relevant to you than others depending on which books by the author you have read and enjoyed. So look for the suggested read-alikes by title linked on the right.
How we choose read-alikes

  • Frank W. Abagnale

    Frank W. Abagnale

    Frank W. Abagnale is one of the world's most respected authorities on forgery, embezzlement and secure documents. For over 35 years he has worked with, advised and consulted with hundreds of financial institutions, ... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    The Land That Never Was

    Try:
    Catch Me If You Can
    by Frank W. Abagnale

  • Pope Brock

    Pope Brock

    Pope Brock is a writer, teacher and DJ living in Arlington, Massachusetts. He is the author of three books: Indiana Gothic (Doubleday/Nan A. Talese), about the murder of his great-grandfather; Charlatan: America's Most ... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    The Land That Never Was

    Try:
    Charlatan
    by Pope Brock

We recommend 11 similar authors


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