- Paperback: 384 pages
- Publisher: Headline Book Publishing (1 Mar 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0755310802
- ISBN-13: 978-0755310807
- Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.8 x 3 cm
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
202,573 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #43 in Books > History > Countries & Regions > Central America & Caribbean > Central America
- #80 in Books > History > Countries & Regions > Central America & Caribbean > 19th Century
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Around one-tenth of the British population chose to emigrate during the 19th century, many of them lured by stories of untold riches in the new world. David Sinclair's Sir Gregor MacGregor and the Land that Never Was tells the tale of one of the more improbable and outrageous of such episodes, whereby a swashbuckling charmer of dubious descent conned a group of Scottish emigrants into voyaging to the Mosquito Coast of central America in 1823. They were told that the nation of Poyais awaited them, but instead found an uninhabitable swamp. Sinclair hasn't discovered this colourful story anew--MacGregor's exploits were sufficiently well-known to merit an entry in the Dictionary of National Biography--but he embellishes it with pace and colour. The middle section of the book recounts MacGregor's involvement with the wars of independence in Spanish America, where he honed his skills as a confidence trickster, and winds up with an account of the drawn-out legal case that followed the "colonisation" of Poyais. At times Sinclair is over-reliant on the rival versions of the story supplied by MacGregor and his detractors, and perhaps a little more detective work would have unravelled a better explanation of why so many were duped for so long by this Scotsman on the make. But it is a fascinating story, and a timely reminder, in our modern era of time-shares and cheap holidays in the sun, that you should never believe what the travel brochure tells you. --Miles Taylor
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
On a cold January morning in 1823, a group of Scottish immigrants set sail from the port of Leith. They were headed for the nation of Poyais in Central America where, they were told, they would find rich and fertile soils, a balmy climate and beautiful, civilised cities. A month later they landed on the swamp-infested Mosquito Coast and were forced to realise that they had been the victims of one of the most elaborate hoaxes in history. The land they had been sold was non-existent; the banknotes and guidebooks they carried with them were forgeries; their documents were worthless. Poyais was a fiction. The man responsible was General Sir Gregor MacGregor, 'The Prince of Poyais', a flamboyant and charismatic character who had fought as a mercenary in Simon Bolivar's army. On his return to Britain he reinvented himself and was welcomed into society. But who was this man who had succeeded in making himself a fortune and luring so many people away from their families to face a dangerous and uncertain future?
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2 reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
A good read for latin americanists
8 Nov 2006
Format:Paperback
Story of a 19th century Scots fraudster, Gregor MacGregor and his scheme to make a fortune selling land in a non existent country in central America. The tale is an interesting one covering the MacGregors exploits in the Americas (where he fought alongside Miranda and Bolivar) and Europe as well as in Britain. Ultimately MacGregor is presented as being a deluded fantasist rather than an outright conman but more judicious editing (especially of the independence campaigns MacGregor actually fought in) with a greater use of footnotes might make it both more useful to historians and efficient to read. Such editing would make it ***
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
A must read for History buffs, the often hilarious account of a psuedo- Cazique
2 Oct 2005
Format:Hardcover
The land of Poyais was one of those eighteenth/nineteenth century land bubbles which burst with massive loss to a number of people. In this case the poor settlers who were drawn to the salubrious conditions promised by the purported Cazique of this country, Gregor MacGregor.
David Sinclair's book is an immensely readable acocunt of how so many were drawn into the lure of this lush new land where property was cheap and fertile, labour was easily available, and all but flowing milk and honey seemed to be promised. Despite earlier lessons of the South Sea bubble and the similar Mississippi bubble, people of the 1820's were willing to believe the promises and made the trip to the land on the Caribbean side Central America. With often disastorous consequesnces.
What I loved best about this book is that Sinclair takes time to really put the issue into context of the time. How Macgregor managed to convince the rich and noble in London of his claims, how he managed to get so many settlers to make the trip there. Even the launching of the boat delayed during extraodinary storms, is put in context.
Sinclairs book is well written and well researched. I am surprised that this book has not acheived the popularity of others. It is a great subject, well written and clearly well researched. It is a good easy page turning read with enough excitement and comic touches to keep amused - usually the snobbery of the Cazique - and the ability of society in London to be fooled by anyone in fancy clothes and a title.
It would be of great interest to those who enjoy Regency and georgian historical period, it is whole new aspect of this period I don't think many will have read about before.
If you enjoy reading books by Giles Milton, Deborah Cadbury or small histories you should give this a try.
David Sinclair's book is an immensely readable acocunt of how so many were drawn into the lure of this lush new land where property was cheap and fertile, labour was easily available, and all but flowing milk and honey seemed to be promised. Despite earlier lessons of the South Sea bubble and the similar Mississippi bubble, people of the 1820's were willing to believe the promises and made the trip to the land on the Caribbean side Central America. With often disastorous consequesnces.
What I loved best about this book is that Sinclair takes time to really put the issue into context of the time. How Macgregor managed to convince the rich and noble in London of his claims, how he managed to get so many settlers to make the trip there. Even the launching of the boat delayed during extraodinary storms, is put in context.
Sinclairs book is well written and well researched. I am surprised that this book has not acheived the popularity of others. It is a great subject, well written and clearly well researched. It is a good easy page turning read with enough excitement and comic touches to keep amused - usually the snobbery of the Cazique - and the ability of society in London to be fooled by anyone in fancy clothes and a title.
It would be of great interest to those who enjoy Regency and georgian historical period, it is whole new aspect of this period I don't think many will have read about before.
If you enjoy reading books by Giles Milton, Deborah Cadbury or small histories you should give this a try.
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