The Sun and the Moon: The Remarkable True Account of Hoaxers, Showmen, Dueling Journalists, and Lunar Man-Bats in Nineteenth-Century New York

The 1835 newspaper hoax about life on the Moon provides an intriguing focus for a book that actually covers much more. Life in New York City in the mid-19th century is on display, particularly from the viewpoint of the city's rapidly evolving journalism sector. Moon hoax author Richard Adams Locke was a talented writer and editor who is perhaps the most respectable and "normal" person in this story. The community where he... Read Full Review

The Sun and The Moon is a terrific read that I highly recommend. In it, Goodman tells the intertwined stories of the rise of the tabloid press in New York City in the 1830's, and a marvelous hoax perpetuated by John Adams Locke, the editor of the first and most successful penny paper, The Sun. This hoax convinced most of New York, and eventually the rest of the country and Europe as well, that the noted astronomer John Herschel... Read Full Review

Hoaxes like Ponzi schemes or psychic healings aren't much fun; we have too much sympathy for those who endure losses to schemers. A good newspaper hoax, however, has all the charm of a harmless practical joke. It can promote humor even among those taken in, and can even improve our understanding of ourselves. It is possible that the best newspaper hoax ever was one from 1835, when many New Yorkers, astonished but not incredulous,... Read Full Review

In 1835 a newspaper called the Sun brought to New York first accounts of remarkable lunar discoveries in a series of six articles telling of life on the moon - including unicorns and four-foot-tall flying man-bats. The series become big news and the Sun became one of the most widely read newspapers in the world. THE SUN AND THE MOON details events that propelled the paper to fame, capturing 1830s New York City life and offering... Read Full Review

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... Read Full Review