A review by harvio
Banvard's Folly: Thirteen Tales of People Who Didn't Change the World by Paul Collins

4.0

from the jacket: "Paul Collins's Banvard's Folly is a different kind of book. Here are 13 unforgettable portraits of forgotten people: men and women who might have claimed their share of renown but who, whether from ill timing, skulduggery, monomania, the tinge of madness, or plain bad luck - or perhaps some combination of them all - leapt straight from life into thankless obscurity. Among them are scientists, artists, writers, entrepreneurs, and adventurers from across the centuries and around the world..."
- I especially enjoyed learning about William Henry Ireland who signed "William Shakespeare" to a book and launched a short, but meteoric career as a forger of undiscovered works by the bard - until he pushed his luck too far.