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From the internationally bestselling authors of A Brief History of the World in 47 Borders (Jonn Elledge) and Truth and Humans (Tom Phillips), an insightful, illuminating, often hilarious, and extremely timely journey through conspiracy theories, how they spread, and how not to fall for them
From skepticism about the moon landing to the “deep-state” claims of QAnon, it’s always been human nature to believe we’re being lied to by the powers that be (and sometimes, to be fair, we absolutely are). But technology has given conspiracies a new power over national discourse, and in our dogged quest for the truth, we might actually be doing it some damage. In Unproven, Unlikely, and Firmly Believed, internationally bestselling authors Tom Phillips and Jonn Elledge take us on an eye-opening journey through history’s greatest conspiracy theories, to try and answer a vital question for our times: How can we learn to start trusting hard evidence again?
Publisher’s note: Unproven, Unlikely, and Firmly Believed was previously published in the UK as Conspiracy: A History of Boll*cks Theories, and How Not to Fall for Them.
“Uproarious . . . [Phillips and Elledge] pair the abundant good humor of this book with a warning about the corrosive effects of conspiracy theories.”—The Times
“A light-touch history of moments when humans have got it spectacularly wrong. . . . Both readable and entertaining.”—The Telegraph
“Witty, entertaining, and slightly distressing.”—Sarah Knight, author of The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck
“Brilliant. Utterly, utterly brilliant.”—Jeremy Clarkson, co-host of BBC’s Top Gear
“Very funny.”—Mark Watson, comedian, novelist, and producer
“In dark times, it’s reassuring to learn that we’ve always been a bunch of clueless f*cking nitwits.”—Stuart Heritage, writer at The Guardian
