Howard Hughes: My Story

Great book!

Stunning hoax but a great read all on its own merits. I recommend to all and the book is in great shape too!

gave as gift and they were happy

I'm old enough to remember this scandal. In the 1970's, Clifford Irving conned the world into thinking he had secretly worked with the notoriously reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes on his autobiography. And he came very, very close to getting away with it. Irving made the mistake of being very hard on then-President Richard Nixon in the book, so the White House put pressure on a reluctant Hughes to call a press conference -- via speaker phone -- to announce that the book, and Irving, were a fraud. It was the end of the line for Irving, who wound up in jail. And the publisher destroyed all copies of the book, making it very rare for a long time.I'm a bit of a Howard Hughes buff, and I've been trying to get my hands on this book for decades. As I recall, for a short time in the 1990's, Irving would sell you a copy of the book if you e-mailed him your credit card information, which even then didn't seem like a smart idea, so I didn't. Well, now I finally have it -- and it wasn't worth the money or the wait.Howard Hughes led an incredible, bizarre life, and there are plenty of honestly-written, well-researched books on the subject. (Try "Citizen Hughes" for starters.). Irving's book, however, is supposedly an oral history, with Irving asking questions and Hughes answering them. Know how it was written? Irving and some other con artist took turns role-playing Hughes and interviewing each other, transcribed the tapes and turned it into a manuscript.And that's exactly what you get in this book: Two con artists making up sh*t about Howard Hughes. If you've got the time and money to spend on this pointless garbage, congratulations! You're leading a wealthier and more leisurely life than I am.

This isn't even his autobiography, it was written as a hoax and the guy went to jail for writing this and accepting money for it. Do not waste your money like I did, Im furious that amazon doesn't make it clear that it is a fiction book written by some muppet for money.....