A Complete History of Fake Journeys

For a more subtle breed of invention, though, the Internet is the finest source imaginable. Think of how lusciously detailed Robinson Crusoe might have been had Daniel Defoe been able to access Flickr. Fanciful accounts of journeys through the African rainforest could be enhanced by zoology lessons from Wikipedia. With the aid of Google Maps, an aspiring storyteller can verify his or her own claims before someone else does.

Turns out the spread of information has played this two-faced role for centuries, undercutting tales of the absurd even as it helps pretenders craft credible falsehoods. In Raymond Howgego's thorough and fascinating new book, Enyclopedia of Exploration: Invented and Apocryphal Narratives of Travel, the spectrum of stories runs the gamut from the insane to the mundane. All of it is untrue, though some tales are taller than others.