The Memoirs of Psalmanazar

In 1703 a man appeared in England calling himself George Psalmanazar and claiming to be a native of Formosa (nowadays called Taiwan). He sustained this pretence by publishing a book, An Historical and Geographical Description of Formosa, an Island subject to the Emperor of Japan, which purported to be a detailed description of Formosan customs, geography and political economy, but which was in fact a complete invention. As time went on, he was less and less believed, and had to make an honest living. Towards the end of his long life he published this memoir, describing his adventures and confessing his impostures. Two things he kept secret to the grave, however: his real name and his country and place of origin.