Howard Hughes : the autobiography : the most famous unpublished book of the 20th century-- until now

Wealth. Influence. Magnetism. Mystery. In twentieth century America, one man alone embodied all these qualities in their purest form. During a life which read like the wildest imaginings of a Hollywood scriptwriter, Howard Hughes - billionaire tycoon, pioneer aviator, playboy, eccentric and movie mogul - became a totem of fascination around the globe. In his twilight years, the mystery surrounding him intensified when he became a total recluse, hiding himself away in shady hotel suites for more than a decade. Some believed him to be dead; others thought he had gone crazy. Few really knew the truth - just as Hughes preferred.The ambiguity surrounding him spawned one of the first modern media obsessions. Speculation abounded, from the business pages of broadsheets through international magazine articles down to the sidewalk opinion-makers. And unsurprisingly there were few books written about Hughes' fascinating life - a life which was rumoured to be on the brink of ruin. So New... In late 1970, New York author and journalist Clifford Irving ran into an old friend and fellow scribe, Richard Suskind. The two men struck up a conversation about the legendary Hughes, which gave Irving the idea to write the 'autobiography' of Howard Hughes. Skillfully convincing the publishing world that he had the direct input of Hughes himself, his colleagues and friends, Irving wrote his book, interweaving accurate research with outlandish fiction, and sold it to a publisher for a record advance of $1m, hitting headlines around the world ... But eventually the tall tale unravelled - the book was unmasked as a hoax. Irving went to prison and the sensational manuscript, described as 'the most famous unpublished book of the century', lay untouched for over 30 years - until now During a life which read like the wildest imaginings of a Hollywood scriptwriter, Howard Hughes - billionaire tycoon, pioneer aviator, playboy, eccentric and movie mogul - became a totem of fascination around the globe. This book presents an unexpurgated life story of one of history's most intriguing figures. Clifford Irving convinced his publishers that he had the authentic autobiography of the eccentric tycoon Howard Hughes. It turned out to be a hoax, with the book actually the result of Irving's painstaking research combined with fiction, and Irving was sent to prison. This is the book in question