The Economist reads

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Nine books on why big projects often fail, a media mogul, a great gold con and more

Black and white photograph of staff in a busy office setting on the trading floor of American stock brokerage firm Dean Witter at 2 World Trade Center, New York City, USA.
Photograph: Getty Images

This is the story of one of the world’s greatest (but least famous) con artists. Ghana’s John Ackah Blay-Miezah bilked investors on several continents by promising he knew where lost gold was hidden. Exhaustive reporting by the author makes this a riveting addition to the canon on great swindlers.

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Young mother is reading a book to her two sons for a good night sleep. Night time with reading lamp.

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Hillary Rodham Clinton, wife of Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton, the Governor of Arkansas, is surrounded by supporters of her husband at a Washington campaign rally in 1992.

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A person carries a 'Stay Woke' sign during the 'Teach No Lies' march to the School Board of Miami-Dade County to protest Florida's new standards for teaching Black history, which have come under intense criticism for what they say about slavery, USA.

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