Fibbing, prevaricating, stretching the truth, white lies, of omission, of commission. Lying is so pervasive that we have countless words for it. But have you ever considered why you believed a lie you were told - or why we lie at all?

In this witty, whirlwind tour through the annuls of deceit, bestselling author Aja Raden combines psychology, popular science and history to explore everything you've ever wanted to know about manipulation and lying, showing how it evolved and why even the birds and the bees do it. From 'big lies' like the English gent who invented a South American country to pyramid schemes like Bernie Madoff, this is an eye-opening primer that decodes how we behave and function, and reveals how lying shapes our experience of the world around us.