Illywhacker is a dazzling comic narrative, from the lips of the 139-year-old Herbert Badgery, the 'illywhacker' or confidence trickster of the title. Overflowing with magic, jokes, and inventions, it is a story peopled with aviators, car salesmen, Chinamen, and impresarios. Peter Carey's novel is a contemporary classic.

Herbert Badgery is a vagabond and charlatan, aviator and car salesman, seducer and patriarch. He might very well be the embodiment of Australia's national character, especially in its fondness for tall stories and questionable history. As this charming scoundrel traverses the continent and a century's worth of outlandish encounters, one truth emerges: Herbert Badgery may in fact be the king of all con men.