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The Book Forger

The true story of a literary crime that fooled the world

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The Book Forger

By: Joseph Hone
Narrated by: Thomas Judd
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

London, 1932. Thomas James Wise is the toast of the literary establishment. A prominent collector and businessman, he is renowned on both sides of the Atlantic for unearthing the most stunning first editions and bringing them to market. Pompous and fearsome, with friends in high places, he is one of the most powerful men in the field of rare books.

One night, two young booksellers - one a dishevelled former communist, the other a martini-swilling fan of detective stories - stumble upon a strange discrepancy. It will lead them to suspect Wise and his books are not all they seem. Inspired by the vogue for Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes, the pair harness the latest developments in forensic analysis to crack the case, but find its extent is greater than they ever could have imagined. By the time they are done, their investigation will have rocked the book world to its core.

This is the true story of unlikely friends coming together to expose the literary crime of the century, and of a maverick bibliophile who forged not only books but an entire life, erasing his past along the way.

©2024 Joseph Hone (P)2024 Penguin Audio

 Con Artists, Hoaxes & Deceptions Europe Great Britain True Crime Sherlock Holmes Crime Detective

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Critic reviews

'This is an absolutely fascinating literary detective story. Real-life audacious crimes uncovered by the most intrepid amateur detectives, investigated all over again a hundred years later here, in delicious forensic detail, by Joseph Hone. A must-read for anyone enthralled by the value and integrity of books. A page turner about page turners'
'I loved this elegant untangling of a real-life literary mystery. With a cast stretching from Robert Browning to Dorothy L Sayers, it's the perfect piece of armchair detection for any book lover'
'Joseph Hone’s hugely entertaining new account shows how this ‘Moriarty of the book world’ met his match in a duo of intrepid young book dealers ... The Book Forger unfolds as a propulsive if unlikely thriller [and] also a useful reflection on literary forgery in general, which speaks to our own era of post-truth and deepfakes ... Unexpectedly gripping'
Hone… [is] a dexterous guide and an astute contributor to the long tradition of writers gripped by the connection between bibliography and crime
'An extraordinary story, meticulously researched and beautifully written. Utterly enthralling'
Hone is a lively and fluent writer, ratcheting up the temperature with snappy sentences and chapters ending on cliffhangers
‘A thrilling unravelling of bookish fraud that reads like a detective story from the golden age’
Fascinating… For all the thrills and shenanigans, the forensics and meticulous detail, this is a curiously moving book
'Criminally sophisticated skulduggery . . . A thoroughly enjoyable romp through an infamous moment in book history’
Meticulously researched… The Book Forger is delightfully and unapologetically bookish, offering glimpsed portraits of significant behind-the-scenes literary figures
All stars
Most relevant
Great writing and well researched. A lot of interesting information on book production and history.

Well researched enjoyable read

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A real life literary detective story which was fascinating from start to finish.
Also, perfectly narrated by Thomas Judd. A very enjoyable audio book all round.

Excellent...

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