From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Literary forgery, also Literary forgeries and mystifications, pertains to some writing, especially in literature, such as a manuscript, presented as an original, when in fact it is a fake. It is sometimes confused with plagiarism, which it may also be, but need not be. In an instance of plagiarism the actual physical embodiment of the writing is not at issue; the content, meaning, or text are at issue. In an instance of forgery, literary or otherwise, the physical object itself is not what it purports to be, irrespective of its content.

Literary forgeries and mystifications is also a subject category of the US Library of Congress, for classification purposes, of its holdings.

The common, or popularly known, instance of literary forgery involves the work of a famous author whose writings have an established intrinsic, as well as, monetary value. In the attempt to gain the rewards of such a reputation, the forger often engages in two (2) distinct activities. The forger must produce a writing which resembles the style of the known reputable author to whom the fake is to be attributed. However, that is not necessarily sufficient. To be persuasive the forger needs also to fake the physical alleged original manuscript. This is often done by imitating the ink and paper, and other materials if possible. The effect is in the physical result; the forger can thereby say not just that the style of writing is the same, but also that ink and paper is of the kind or type used by the famous author.

Contents 1 History of literary forgery 2 See also 3 References 4 External link

Onomacritus (c. 530 - 480 BCE) is among the most ancient known literary forgers.

• Counterfeit
• Fake
• False document
• Forgery
• Fraud
• Knock-off
• Onomacritus

• Anthony Grafton Forgers and Critics: Creativity and Duplicity in Western Scholarship (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1990) ISBN 0691055440
• Robin Myers Fakes and Frauds: Varieties of Deception In Print & Manuscript (New Castle: Oak Knoll Press 1996) ISBN 090679577X
• John Whitehead This Solemn Mockery: The Art of Literary Forgery (London: Arlington Books 1973) ISBN 0851402127
• Joseph Rosenblum Practice to Deceive: The Amazing Stories of Literary Forgery’s Most Notorious Practitioners (New Castle: Oak Knoll Press, 2000) ISBN 158456010X

• Carson Analytics profile - forgery, fraud, & forensics, literary forgery and fraud