{"product_id":"the-book-forger-the-true-story-of-a-literary-crime-that-fooled-the-world-9781529931440","title":"The Book Forger: The true story of a literary crime that fooled the world","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA true detective story from the age of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers- the literary crime that fooled the world - and the daring young booksellers who uncovered it  'A page-turner about page-turners' Janice Hallett 'The perfect piece of armchair detection' Ruth Ware 'Hugely entertaining and unexpectedly gripping' London Review of Books  A true detective story from the age of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers- the literary crime that fooled the world - and the daring young booksellers who uncovered it  London, 1932. Thomas James Wise is the toast of the literary establishment. A prominent collector and businessman, with friends in high places, he is one of the most powerful men in the field of rare books.  One night, two young booksellers stumble upon a strange discrepancy leading 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. By the time they are done, their investigation will have rocked the book world to its core.  'A thrilling unravelling of bookish fraud that reads like a detective story from the golden age' Roland Philipps, author of A Spy Named Orphan  'Hone is a lively and fluent writer, ratcheting up the temperature with snappy sentences and chapters ending on cliffhangers' Sunday Telegraph\u003ch4\u003eDetails\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003eISBN13: 9781529931440\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFormat: Paperback \/ softback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNumber of Pages: 336\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEdition: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication Date: 25 Nov 2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublisher: Vintage Publishing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication City, Country: London, United Kingdom\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDimensions (cm): 19.6(H)x12.9(L)x2(W)236\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWeight (gm): 236\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch4\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h4\u003eJoseph Hone is a prize-winning writer and academic specialising in the history of the book. He studied and taught at Oxford, before holding fellowships at Cambridge, Harvard, and Yale. He is the author of The Paper Chase, which was longlisted for the HWA Non-Fiction Crown, and The Book Forger, publishing in 2024. In 2022 he was awarded the Philip Leverhulme Prize in Languages and Literatures. He lives in Newcastle with his wife and son, and spends much of his time either on the coast or scrabbling around in second-hand bookshops.\u003ch4\u003eReviews\u003c\/h4\u003e'This is \u003cb\u003ean absolutely fascinating literary detective story\u003c\/b\u003e. \u003cb\u003eReal-life audacious crimes uncovered by the most intrepid amateur detectives\u003c\/b\u003e, investigated all over again a hundred years later here, in \u003cb\u003edelicious forensic detail\u003c\/b\u003e, by Joseph Hone. \u003cb\u003eA must-read \u003c\/b\u003efor anyone enthralled by the value and integrity of books. \u003cb\u003eA page turner about page turners'\u003c\/b\u003e * Janice Hallett, author of The Alperton Angels *\u003cbr\u003e'I loved this \u003cb\u003eelegant untangling of a real-life literary mystery\u003c\/b\u003e. With a cast stretching from Robert Browning to Dorothy L Sayers, it's \u003cb\u003ethe perfect piece of armchair detection for any book lover'\u003c\/b\u003e * Ruth Ware, author of The Woman in Cabin 10 *\u003cbr\u003e'Joseph Hone’s \u003cb\u003ehugely entertaining\u003c\/b\u003e new account shows how this ‘\u003cb\u003eMoriarty of the book world’ met his match in a duo of intrepid young book dealers\u003c\/b\u003e ... \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Book Forger\u003c\/i\u003e unfolds as a propulsive if unlikely thriller \u003c\/b\u003e[and] also a useful reflection on literary forgery in general, which\u003cb\u003e speaks to our own era of post-truth and deepfakes ... Unexpectedly gripping'\u003c\/b\u003e * Gill Partington, LRB *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eHone… [is] a dexterous guide and an astute contributor\u003c\/b\u003e to the long tradition of writers gripped by the connection between bibliography and crime * Times Literary Supplement *\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eAn extraordinary story, meticulously researched and beautifully written. Utterly enthralling\u003c\/b\u003e' * Shaun Bythell, author of The Diary of a Bookseller *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eHone is a lively and fluent writer, \u003c\/b\u003eratcheting up the temperature with snappy sentences and chapters ending on cliffhangers * Sunday Telegraph *\u003cbr\u003e‘A\u003cb\u003e thrilling unravelling of bookish fraud\u003c\/b\u003e that \u003cb\u003ereads like a detective story from the golden age\u003c\/b\u003e’ * Roland Philipps, author of A SPY NAMED ORPHAN *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFascinating…\u003c\/b\u003e For all the thrills and shenanigans, the forensics and meticulous detail, this is \u003cb\u003ea curiously moving book\u003c\/b\u003e * Scotland on Sunday *\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eCriminally sophisticated skulduggery\u003c\/b\u003e . . . A \u003cb\u003ethoroughly enjoyable romp \u003c\/b\u003ethrough an\u003cb\u003e infamous moment\u003c\/b\u003e in book history’ * Oliver Darkshire, author of ONCE UPON A TOME *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMeticulously researched…\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe Book Forger \u003c\/i\u003eis delightfully and unapologetically bookish, offering glimpsed portraits of significant behind-the-scenes literary figures * Spectator *","brand":"Joseph Hone","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48752450339033,"sku":"9781529931440","price":26.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0502\/9530\/8441\/files\/81_1XkpaQnL._SL1500_66bb2b97-e2e9-44b2-9477-646038f41711.jpg?v=1779889779","url":"https:\/\/www.arielbooks.com.au\/products\/the-book-forger-the-true-story-of-a-literary-crime-that-fooled-the-world-9781529931440","provider":"Ariel","version":"1.0","type":"link"}