Podcast Summary: New Books Network – Linda Quirk, "Forgers, Fakers, and Publisher Pirates" (U Alberta Press, 2025)

Host: Jen Hoyer
Guest: Linda Quirk
Date: February 14, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode features Linda Quirk, librarian, curator, and author of Forgers, Fakers, and Publisher Pirates (University of Alberta Press, 2025). In conversation with host Jen Hoyer, Quirk explores the spectrum of deception in book history – from notorious forgers to subtle fakers and rampant publisher piracy. Drawing from her curation of an exhibition of the same name at the Bruce Peel Special Collections, Quirk discusses historical cases, evolving motivations, the gray areas between true/false and authentic/fake, and the implications for research and librarianship today.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Linda Quirk’s Background and Book History (00:48–04:08)

• Quirk’s academic and professional journey: Grew up in Toronto, with international experience due to her father’s work with the World Health Organization; returned to academia as a mature student; MA in Library Science (U of Toronto) and PhD in English (Queen’s University, Kingston) specializing in book history.
• Book history defined: “Really the history of ideas…in any discipline…exploring the history of publication and communications.”
• Current role: Special Collections librarian at Bruce Peel Special Collections, teaching, research, exhibitions, and mentoring.

2. Genesis and Aims of the Project (04:08–10:30)

• Teaching and the pervasiveness of forgery: Quirk noticed a pedagogical gap: librarians teach evaluation of sources but seldom discuss deliberate deceptions like forgery.
• Historical continuity: “Old schemes continue to be reinvented for each new technology, and that this occurs century after century after century. It’s sort of part of the human condition, frankly.” (06:44)
• The myth of uniqueness: The collection/exhibition isn't built on famous or unique forgeries – “They’re everywhere.” (09:38)
• Collaboration in research: Importance of expert networks, notably her gratitude to Prof. Nick Wilding (Georgia State University) for guidance and expertise in forgery detection.

3. Motivations and Histories of Forgers (10:53–35:15)

A. Classic Motive: Profit

• Money as motive: Common perception, but not always dominant.

  • “It’s not a very efficient way to make money. If people are thinking this is a get rich quick scheme, it’s kind of the opposite to that. It’s very labor intensive and…a great deal of expertise.” (11:22)

• Vrain-Denis Lucas (19th C France): Forged 27,000+ documents, mostly scientific, sold to respected academic Michel Chasles; humor in misplaced trust ("all written in 19th century French on paper...doesn't even make sense anyway"—14:16).

• Lee Israel (late 20th C, US): Literary biographer turned forger ("Can You Ever Forgive Me?"); created fake letters from literary celebrities to pay bills; sometimes enhanced genuine material with “juicy postscripts.”

• Forgeries used as decoys for theft:

  • Winston Churchill “Roaring Lion" portrait theft (2022): Thief replaced the stolen original with a poor forgery. "The forgery wasn't the right size and the fram[e] color wasn't even the same..." (19:09).
  • Interpol's Russian literature case (2023-24): Sophisticated thefts and book “dummies” used to replace originals in European libraries.

B. Forgery as Resistance or Narrative Manipulation

• Creation of false evidence to challenge status quo or dominant narratives.
  • Miguel de Luna (16th C Spain): Forged account of Muslim conquest as an act of resistance. "Obvious and deliberate errors...created as an act of resistance..." (22:52).
  • John Payne Collier (19th C Britain): Scholarly forgery in a Shakespeare folio to claim discovery of "the restored language of Shakespeare." "Completely false. But there were thousands...handwritten notes..." (24:33).
  • Oscar Wilde’s legacy (1920s): Admirers fabricated manuscripts/letters to reconstruct or “correct” the public image of Wilde.

C. Forgeries by Young Men

• Quirk notes the gender imbalance and youthful drive.
  • Thomas Chatterton: Medieval forgeries before age 17.
  • William Henry Ireland: Shakespeare forgeries at 19, published by his father.
  • Frank Abagnale (“Catch Me If You Can”): Forgery legend, famous before age 20; perverse irony of talents that “must remain forever concealed.” (30:57)

D. Complex Motives

• Mark Hofmann (late 20th C, US): From profit-driven coin modification to document forgery aimed at embarrassing the Mormon Church, ending in murder. "Profit, a wish to get the best of the experts, booksellers, literary experts...and also embarrass the Mormon Church." (33:50)

4. Fakers: Beyond Simple Deception (35:15–48:00)

• Definition: Those who misrepresent name, identity, ethnicity, or credentials. Ranges from harmless (pseudonyms) to deeply fraudulent (forging expertise or identity).

Examples Across the Spectrum:

• Pseudonyms:

  • George Orwell (Eric Arthur Blair): Used a pseudonym for privacy/family reasons; not considered problematic.
  • Examples of women writers: Brontës, George Eliot, Jane Austen—pseudonyms as a tool for acceptance.

• Living under an Alias:

  • Archie Belaney / “Grey Owl” (Canada): Englishman adopted an Indigenous identity for decades; became a prominent conservationist. Raises ethical questions: “It’s not that his credentials as a conservationist are suspect, it’s his very identity [that’s] suspect.” (39:50)

• Extreme Fakery:

  • George Psalmanazar (18th C England): Unknown Frenchman convincingly pretended to be Taiwanese, bamboozling British academia; went so far as to invent a language.
  • Forrest Carter / Asa Carter (“The Education of Little Tree”): Klansman masqueraded as a Cherokee writer under a new identity, authoring major “Native” works—example of identity fakery with enduring literary/cultural consequences.

Nuance and severity: The seriousness depends on context. “Sometimes fakery probably doesn’t matter very much at all, like pseudonyms, but at other times…our understanding of the world is being deeply compromised...” (47:34)

5. Publisher Pirates: Degrees of Theft and Distortion (49:07–58:49)

• Definition: Publishers who steal content and issue unauthorized editions ("pirate editions") without compensating nor consulting authors.

Key Points and Examples:

• Open access and morality: Tension—piracy sometimes expands access, but can harm authors and research.
• Anne Radcliffe: Early Gothic novelist widely pirated; her works exist in countless authorized and unauthorized (often abridged or altered) editions.
• Forman & Wise (late 19th C UK): Scholars who created forged/pirated pamphlets by Dickens, Elliot, etc.—backdated to falsely precede first editions and insinuate insight into the creative process. Irony: “[Thomas] Wise was absolutely outraged by the forgery of his forgery.” (58:26)

Piracy as a “slippery slope”: Pushed far enough, piracy becomes forgery, as seen in the evolution of text tampering.

6. The Challenge of Fact/Fake in Historical and Modern Context (58:49–65:19)

• Attitudinal shifts: Growth of open-access ideals has complicated our view of piracy and unauthorized editions.
• Critical analysis today: The history of forgeries/fakes encourages skepticism and vigilance.
  • “Primary materials are not always exactly what they purport to be…we can only take proper account of them if we clearly understand their nature.” (61:25)
• Degrees of seriousness: Context always key—fake sneaker reviews vs. fake medical advice, or personal research vs. major historical questions.
• Library responsibility: Libraries must “seek authentic copies and [disclose] in catalogs and archival records and metadata, known forgeries and even modifications" to prevent future misattribution.

7. Next Steps: Future Work and Exhibitions (66:00–68:32)

• Forgers, Fakers, and Publisher Pirates exhibition continues at Bruce Peel Special Collections until March 2026.
• Upcoming Exhibition: "Science and Engineering of Machine Books 1472–1800," focusing on early engineering/illustration, curated by Mark Andrews.
• Quirk’s ongoing research: Focus returns to early Canadian women writers—innovating methods to uncover evidence due to historic undervaluation of women’s papers.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Old schemes continue to be reinvented for each new technology, and that this occurs century after century after century.”
  — Linda Quirk (06:44)

• “It’s not a very efficient way to make money…It’s kind of the opposite to that.”
  — Linda Quirk on forgery for profit (11:22)

• “Some of the most skillful forgers intentionally leave a kind of a signature, in the form of one or two intentional flaws…a practical thing because they allow the forger to quickly distinguish their forgeries from authentic originals.”
  — Linda Quirk (33:14)

• “The lesson of all of this is that whether the materials are historic or modern, primary materials are not always exactly what they purport to be.”
  — Linda Quirk (61:25)

• “Some of these stories…are important, some...very disturbing and many others…just funny or even weird…it’s about what we do in our jobs, in what kind of research we do as students, as scholars…”
  — Linda Quirk (59:40)

Notable Segment Timestamps

• Linda Quirk’s Introduction and Career: 00:48–04:08
• Origins and Rationale for Project: 04:08–10:30
• Forgers and Motivations: 10:53–35:15
• Fakers, Pseudonyms, and Identities: 35:15–48:19
• Publisher Pirates – Definitions and Examples: 49:07–58:49
• The Value and Impact of Fakes Today: 58:49–65:19
• Future Work & Exhibitions: 66:00–68:32

Concluding Takeaways

• Forgery, fakery, and piracy are persistent, evolving phenomena with complex motives, and their seriousness always depends on context.
• Assessing materials critically—be they historical or contemporary—requires careful attention to provenance, motive, and authenticity.
• Libraries play a key role in ensuring transparency about forgeries and fakes, protecting both researchers and the public record.
• Laughing at and being appalled by these cases are both appropriate reactions—context matters, and so does the seriousness of the deception.

For those interested in the exhibition, "Forgers, Fakers, and Publisher Pirates" runs at Bruce Peel Special Collections, University of Alberta, through March 2026. Linda Quirk continues to pursue research into the overlooked history of early Canadian women writers.