The Rise and Fall of Thomas James Wise

For forty years, Thomas James Wise made a fortune forging copies of books that had never existed, sometimes even convincing their authors they were the real deal. Despite a damning exposé by amateur detectives in the 1930s, Wise never confessed or faced legal repercussions, and his fakes have become collectors’ pieces in their own right. Gill Partington joins Tom to explain Wise’s success and final undoing, and to discuss the value of forgeries, hoaxes and reproductions as art.

Find further reading on the episode page: https://lrb.me/wisepod

Find out more about the Royal Literary Fund: https://rlf.org.uk

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