The true story of a brilliantly forged Emily Dickinson poem sold at Sotheby's in 1997. The author's detective work led him across America, to a prison cell in Salt Lake City, where the world's greatest literary forger, Mark Hofmann, is serving a life sentence for double-murder. Mark Hoffman is no ordinary murderer. Until he was incarcerated he was the world's greatest literary forger: a man who combined meticulous historical research with craftsmanship and forensic science. In 1997, one of his most accomplished forgeries, a ...
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The true story of a brilliantly forged Emily Dickinson poem sold at Sotheby's in 1997. The author's detective work led him across America, to a prison cell in Salt Lake City, where the world's greatest literary forger, Mark Hofmann, is serving a life sentence for double-murder. Mark Hoffman is no ordinary murderer. Until he was incarcerated he was the world's greatest literary forger: a man who combined meticulous historical research with craftsmanship and forensic science. In 1997, one of his most accomplished forgeries, a poem by the much-loved 19th-century poet Emily Dickinson, turned up at a Sotheby's and was sold for $21,000 to the library in Dickinson's home town, Amherst. The find was the equivalent of unearthing a Shakespeare sonnet. However, Daniel Lombardo, the curator at the library in Amherst who had raised the money for the poem, was plagued by doubts. He had learned of a possible link between the poem and the notorious Mark Hoffman. Appalled at the prospect of having let down his home town, Lombardo was drawn into an investigation which, to his horror, revealed the extent of Hoffman's genius. Simon Worrall stumbled across the story and resolved to find out more about the fake's trajectory across America. He delves into Hoffman's Mormon background, his "self-hypnosis", his unparalleled skill at replicating the exact circumstances of a document's manufacture. He explores the history of literary forgery from the Ptolemaic Egyptians to the present day; he uncovers the cunning behind Hoffman's car-bomb murders; he is drawn into a labyrinth of secretive deals and mysterious middlemen. In this literary mystery thriller Worrall deals with the secretive world of the Mormon church, the historical documents business, the science of forensic testing and the glamour of the auction houses. He also brings the characters alive: Emily Dickinson herself in 1871 - the year the poem was purportedly written; Lombado and his journey from innocence to experience; the Dickinson expert Ralph Franklin who had originally informed Sotheby's that the poem was authentic. Above all, this is the definitive account of "the Rembrandt of literary forgery", one of the most chillingly compelling criminals the world has ever seen.
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Add this copy of The Poet and the Murderer: a True Story of Verse, to cart. $4.92, good condition, Sold by BooksRun rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Philadelphia, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Harpercollins Pub Ltd.
Add this copy of The Poet and the Murderer: a True Story of Verse, to cart. $6.14, very good condition, Sold by Jenson Books Inc rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Logan, UT, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by Fourth Estate Ltd.
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Very good. A well-cared-for item that has seen limited use but remains in great condition. The item is complete, unmarked, and undamaged, but may show some limited signs of wear. Item works perfectly. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine is undamaged.
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Add this copy of The Poet and the Murderer: a True Story of Verse, to cart. $14.92, fair condition, Sold by Reuseabook rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Gloucester, GLOS, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2009 by Fourth Estate.
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Fair. Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. The book is perfectly readable and fit for use, although it shows signs of previous ownership. The spine is likely creased and the cover scuffed or slightly torn. Textbooks will typically have an amount of underlining and/or highlighting, as well as notes. If this book is over 5 years old, then please expect the pages to be yellowing or to have age spots. Damaged cover. The cover of is slightly damaged for instance a torn or bent corner.
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