English and American Literature at the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library

Examples of the Library’s collection of forgeries, fakes, and other materials that illuminate the ethics of the bibliophilic marketplace include works from most time periods: Roger Cotton’s A Direction to the Waters of Lyfe (London, ca. 1590); William Ireland’s Shakespeare forgeries; Thomas Chatterton’s “Thomas Rowley” forgeries; spurious works of Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, William Morris, and others mentioned in Carter & Pollard’s investigation; Edgar Allan Poe’s Tamerlane; and Oscar Wilde forgeries (mentioned  in the Wilde section).

To find printed books, broadsides, maps, periodicals, and other discrete items related to fakes and forgeries, go to UC Library Search. Click on "Advanced Search," select the Subject field, and type either "forgeries (derivative objects)," "literary forgeries," or "literary hoaxes." You can also do a keyword search either in the simple search or in the "Any field" field of the Advanced Search. Once you have search results, you can limit to the Clark Library by selecting it from the "UCLA Locations" facet.