Fakes and Forgeries

Bursary applications are now closed and general registration will open at the beginning of April.

This one-day course offers an introduction to the subject of book forgery. It is designed to equip students with the necessary skills to identify fakes, in addition to providing a historical overview of their production from the early modern period to the present day. Students will learn about false imprints, techniques of duplication, the doctoring of facsimiles, sophisticated and ‘made-up’ books, and the falsification of provenance. There will be a strong focus on using bibliographical evidence from type and paper to identify anachronism and undisclosed tampering.

The course is aimed at booksellers, librarians, academics, graduate students, and collectors. Although no specialist prior knowledge is required, a basic understanding of bibliographical description and collation will be advantageous.

This short course is part of the London Rare Books School programme.

Tea, coffee and lunch will be provided to all delegates.

09:30-11:00 (Seminar 1)
11:00-11:20 (Break)
11:20-12:50 (Seminar 2)
12:50-13:30 (Break)
13:30-15:00 (Seminar 3)
15:00-15:20 (Break)
15:20-16:50 (Seminar 4)
16:50-17:00 (Reflection)

Provisional seminar topics include:

Seminar 1: Fakes and Facsimiles
Seminar 2: False Imprints and Creative Forgeries
Seminar 3: Sophisticated and ‘Made-Up’ Books
Seminar 4: Forged Provenance

As seminar topics have not yet been finalised these are subject to change.

General Admission
Once bursary applications have closed and places accepted, general admission places will open in Mid April 2024.

Course Fees

Standard: £185
Concession*: £110

*student/unwaged

The course is limited to 15 delegates and bookings must be made by the Friday 3 May 2024.

Thanks to a generous grant from the Arts and Humanities Research Council, ten bursaries are available to cover fees and limited support for travel and subsistence.

To apply for one of these bursaries, please submit a bursary application by 15 March 2024. Successful applicants will be informed if they have been successful by the first week of April 2024.

Apply for a bursary.

Seng Tee Lee room, Senate House Library, Senate House, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU

If you have any enquiries relating to this short course, please contact the IES Events Office: iesevents@sas.ac.uk