just you and one umbrella

His most famous hoax was born of being fed up with arbitrary "lists" which determined the existence and approval level of media pieces, particularly the NY Times Bestseller List. In 1956, he asked his listeners to go into their local bookstore and ask for a non-existent book called "I, Libertine" by Frederick R. Ewing.

It went 1950s viral. So many of his listeners asked after the book, published alleged excerpts, discussed it in literary circles, and planted references to it so widely that people actually believed it existed. There were even rumors that somebody tried to get it on the NY Times Bestseller List based on word-of-mouth demand.

Plot Twist: SOMEBODY WROTE THE BOOK. Based on Shepherd's basic plot outline and a compilation of the various bits and bobs provided by the public, contemporary author Theodore Sturgeon wrote a full-length novel version of "I, Libertine" and published it under the previously-established pseudonym Frederick R. Ewing.

What I Watched in 2022 ⤖ 78. First Love: Hatsukoi (2022)