Man busted for forging famous author signatures

Forrest R. Smith III, 48, of Exeter Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 33 months in prison and to pay $120,000 in restitution after getting busted for forging author signatures in books by the likes of Truman Capote, Michael Crichton, Tom Clancy, Kurt Vonnengut, Anne Rice, and selling them on eBay. (Examples of Truman Capote signatures seen above from TomFoilo.com.) From the Reading Eagle:

Smith had obtained documents containing authentic signatures of each author and had ink-based stamps made for the signatures, investigators said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark B. Dubnoff has said someone in the book-selling field initially uncovered Smith's scheme and alerted authorities.

Another bookseller noticed that someone was buying first-edition books and a short time later those same books were being put up for sale, but as signed copies of a book whose author was dead, he said.

"Exeter man gets federal prison term for book-signatures scam "

Over at GOOD, Anne Trubek considers this case in the context of e-books and the "aura" of authenticity in, well, the age of digital reproduction (sorry Walter Benjamin!):

The future of author signatures is uncertain, however; it seems unlikely that the tradition of authors signing books for readers will continue in an e-book future, after all. We have already seen the invention of the LongPen, which Margaret Atwood uses to alleviate the long lines at book signings. With the LongPen, authors can sign their books while lying in bed, and do not need to tromp off to an actual bookstore to be presented copies of their by actual, grubby readers. With this handy new device, "the distance between signing parties becomes irrelevant. LongPen™ transmits an original signature via a secure network--instantly."

But for many, "the distance between the signing parties" is exactly what we want to shrink. What we want from a signed book is the actual living breathing body of the author leaving a trace on our copy. Increasing the distance, as with the LongPen, is a crime of its own--though not one punishable by the courts.

"The Art of Forged Signatures"

• [william]

  Oh my god. I thought the LongPenâ„¢ thing was a joke, satire. But it’s real! And possibly the world’s biggest (well, longest) exercise in missing the point. Sigh. Also, Atwood doesn’t look that creepy in person, does she?

• [demidan]

  What a dumb ass! Even I have three different Ebay accounts,(need to hide Bday and Xmas present purchases from wifey). If he just took a little more time,,,well I guess he would have screwed even more people. Dumb ass.

• [deckard68]

  But he was released after producing a signed pardon.

  (Lame. Sorry.)

• [adonai]

  Caroline nailed it. I also have books signed by Neil Gaiman, and also by Cory & Terry Pratchett (who says non-signed copies of his books are rarer than signed ones). Even if they’re just signing a standard line or two, they’re doing it for you, while you’re in front of them. Buying a pre-signed book is rather lifeless.

• [JohnCJ]

  Wow. The long pen is an insult to fans.

  I went to the London launch of Cory’s Makers and waited for an hour to talk with him. I got some face-time with a favorite author of mine and got to shake his hand. The signature is merely a physical object which only has significance to me because it is linked to that event. If I had shown up and he faxed in the signature, I would have been pissed.

• [Caroline]

  Anne Trubek’s article is thought-provoking. I own several books signed by Neil Gaiman. They’re valuable to me not because of any monetary value. I doubt they’re worth anything extra; signed Gaiman books are hardly rare, as the man signs hundreds or thousands at every appearance he makes, and will undoubtedly sign many more, long may he live.

  No, I value them because they’re a tangible souvenir of meeting and talking to one of my favorite authors, however briefly. The signatures and dedications make a connection to the real person who wrote those books. it’s the same reason I’d value a personal letter from a favorite author. “Hey, this person does awesome work, and I’m connected to them in some small way.”

  I don’t see much point in buying a signed copy of a book from a living author unless I was there to get it signed, because it doesn’t hold that personal connection. Maybe that’s just me. It might be different if I was a collector. (I’d bid on a signed book for a charity auction, if I had the money, because that would still be a kind of personal connection — a cause the author personally supports.)

  A signed copy of a book from an author no longer living is different. I would really value a book signed by, say, Asimov or Heinlein, despite not having gotten it signed in person. Because I can’t make a personal connection with that author anymore, owning a signed copy is a way of experiencing a kind of secondhand, historical connection — like touching a tiny piece of that person’s life and history.

  A mass-produced signature copy isn’t valuable in either case. It is about the connection.

  I really don’t think the signed copy is going to disappear, even if e-books become the prevalent way to publish. Fans of an author will still want that tangible memento of meeting hir, so they’ll still buy a paper copy and get it signed. A book is really the appropriate item for an author’s autograph and I don’t think that’ll change.

  • [David Pescovitz]

    @Caroline, I totally agree with you. Signatures and other personalizations make physical books even MORE valuable (not necessarily in monetary terms either). It’s all about the story, not the product.

• [Anonymous]

  Reminds me of a certain former Secretary of Defense, who deemed appropriate to use an Autopen to ‘sign’ letters to families of fallen soldiers.

  “What we want from a signed book is the actual living breathing body of the author leaving a trace on our copy.”, indeed.

  Can you get arrested for forging your own signature?