Bibliographical Tracks (Number One) Spurious Reprints Of Early Books

False dates, forged title-pages, and counterfeit "classics" the history of early printing hides a shadowy trade in spurious reprints of revered books. Every detail here truly matters. In this meticulous enquiry, Charles Deane's bibliographical study of reprints uncovers how early printed books were recast, altered, and sometimes fabricated, leaving scholars and collectors to untangle genuine impressions from forged editions. Moving through case-studies drawn from antiquarian books and manuscripts, he shows how title-page wording, ornaments, type, and paper betray their origin, and how textual variants in reprints can both reveal deception and recover lost states of a text. At once a rare book reference work and a lucid meditation on bibliography and textual criticism, it speaks to anyone fascinated by the history of early printing and nineteenth century book history alike. Out of print for decades and now republished by Alpha Editions, Deane's tract remains a quietly powerful guide for rare book collectors, librarians, and a reference for bibliographers who must judge authenticity under pressure. Restored for today's and future generations, it preserves a classic study of early printed books from a formative moment in modern historical scholarship on spurious early book reprints. More than a reprint - a collector's item and a cultural treasure, it appeals equally to casual readers drawn to literary detection and to serious students of the book as artefact.