Editing Jean Shepherd (section)

====''I, Libertine'' hoax ====
The most famous<ref name="nobook">{{cite news
 |last=Wilcock 
 |first=John 
 |title=The Book That Wasn't 
 |work=[[The Village Voice]] 
 |date=August 1, 1956 
 |url=http://www.flicklives.com/Articles/articles.asp?ID=19560801Ab 
 |access-date=2007-11-09 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070808001135/http://www.flicklives.com/Articles/articles.asp?ID=19560801Ab 
 |archive-date=August 8, 2007 
}}</ref> stunt was a hoax he created about a nonexistent book, ''[[I, Libertine]]'', by a fake author "Frederick R. Ewing", in 1956. During a discussion on how easy it was to manipulate the best-seller lists based on demand, as well as sales, Shepherd suggested that his listeners visit bookstores and ask for a copy of ''I, Libertine'', which led to booksellers attempting to order the book from their distributors.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} Fans of the show planted references to the book and author so widely that demand for the book led to claims of it being on [[The New York Times Best Seller list|''The New York Times'' Best Seller list]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.heraldnews.com/bloggers/x35033844/All-I-want-for-Christmas-is-my-name-on-the-Bestsellers-List |title=All I want for Christmas is my name on the Bestseller's List |last=Lortie |first=Arthur |date=December 17, 2012 |work=The Herald News |access-date=2013-07-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105035455/http://www.heraldnews.com/bloggers/x35033844/All-I-want-for-Christmas-is-my-name-on-the-Bestsellers-List |archive-date=November 5, 2013}} Bergmann, Eugene B. (2005). ''Excelsior You Fathead! The Art and Enigma of Jean Shepherd''. Applause Theatre and Cinema Books. ISBN 978-1-55783-600-7. page 133. "[P]roof of this has not been found."</ref> Filling the demand, [[Theodore Sturgeon]] and [[Betty Ballantine]] wrote the long-awaited book to Shepherd's outline, with a cover designed by illustrator [[Frank Freas|Frank Kelly Freas]], published by [[Ballantine Books]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://digital.goodreadingmagazine.com.au/?iid=7794 |title=Good Reading |website=Digital.goodreadingmagazine.com.au |access-date=2016-09-25}}</ref>