An incomplete history of the art of the funerary violin

Exposed by the New York times as a "brilliant hoax," this imaginative volume of fiction is presented as a scholarly history of a secretive art form: "the rise, flourishing, and ruthless suppression of a tradition of [solo] violin music played at funerals." It includes detailed fictional biographies of real or invented persons, alleged "period" illustrations, and elaborate musical scores. The publisher's release of this work as nonfiction was related to the fact that the author reportedly did not disclose the creative aspect of this unusual fantasy literature. -- Compiled from the New York times Oct. 4, 2006 article and online reviews.