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Rearview Mirror Chronicles
Keith Hockton, FRAS, is a writer, publisher, and award-winning podcaster based in Penang, Malaysia, with a deep passion for uncovering the stories that shaped our world. As the Southeast Asia Editor for International Living magazine, Keith explores the intersections of history, culture, and modern life across the region.
A dynamic lecturer and storyteller, he speaks internationally on Southeast Asian politics, economics, and history—bringing the past to life with clarity, wit, and insight. Keith is also a proud Fellow of The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland and is on a mission to make history not only accessible but genuinely entertaining for everyone.
His published books include:
• Atlas of Australian Dive Sites - Travellers Edition (Harper Collins Australia, 2003).
• Penang - An inside guide to its historic homes, buildings, monuments and parks (MPH Publishing, 2012; 2nd Edition 2014; 3rd Edition 2017).
• Festivals of Malaysia (Trafalgar Publishing, 2015).
• The Habitat Penang Hill: A pocket history (Entrepot Publishing, 2018)
• Alana and the Secret Life of Trees at Night (Entrepot Publishing, 2018)
• Penang Then & Now: A Century of Change in Pictures (Entrepot Publishing, 2019; 2nd Edition 2021
• Bersama Lima - Five Together (Entrepot Publishing, 2022)
www.entrepotpublishing.com
Rearview Mirror Chronicles
The Book Forger
In the smoky corners of 1930s London, where rare books changed hands like secret treasures, one man fooled them all.
Thomas Wise wasn’t just a collector—he was a con artist of the highest order. Charming, cultured, and utterly ruthless, Wise forged "lost" literary masterpieces with such precision and flair that even the most seasoned bibliophiles were dazzled. First editions appeared out of thin air. Forgotten pamphlets took on priceless value. And no one suspected a thing—until it was far too late.
His forgeries didn’t just fetch fortunes—they rewrote literary history. But when the truth finally surfaced, it detonated like a bomb through the genteel world of book collecting, leaving reputations shattered and libraries tainted.
Join Keith—once a collector himself—as he steps into the elegant, dangerous world of forged words and literary deception. This is the astonishing tale of Thomas Wise: the man who built his legend on lies... and almost got away with it.
Referral Links:
For books written and published by Keith Hocton