: I really don't agree that "forgery" implies there is a real one.  The Protocols are very frequently referred to as a forgery, and similarly for the Hitler Diaries and countless fake archaeological artifacts.  The word only implies that something is presented as genuine when it isn't.  A fake copy of a known painting is a forgery, but so is a fake "previously unknown" painting of a famous artist.  All dictionaries that I consulted agree, e.g. Merriam-Webster refers to "making or copying".  But I won't argue about this further if nobody else agrees.  I can also go with "fraudulent book", which is more informative than "fraud" and not so soap-boxy as "lie". "Fraudulent document" would also be ok (it wasn't first published as a book.) talk