": 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 

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