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The Professor and the Parson

A Story of Desire, Deceit and Defrocking

Adam Sisman author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Profile Books Ltd

Published:6th Feb '20

Should be back in stock very soon

The Professor and the Parson cover

This captivating narrative explores the life of a notorious imposter who deceived many, including prominent scholars, in The Professor and the Parson.

In The Professor and the Parson, the curious tale of Robert Parkin Peters unfolds, revealing the life of a man who managed to deceive some of the most brilliant minds of his era. This fascinating account begins in November 1958 when historian Hugh Trevor-Roper receives an unusual letter from a student at Magdalen College. The letter claims that the student is being persecuted by the Bishop of Oxford, prompting Trevor-Roper to meet with Peters, an encounter that leads him into a world filled with lies and deception.

Peters, a bigamist and fraudulent priest, navigated through various academic and religious institutions, driven not by financial gain but by an insatiable craving for recognition and prestige. His escapades took him from prestigious universities in Cambridge to international locations such as New York, Singapore, and South Africa, leaving a trail of chaos in his wake. With seven marriages, three of which were bigamous, and an FBI investigation, Peters' life was a wild tapestry of chicanery that seemed almost fictional.

Based on Trevor-Roper's meticulous notes, The Professor and the Parson offers a witty and engaging exploration of Peters' eccentricities and extraordinary narcissism. It is a delightful narrative that captures the absurdity of his life and the impact he had on those around him, providing readers with a compelling glimpse into a world where truth and deception often intertwine.

A twisty, tricksy biography ... a thorough and thoroughly entertaining reconstruction of the life and lies of Robert Peters. Suspend your disbelief ... The Professor and the Parson would make a fine TV series along the lines of A Very English Scandal. Russell T Davies, if you're reading, this stuff is gold. -- Laura Freeman * The Times *
A lively, well-written story of skulduggery -- Rosamund Urwin * Sunday Times *
[A] roller-coaster ride of fibs and frauds ... To say of a book that, once you start reading it, you cannot stop, is always a cliché and often an exaggeration. Yet it really was my experience with this one. Various chores were put off and a meal skipped as I kept turning the pages. -- Noel Malcolm * Sunday Telegraph *
Sisman's deadpan tone heightens [Peters'] comic effects. Often while reading his book in a public place I embarrassed myself by uncontrollable guffaws ... This is a truly wonderful story. -- A. N. Wilson * Spectator *
The Professor and the Parson is a fantastic read and fully deserves to be among everyone's books of the year. It is full of wonderful stories and splendidly comic moments. It is also beautifully written. -- William Whyte * Literary Review *
Astonishing ... fascinating, eye-opening * Emerald Street *
A tortuous, intriguing and barely believable story, which sheds a fierce but comic spotlight on the ineptitude, gullibility and naivety of countless senior prelates and academics who were taken in by a consummate and unrepentant charlatan ... a dizzy and diverting read -- Rosemary Goring * Herald Scotland *
Witty, impressive and captivatingly readable ... incredibly well researched ... a real achievement. It's also great fun. I laughed out loud ... one day this tale will make a fantastic BBC adaptation or even film. Think A Very English Scandal, but with clerical collars. * History Today *
I was captivated from start to finish by this utterly mad, and wholly delightful story of chicanery and fantasy, and which involves a man who relentlessly duped our most cherished institutions of godly pursuit and higher learning. Plus I learned how to defrock a priest, always good to have on hand in these troubling times. * Simon Winchester *
A delightful, delicious tale from the Hugh Trevor-Roper archive of Oxford skulduggery. Robert Parkin Peters is one of the oddest, most compulsive conmen ever, longing - and spectacularly failing - to achieve prominence in academia and the Church. * Harry Mount *

ISBN: 9781788162128

Dimensions: 200mm x 128mm x 18mm

Weight: 203g

240 pages

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