{"product_id":"the-professor-and-the-parson-a-story-of-desire-deceit-and-defrocking-9781640093287","title":"The Professor and the Parson: A Story of Desire, Deceit, and Defrocking","description":"\u003cp\u003e • Author(s): Adam Sisman\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher: Counterpoint LLC\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher Imprint: Counterpoint LLC\u003cbr\u003e • BISAC: Hoaxes \u0026amp; Deceptions\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis \"amusing and elegantly written\" romp takes readers on a wild ride through the life of Robert Parkin Peters (\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e)--a liar, bigamist, and fraudulent priest who tricked some of the brightest minds of his generation.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOne day in November 1958, the celebrated historian Hugh Trevor-Roper received a curious letter. It was an appeal for help, written on behalf of a student at Magdalen College, with the unlikely claim that he was being persecuted by the Bishop of Oxford. Curiosity piqued, Trevor-Roper agreed to a meeting. It was to be his first encounter with Robert Parkin Peters: plagiarist, bigamist, fraudulent priest, and imposter extraordinaire. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Professor and the Parson\u003c\/i\u003e is a witty and charming portrait of eccentricity, extraordinary narcissism, and a life as wild and unlikely as any in fiction. Motivated not by money but by a desire for prestige, Peters lied, stole, and cheated his way to academic positions and religious posts from Cambridge to New York. Frequently deported, and even more frequently discovered, he left a trail of destruction including seven marriages (three of which were bigamous) and an investigation by the FBI. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"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, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Perfectionists\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"Atlantic Books","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46317306183831,"sku":"9781640093287","price":2532.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0666\/3471\/1191\/files\/9781640093287.webp?v=1767710892","url":"https:\/\/atlanticbooks.com\/products\/the-professor-and-the-parson-a-story-of-desire-deceit-and-defrocking-9781640093287","provider":"Atlantic Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}