{"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\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\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.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\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.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\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\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Counterpoint LLC\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 02\/04\/2020\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781640093287\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 256\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.90lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.40h x 5.70w x 1.10d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 11\/15\/2019 pg. 4\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 11\/15\/2019\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 12\/16\/2019\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Adam Sisman","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":36663894769820,"sku":"9781640093287","price":22.1,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_aa174321-9601-48ad-9b0a-510c5da3f4cd.jpg?v=1603905312","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/the-professor-and-the-parson-a-story-of-desire-deceit-and-defrocking-9781640093287","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}