Jean Shepherd's 'I, Libertine' Prank

In the mid-1950s, late-night DJ and writer of "A Christmas Story," Jean Shepherd, orchestrated a memorable prank after a bookstore clerk denied the existence of a book because it wasn't on the best sellers list. Outraged by this criterion, Shepherd fabricated a scandalous novel titled "I, Libertine" and encouraged listeners to request it at bookstores, confounding clerks and publishers. The prank gained notoriety and profit, prompting Shepherd to allow a real novelist to write the book, turning the hoax into a tangible and profitable reality.