Showing posts with label VLSmithBook. Show all posts
Showing posts with label VLSmithBook. Show all posts

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Arcati + Wikipedia + VLSmithBook = Grudge?

The Madame Arcati entry on Wikipedia appears to have been written by two journalists known as VLSmithBook. I suspect they have used Arcati to draw attention to a purported book project. They explain: "In autumn 2006 we were commissioned by a UK publisher to write a celebration of the life and work of [sic] Victor Lewis Smith (provisionally entitled The Private Life of [sic] Victor Lewis Smith)." I thought his surname was hyphenated. Other contributors object to this self-promotion and even suggest that the two journalists may bear a grudge against Lewis-Smith (recently departed scabrous TV critic of the Evening Standard, and a Private Eye contributor, among other things).

VLSmithBook write: "We've added a page on Madame Arcati as she seems important." This is a good call. But given that this is the free-for-all of Wikipedia, I am sure not one likely to go unchallenged.