COIMBATORE: The controversy surrounding the authenticity of books stocked at the Periyar Arivulagam library in Coimbatore has widened, with research students and bibliophiles identifying 257 books published by another publishing house, Vintage Press Ltd, as allegedly fake.
The latest findings were made on Wednesday during a further inspection of the library's collection. Researchers said, random checks of the books revealed extensive plagiarism and suspected artificial intelligence (AI)-generated content. They alleged that the books contained more than 60% plagiarised material and over 70% AI-generated content.
Speaking to TNIE, bibliophile K Sathish said more than 10 titles under the tourism category alone had been found to be fake. The team had randomly checked and scanned 16 pages using professional tools and software, which indicated 64% plagiarism and over 70% AI-generated content, he said.
The researchers also questioned the authenticity of the publisher's ISBN numbers, registered address and website. Though Vintage Press Ltd claims to be headquartered in London, the team found that a different industry was operating at the address mentioned by the publisher after checking the UK's officials government website for industries and verifying the same with the local sources there, Sathish said.
He added that all 257 identified titles were English books, published between 2025 and January 2026, and priced between Rs 9,000 and Rs 10,000 each. The books were listed as first editions, which the researchers said raised further suspicion. The authors of these books also seem to be bogus. Despite the findings, the titles continue to remain on the library shelves and are yet to be removed.
The latest discovery comes amid growing scrutiny of book procurement at the newly opened library. Despite multiple attempts, Periyar Arivulagam library's librarian didn't respond to TNIE's calls for a comment on the latest issue.