Hoaxer Mike McGrady

It has been said that in most parts of the world, people have sex, but that Americans commit it. The nation's preoccupation with this naughty topic was the cause of a marvelous 1966 hoax in which a group of friends and co-workers wrote a steamy, sleazy novel--by committee.

The success of sexy novels by such authors as Jacqueline Susann and Harold Robbins and the failure of far better manuscripts to find a publisher caused Newsday columnist Mike McGrady and roughly 20 of his Newsday colleagues and other pals to tackle the writing of a purposely bad, sex-obsessed novel. One writer did the first chapter, the next person did chapter two, etc. The only stipulation was that their work had to be as devoid as possible of quality and social value.

The book was titled Naked Came the Stranger, and its author, purportedly, was Peneploe Ashe." The part of Ashe was played by McGrady's sister-in-law. The book's plot involved an unfaithful husband whose wife gets her revenge by sleeping around at a dizzying rate.

Naturally, the book was a huge success in terms of copies sold--even before the literary hoax was revealed.

Awful as it is to have to admit it, this hoax proved an adage: "No one ever lost any money by underestimating the taste of the American public."