They're all real

"A stout, middle-aged man, with enormous owl-eyed spectacles, was sitting somewhat drunk on the edge of a great table, staring with unsteady concentration at the shelves of the books. As we entered he wheeled excitedly around and examined Jordan from head to foot.

'What do you think?' he demanded impetuously.

'About what?'

He waved his hand towards the bookshelves.

'About that. As a matter of fact you needn't bother to ascertain. I ascertained. They're real.'

'The books?'

He nodded.

'Absolutely real- have pages and everything. I thought they'd be a nice durable cardboard. Matter of fact, they're absolutely real. Pages and- Here! Lemme show you.'

Taking our scepticism for granted, he rushed to the bookcases and returned with Volume One of the 'Stoddard Lectures'.

'See!' he cried triumphantly. 'It's a bona-fied piece of printed matter. It fooled me. This fella's a regular Belasco*. It's a triumph. What thoroughness! What realism! Knew when to stop, too- didn't cut the pages. But what do you want? What do you expect?'"

-The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

*'David Belasco (1853-1931) was a broadway theatre producer renowned for the realism of his sets'