The Facts: Back in mid-October 2025 I embarked on the endeavor to write (and self-publish) my first book (of which I am on the third and final draft). It was going to be a simple anthology of my old short-form writings from the early 2000s (during my early thirties). It was also going to have a preface to serve as both an explanation and a mini autobiography. But then I had the thought of having some fun with the notion of a preface. This thought then evolved (as they always do) into the idea to one day write a book consisting of nothing but prefaces. I believe I publicly stated as much in a video around that time, when I started vlogging about my writing journey. I don’t remember the specific video offhand, though it may have been this one.
Fast forward to August or September of 2026 (I forget when exactly) when I discovered that Kierkegaard, along with five other authors, each had already written a book regarding prefaces! Or, as you’ll read below, if not about prefaces, then similar introductory content. One of the books dates back a couple of decades, while Kierkegaard’s goes back almost two centuries!
The Evidence: Below is the list of known perpetrators and their works:
Last Updated: October 13, 2026
- 1844 (1844!) is the earliest known temporal theft of my idea. The book in question is titled “Prefaces” and was written by Soren Kierkegaard under the pseudonym Nicolaus Notabene. So right there you can see how he tried to get away with it by publishing under a fake name! What a coward!!! The book is supposedly an absurd metafictional story about an author who, to appease his wife who’s jealous of his writing, writes a book of prefaces for books that do not exist. I have never read anything by Kierkegaard, or any of the other authors cited below. And while his theft of my idea is like a poison spear that has pierced my virtuous soul (oh wait I don’t have one, never mind), knowing he is of a similar mind, I must read it one day, and perhaps other works of his. Though my doing so will not forgive him of his past transgressions! (I’ve always wanted to say that last bit.)
- 1917 is the year of the next theft, this one more blatant than Kierkegaard’s, as this book is titled “Book of Prefaces” and was written by American journalist H.L. Mencken. However, it is a collection of critical essays. So while he stole the title from me, the content is not quite the same. He’s still guilty!
- 1941-1944 is the third act of theft by author Jorge Luis Borges. His larceny appears in his books “The Approach to Al-Mu’tasim” (1936/1941) and “An Examination of the Work of Herbert Quain” (1941), both of which are collected in “Ficciones” (1944) and contain reviews for fictional books. So while not prefaces per se, it’s still the same idea: fake introductory content, and for books that don’t exist, no less! Ha! Wait, why am I laughing? I should be mad at the thief!
- 1962 is the next year of theft by author Vladimir Nabokov in his book “Pale Fire” which consists of a foreword, a 999 line poem, and a massive 200+ page commentary written by an unhinged, fictional editor known as Charles Kinbote. Apparently it is the ultimate meta-commentary/preface book.
- 1971 is the fifth act of theft. The book is titled “A Perfect Vacuum” and was written by Stanislaw Lem. This book is a fictional collection of reviews for fake, imaginary books. Update: While not a book of prefaces per se, his other book titled “Imaginary Magnitude” is, as it is a collection of introductions (close enough) to books supposedly to be written in the future.
- 2000 is the latest theft of my 2025 idea. The book is another that’s blatantly titled “The Book of Prefaces” by the Scottish artist and novelist Alasdair Gray, who selected, arranged, and compiled a chronological series of prefaces, prologues, and introductions written by major authors from the 7th century (starting around 675 AD with Cædmon) up to 1920. It seeks to provide a history of how literature spread and developed through the nations of England, Ireland, Scotland, and the United States.
The Theories: Why would these authors steal my idea?
- A) In need of an idea for their next book, each of the four authors traveled through time to 2025, and after getting acclimated to modern society and culture, each eventually stumbled upon my 2025 video (or perhaps just this post) then returned back to their original time with the idea to then write and publish their own version of it.
- B) Each author hired a time-traveling thief that is a master in the fine art of Temporal Theft of Intellectual Property. It was this individual who found this post or my video, and returned back to the authors with the idea.
- C) Kierkegaard was the only time-traveling thief himself (or the only one to hire a time-traveling thief), while the other authors stole from him.
Conclusion: Skeptics out there might call it Coincidence, Cryptomnesia, Synchronicity, Multiple Discovery or Parallel Invention, or even call me crazy and narcissistic to think this way (or is the latter just my paranoia?). That these individuals simply thought of the idea years prior to me, or in Kierkegaard’s case, almost two centuries prior. However, I know better! There’s absolutely no way they came up with such an original idea on their own. As I said, they either traveled through time and stole it themselves, or paid someone to do it for them.
And no, I didn’t steal it from them! I am many things, but one thing I am not is a liar or a thief. I honestly thought of the idea myself, on my own, back around October/November 2025.
So there you have it, my dear reader. Was it blatant time-traveling theft, or mere chance? While I have my theories and suspicions, I will leave it up for you to draw, paint, sculpt, or use AI to create an image of your own conclusion.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to speak with the time traveling authorities with the hopes of seeking reparations…