Plagiarism and appropriation are hot topics when they appear in the news. A politician copies a section of a speech, a section of music sounds familiar, the plot of a novel follows the same pattern as an older story, a piece of scientific research is attributed to the wrong researcher… The list is endless. Allegations and convictions of such incidents can easily ruin a career and inspire gossip. People report worrying about unconsciously appropriating someone else's work. But why do people plagiarise? How many claims of unconscious plagiarism are truthful? How is plagiarism detected, and what are the outcomes for the perpetrators and victims? Strikingly Similar uncovers the deeper psychology behind this controversial human behavior, as well as a cultural history that is far wider and more interesting than sensationalised news stories.

‘In this book, Kreuz offers a breezy account of actual, suspected, or accidental plagiarism. Featuring examples drawn from literature, music, and politics, Kreuz gives example after example of plagiarism-and some copyright infringements too-by writers who are famous, infamous, or essentially unknown.’

Dennis Baron - author of You Can't Always Say What You Want

‘An engaging new perspective on the topic of plagiarism. The book is overflowing with stories of real-world instances of plagiarism in professional contexts from academia, politics, and journalism, to the creative arts. These stories inform an insightful analysis of the causes and consequences of plagiarism.’

Guy J. Curtis - editor of Academic Integrity in the Social Sciences

‘Strikingly Similar is an essential resource for those interested in plagiarism. Kreuz has compiled a comprehensive history of a topic critical to writers and academics. This book provides important lessons and cautionary tales from the history of writing for the age of AI.’

David Rettinger - author of Cheating Academic Integrity, and President Emeritus of the International Center for Academic Integrity

‘A treasure trove of plagiarism through the ages.’

Source: The Mail on Sunday

‘Roger Kreuz’s book burrows into the history of plagiarism and its complicated cousin, appropriation, to try to tell us how we got here … Strikingly Similar is at its best when it drops big names into juicy plagiarism debates.’

Source: The Observer

‘Engagingly fact-packed survey of plagiarism through the ages … in a particularly eye-opening section of his book, he shows how few people can recognise glaringly obvious examples of plagiarism.’

Source: The Times

‘Shows the extent to which artists and politicians appropriate material from others, from Melania Trump to Bob Dylan.’

Source: The Standard

‘informative and entertaining’

Source: The Critic