Coimbatore’s E V R Library has come under fresh scrutiny after 257 English-language books purchased under the name of the London-based Vintage publishing house were reportedly found to carry fake International Standard Book Numbers and other signs of fabrication. The purchases were made in 2025 and 2026, according to a report by Dinamalar – Tamil Nadu.
The reported findings add to an earlier controversy at the library, where more than 2,000 books attributed to allegedly fake authors and produced using artificial intelligence were removed. The Tamil Nadu government has said that special teams would be formed to investigate that matter.
The latest books were reportedly purchased at a cost of Rs 9,900 each. One of the books examined was said to contain 300 pages. According to the report, around 70 per cent of the information in the books matched material generated by artificial intelligence. Photographs presented as images of the authors in the final sections of the books were also reported to be fabricated.
The report further said that the address associated with Vintage was presented as being in London, but that no building was found at the stated location. This follows an earlier finding that the publishers named Akal Vilakku and Phoenix appeared to share the same address, raising further questions about the identities and operations of the publishers involved.
The allegations concern the procurement of books for a public library, making the issue larger than the authenticity of individual titles. A library’s purchasing process determines which material enters a public collection and how public funds are spent. In this case, the reported purchase price, the number of titles and the use of publisher and author identities that may not be genuine have prompted questions from academics and writers about the checks applied before procurement.
The International Standard Book Number is used to identify published books and their editions. The report said that the numbers printed in all 257 books were fake. It did not provide details in the supplied material about the procurement committee, tender process, approving authority or the total amount spent on the titles.
The latest findings were reported as part of an expanding investigation into alleged irregularities in book purchases for the library. Academics and writers have called for swift action. The state government’s previously announced special-team investigation is expected to establish how the books were selected, verified and purchased, and whether responsibility can be fixed for the reported irregularities.
