Please Let This John Oliver Book Be Real

Without John Oliver telling us the news on Last Week Tonight (or was it Yesterday Right Now?), how else will we know what's going on in the world? The HBO show is on hiatus until Sept. 13, but thankfully Oliver hasn't forgotten us. Posted Sunday, a web exclusive clip shows Oliver touting an upcoming book full of historical lies to fans, only to pull the rug and declare it's a fake. But seriously, is Oliver's book Stranger Than Truth real?

The full title of the mysterious tome is Stranger Than Truth: John Oliver's 101 Favorite History Lies​ and is supposed to be filled with a bunch of fake history lessons because "the only thing that feels better than lying to someone is lying to someone, then regaining their trust, and then lying to them again." In fact, lying feels better than cocaine — which Oliver admits is a lie.

So, what other kind of lies are we talking about? Abraham Lincoln pardoned a drunk man for trying to have sex with an animal, and that man's name is John Wilkes Booth. Paul Revere sneezed and vomited the entire time during that famed midnight ride. Irish step dancing was invented by farmers trying to kill field mice by "rhythmically clobbering them to death" with their feet. Saddam Hussein received a key to the city of Detroit. (Wait, one of these is actually real.)

In the end, Oliver admits he wasted everyone's time because the book is fake and isn't coming out in April 2016 as he promised. That is, unless he's lying about that, too. Because the publishing house he claims is releasing the book, Simon & Schuster, is actually a real deal company, and it did publish titles by Dr. Oz, one of Oliver's favorite targets. That hardcover photo also looks super legit to me. Here's hoping!

Image: Last Week Tonight With John Oliver/HBO