fake book
An unofficial collection of jazz lead sheets providing melodies and chord symbols for hundreds of standards.
In Depth
Fake books emerged in the 1940s as bootleg compilations allowing musicians to fake their way through gigs by reading simplified lead sheets. The original fake books were illegal because they violated copyright by reproducing melodies without permission. They were sold under the counter and passed around in plain brown wrappers. Despite their dubious legality, fake books were essential to jazz education and gigging for decades before legal versions appeared.
The original fake books were so illegal that possessing one could theoretically result in copyright infringement charges, yet virtually every working jazz musician owned a copy.