Randall Hansen, interim director of the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs, is seeing a bump in sales for his 2009 book, which happens to also be titled Fire and Fury.

Since Friday when Michael Wolff’s tell-all book Fire and Fury about the Trump presidency was released, not only has Wolff’s book been selling off the shelves, but the U of T political science professor has seen his own book land on three bestsellers’ lists.

Hansen said he never thought that he’d see a rise in sales of his own book, titled Fire and Fury: The Allied Bombing of Germany, 1942-45, when Wolff’s book was released. He began noticing on Friday that his own book, which tackles the American and British bombing campaigns against Germany during the Second World War, was appearing on three bestseller lists on Amazon – military history, strategy and aviation.

“Trump’s use of the phrase generated only limited Twitter commentary, and I assumed that the very different topics would result in little interest in my book,” Hansen said, speaking of Trump’s “fire and fury” threat to North Korea back in August.

Early Saturday morning, Hansen tweeted about the unprecedented sales for Wolff’s book leading to an increase in sales for his own book. He said the increase in sales was incredible but wondered if he owed royalty cheques to Donald Trump and Steve Bannon.

“If so, the irony will know no limits,” Hansen tweeted.

That tweet has now gone viral.

“It’s not my fault people can’t tell the difference between a book about Trump and a book about the bombing of Germany,” Hansen told The Canadian Press. “But most have been jovial and appreciated the moment of levity.”

Hansen said he won’t know until he gets the royalty statement how many books he’s sold since Friday. He has also authored Citizenship and Immigration in Postwar Britain in 2000 and Disobeying Hitler: German Resistance after Valkyrie in 2013.

Follow this story in the news:

A U of T professor titled his 2008 book Fire and Fury. Thanks to Trump, sales are up 10 years later (Toronto Star)
U of T prof’s decade-old ‘Fire and Fury’ book back on bestseller list thanks to Donald Trump (Global News)
U of T prof’s own Fire and Fury book a bestseller thanks to Donald Trump (CBC)
Fire and Fury mix-up lands U of T professor back on bestseller list (Globe and Mail)
Michael Wolff’s ‘Fire and Fury’ increases sales of book with similar name (International Business Times)
Canadian author’s Fire and Fury book surges in sales (CBC – video)
U of T prof’s 2008 ‘Fire and Fury’ book a bestseller thanks to Donald Trump (CTV News)
Michael Wolff’s Trump book leads to a spike in sales for other booked titled ‘Fire and Fury’ (Newsweek)
This Canadian’s decade-old “Fire and Fury” book is suddenly a bestseller thanks to Trump (Buzzfeed)
Canadian prof’s ‘Fire and Fury’ book accidentally starts selling copies again (Vice)
Fire and Fury: Sales boost for Toronto professor’s WW2 book (BBC)
Second World War book ‘Fire and Fury’ gets Trump bump (CTV National News – video)
Some people are buying the wrong ‘Fire and Fury’ book. Its Canadian author isn’t complaining. (Washington Post)
‘Fire and Fury’ from Canada: It’s not about Trump. Or Michael Wolff. (New York Times)
People are buying the wrong Fire and Fury book and this author is making money (Time Magazine)
Another ‘Fire and Fury’ book exists and it’s confusing A LOT of people (Bustle)
‘Fire and Fury’ publisher is rushing to print more books (CNN)
People keep buying the wrong ‘Fire and Fury’ book – The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS – video)
A book titled Fire and Fury that was published 10 years ago is an unexpected bestseller (National Post)
“Never thought that I would owe Trump a favour” (Handelsblatt – German)
Trump makes 10-year-old book bestseller (Nyheder – Danish)
Trumpism is like a drug, it’s never enough (Il Foglio – Italian)

January 9, 2018