The Art of Forgery: The Minds, Motives and Methods of Master Forgers

The layout of the book is unconventional, but the material itself is fascinating. This, like the recent movie "Big Eyes" and the works of contemporary artists like Banksy and Koons stimulates the age-old debate of what art "is". Aristotle's definition (pg. 108) seems amazingly accurate over 2,000 years later. Because so much is covered in such a brief manner, it certainly will lead me to more detailed books and primary sources amply provided in Charney's "Selected Bibliography." I find the effects of mass psychology (the willingness to be fooled that greed begets), institutional jealousies, the arrogance of the "connoisseur" class, and the exclusivity of gallerists - all fascinating - and all ample motivation for the revenge of the forgers.

A great read - you need not know anything about art - but it does help. I strongly recommend this to anyone who has ever asked themselves "Why does someone make fakes (apart from monetary gain)?" and way are we taken in - and so fascinated by the subject.I did return this - but only because my sister gave me a signed copy for my birthday.

This book was marvellous from page one. It gets better as I get further into it and I've still got plenty to go. Who knew (for example) that Michelangelo himself was a copier of ancient Greek/Roman statues - but did that make him a forger?! That's the question and this is an extremely well worth read, just to find out!

Fun read an eye opener!!

The author seems to have gotten a great deal of his material from other authors

Well-written, thorough, and illuminating - a riveting read.

Order arrived before date expected and in perfect condition.Would order again from this seller

This was a fascinating yarn, told well. If you are interested in dramatic finely tuned crime and art, you'll enjoy this story.

I first learned about Noah Charney from a New York Times article about him in December 2006 when I was writing a book about creativity and the value of bridging and blending ideas. As a doctoral student, Charney melded several disciplines to create a new field of study and practice. He combined art history, criminology, psychology, and statistics and then applied that knowledge to help find and thwart art thieves. He has continued to break ground in new ways and in new books. The Art of Forgery considers the psychology of “deceivers,” whether they do it because of pride, revenge, or sometimes just because the opportunity presents itself. While this gets to the “why they do it,” understanding how they may be caught, including the scientific methods of authentication in the final notes is equally fascinating.

Beautifully Illustrated with comparisons of forged and real art.Not long on the physics of how the forgers forge, rather grouped into why they forged.A good start to the world & members of the art of forgery.