The Art of Forgery: The Minds, Motives and Methods of Master Forgers chronicles the mystery, intrigue and scandal of forgery, often considered the world`s most glamorous crime. The history of art and cultural forgery is packed with true-crime stories - both fabled and lesser-known - that are fascinating, illuminating and often bizarre.

This book examines the adventures and misadventures of master forgers from antiquity to today, delving into criminal minds driven by an intriguing mixture of geniues, pride, revenge, fame, crime, opportunism, money and power.

Art crime expert Noah Charney investigates how and the world`s most artful tricksters - often ingenious and charming - succeeded in deceiving the art world. He exposes the tricks of their trade, and describes how they were eventually caught, through shrewd detective work, scientific examination or sheer luck. He also reveals how the art world is, in many ways, complicit, stepping eagerly into the traps laid by these crafty criminals.

Welcome to the world of forgery. A word of warning - don`t always believe your eyes.

Noah Charney is a professor and an international author of fiction and non-fiction, specializing in the fields of art history and art crime. He is the founder and president of ARCA, the Association for Research into Crimes against Art, a non-profit research group on issues in art crime. His work in the field of art crime has been praised in such international forums as the New York Times Magazine, Time Magazine, BBC Radio, National Public Radio, El Pais, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Playboy, Elle and Tatler among many others. He has appeared on radio and television as an expert on art history and art crime, including BBC, ITV, CNBC and MSNBC. Charney is the author of numerous articles and a novel, The Art Thief (2007).

Contents and sections:

Introduction... The World Wishes to be Deceived

Genius
Pride
Revenge
Fame
Crime
Opportunism
Money
Power

Conclusion... So Let it be Deceived

Notes
Glossary of Scientific Methods of Authentication
Selected Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments