Fakes, Scams & Forgeries: From Art to Counterfeit Cash

They are dishonest, deceptive and downright illegal…but they’re also riveting and sometimes even brilliant. Fakes and forgeries – and the people behind them– grab our attention and never let go.

From the Hitler diaries to Vermeer’s brilliant forger to imposters such as Martin Guerre, from Catch Me If You Can’s Frank Abagnale to the conmen who inspired the film The Sting, Fakes, Scams & Forgeries captures the excitement and ingenious methods of some of the world’s most outlandish scams. As well as providing entertaining and in-depth profiles of famous forgers and legendary frauds, the text deals with the many modern scientific techniques that have been developed for the examination of suspect materials.

From selling the Eiffel Tower (twice) to almost selling the Statue of Liberty, from counterfeit money to faking Shakespeare, from the woman who successfully posed as a male doctor for 50 years to the art forger who had to confess his fraud to prove that he wasn’t a Nazi collaborator, from Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos to Bernie Madoff and Ponzi schemes, the book lifts the lid on centuries of shady work. Illustrated with 200 photographs, Fakes, Scams & Forgeries is an expert exploration of some of history’s most elaborate cons.