Will the rare autographed baseball your great-uncle gave you put
your children through college? Is your grandmother's chest of
drawers really a seventeenth-century antique, or merely a
reproduction? A leader in forgery detection and forensic
investigation, Joe Nickell reveals his secrets to detecting
artifacts items in Real or Fake: Studies in Authentication.
Detailing how the pros determine whether an Abraham Lincoln
signature is forged or if a photograph of Emily Dickinson is
genuine, Nickell provides the essential tools necessary to identify
counterfeits. In this general introduction to the principles of
authentication, Nickell provides readers with step-by-step
explanations of the science used to detect falsified documents,
photographs, and other objects. Illustrating methods used on hit
shows such as Antiques Roadshow and History Detectives, Nickell
recommends that aspiring investigators employ a comprehensive
approach to identifying imitations. One should consider the
object's provenance (the origin or derivation of an artifact),
content (clues in the scene or item depicted), and material
composition (what artifacts are made of), as well as the results of
scientific analyses, including radiographic, spectroscopic,
microscopic, and microchemical tests.
Including fascinating cases drawn from Nickell's illustrious
career, Real or Fake combines historical and scientific
investigations to reveal reproductions and genuine objects. Nickell
explains the warning signs of forgery, such as patching and
unnatural pen lifts; chronicles the evolution of writing
instruments, inks, and papers; shows readers how to date
photographs, papers, and other materials; and traces the
development of photographic processes since the mid-nineteenth
century. Lavishly illustrated with examples of replicas and
authentic objects inspected by Nickell, Real or Fake includes case
studies of alleged artifacts including Jack the Ripper's diary, a
draft of the Gettysburg Address, notes by Charles Dickens,
Jefferson Davis's musket, and debris from the Titanic.
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