About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherUniversity Press of Kentucky

ISBN-100813125340

ISBN-139780813125343

eBay Product ID (ePID)70943101

Product Key Features

Number of Pages256 Pages

Publication NameReal or Fake : Studies in Authentication

LanguageEnglish

SubjectHoaxes & Deceptions, Popular Culture, Criminal Law / General, Forensic Science, Criminology

Publication Year2009

TypeTextbook

AuthorJoe Nickell

Subject AreaLaw, True Crime, Social Science, Antiques & Collectibles

FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height1 in

Item Weight17.6 Oz

Item Length9 in

Item Width6 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceScholarly & Professional

LCCN2008-051816

Dewey Edition22

Reviews"An expert on antique ink and paper, and the forensic analysis of historic documents." -- New Yorker, ""An expert on antique ink and paper, and the forensic analysis of historic documents."" -- New Yorker, "With more than 60 photographs, countless stories, examples and tips from the experts, you can easily pick up and enjoy this riveting book from any chapter." -- Antique Trader, ""An expert on antique ink and paper, and the forensic analysis of historic documents." --New Yorker" --, "Joe Nickell is the embodiment of the Mythbusters, Sherlock Holmes, and Richard Feynman: one part lab tinkerer, one part field sleuth, and one part theoretical genius." -- Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic Magazine, columnist for Scientific American, Joe Nickell is the embodiment of the Mythbusters, Sherlock Holmes, and Richard Feynman: one part lab tinkerer, one part field sleuth, and one part theoretical genius., "If you are interested in antiques then this book is a nice addition to your library." --The Lone Star, "This new book, Real or Fake, will be of special interest to family historians." --Kentucky Ancestors" --, "Real or Fake is the real thing when it comes to understanding the world of authenticating artifacts." --Kentucky Monthly, ""It's all interesting reading. More importantly, it's informational, giving an overview of what it takes to ferret out the truth." --Antique Week" --, "A well-written and useful book...The most rewarding parts of this book...are the author's recollections of his own youth." -- Technology and Culture, ""A well-written and useful book...The most rewarding parts of this book...are the author's recollections of his own youth." --Technology and Culture" --, ""With more than 60 photographs, countless stories, examples and tips from the experts, you can easily pick up and enjoy this riveting book from any chapter." --Antique Trader" --, ""Joe Nickell is the embodiment of the Mythbusters, Sherlock Holmes, and Richard Feynman: one part lab tinkerer, one part field sleuth, and one part theoretical genius." --Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic Magazine, columnist for Scientific America" --, ""If you are interested in antiques then this book is a nice addition to your library." --The Lone Star" --, "Nickell advocates a multifaceted approach that looks at provenance, content, material composition, and scientific analysis." -- Maine Antique Digest, "Reading the book will help you appreciate the procedures followed by the experts and it will prompt your more careful examination of those documents, photographs, or artifacts you observe in shops, at shows or in a museum." --Collector, "Enthusiasts will find it insightful and helpful, serious investigators will appreciate its heuristic value, stimulating them to make further inquiries." --New York-Pennsylvania Collector, "If you are interested in antiques then this book is a nice addition to your library." -- The Lone Star, ""Enthusiasts will find it insightful and helpful, serious investigators will appreciate its heuristic value, stimulating them to make further inquiries." --New York-Pennsylvania Collector" --, ""Real or Fake is the real thing when it comes to understanding the world of authenticating artifacts." --Kentucky Monthly" --, "Real or Fake is the real thing when it comes to understanding the world of authenticating artifacts." -- Kentucky Monthly, ï¿½Joe Nickell is the embodiment of the Mythbusters, Sherlock Holmes, and Richard Feynman: one part lab tinkerer, one part field sleuth, and one part theoretical genius.ï¿½, This new book, Real or Fake, will be of special interest to family historians." --Kentucky Ancestors, "It's all interesting reading. More importantly, it's informational, giving an overview of what it takes to ferret out the truth." -- Antique Week, ""Reading the book will help you appreciate the procedures followed by the experts and it will prompt your more careful examination of those documents, photographs, or artifacts you observe in shops, at shows or in a museum." --Collector" --, "Nickell advocates a multifaceted approach that looks at provenance, content, material composition, and scientific analysis." --Maine Antique Digest, ""Nickell brings a unique set of talents to autograph sleuthing: A Ph.D. in English and a serious art and chemistry background, work experience as a private investigator and more "stints" in more jobs than any person has a right to claim, combined with first-rate analytical skills, make him a formidable autograph sleuth." -- Manuscripts" --, "A well-written and useful book...The most rewarding parts of this book...are the author's recollections of his own youth." --Technology and Culture, ""Joe Nickell is the embodiment of the Mythbusters, Sherlock Holmes, and Richard Feynman: one part lab tinkerer, one part field sleuth, and one part theoretical genius."" -- Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic Magazine, columnist for Scientific America, "This new book, Real or Fake, will be of special interest to family historians." -- Kentucky Ancestors, ""Nickell brings a unique set of talents to autograph sleuthing: A Ph.D. in English and a serious art and chemistry background, work experience as a private investigator and more "stints" in more jobs than any person has a right to claim, combined with first-rate analytical skills, make him a formidable autograph sleuth." -- Manuscripts " --, "Enthusiasts will find it insightful and helpful, serious investigators will appreciate its heuristic value, stimulating them to make further inquiries." -- New York-Pennsylvania Collector, "Reading the book will help you appreciate the procedures followed by the experts and it will prompt your more careful examination of those documents, photographs, or artifacts you observe in shops, at shows or in a museum." -- Collector, "With more than 60 photographs, countless stories, examples and tips from the experts, you can easily pick up and enjoy this riveting book from any chapter." --Antique Trader, ""Nickell advocates a multifaceted approach that looks at provenance, content, material composition, and scientific analysis." --Maine Antique Digest" --, "Nickell brings a unique set of talents to autograph sleuthing: A Ph.D. in English and a serious art and chemistry background, work experience as a private investigator and more "stints" in more jobs than any person has a right to claim, combined with first-rate analytical skills, make him a formidable autograph sleuth." -- Manuscripts, "It's all interesting reading. More importantly, it's informational, giving an overview of what it takes to ferret out the truth." --Antique Week

Grade FromCollege Graduate Student

IllustratedYes

Dewey Decimal364.16/68

SynopsisWill 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., Many people wonder if an item stored in the attic or found at a tag sale could be a lost treasure. Joe Nickell's latest book, Real or Fake, offers a general introduction to the principles of authentication. Illustrating methods used by the pros and recognized by hit shows such as Antiques Roadshow, Nickell educates readers with the specific information necessary to begin forgery detection. Real or Fake focuses on three categories of potential treasures: documents, photographs, and other artifacts. Nickell critiques famous examples from each group to explain how his suggested techniques can be used to unmask fakes. The objects examined and tested for authenticity in the book include Jack the Ripper's diary, a draft of the Gettysburg Address, notes by Charles Dickens, a film of an alien autopsy, and debris from the Titanic. Nickell's extensive knowledge of the field is accessible to everyone--from the general reader to the aspiring scientist--who wants a better understanding of how the experts determine if a suspicious heirloom is real or fake.

LC Classification NumberHV6675.N53 2009