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 enlarge | Author: Edward Dolnick
Publisher: Harper
Category: Book
List Price: $26.95
Buy New: $15.50
You Save: $11.45 (42%)
New (39) Used (10) from $15.00
Rating:  19 reviews
Sales Rank: 6525
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 368
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.4 x 1.5
ISBN: 0060825413
Dewey Decimal Number: 759.9492
EAN: 9780060825416
ASIN: 0060825413
Publication Date: July 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
Very readable, hard to put down! August 22, 2008
This was a lot of fun and very hard to put down, even though -- Lord! -- so many books and articles have been written about Van Meegeren already! My only quibble was that it dragged a bit in the second half. The author spent WAY too much time rejoicing in the stupidity and self-delusion of the "experts" (especially Abraham Bredius) who never should have been fooled by Van M's ugly fakes -- but who instead spent a huge amount of time celebrating and publicizing paintings like "The Supper at Emmaus." Yes, the art world is full of phonies and the whole system of connoisseurship is fraught with problems, but enough already. On the plus side, though, the author has done copious research, and the technical info on exactly how Van M. accomplished his fakes was very interesting. P.S.: I saw the big retrospective of Van M. years ago at the museum in Rotterdam, and indeed, the fake "Vermeers" were SO ugly, you just can't believe that anyone would have been fooled by them.
 Spell? August 15, 2008
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Interesting, but many parts are boring. Seems to repeat the same things over and over again.
Book club recommends August 12, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
My book club read this, and even those who did not expect to enjoy this book found it to be engaging, enjoyable, and well written. Sometimes one thread of the story seemed too dominant, but all in all we recommend it.
 The Real Thing August 5, 2008
0 out of 5 found this review helpful
Every bit as well-written and insightful as The Rescue Artist--a gem of a story from start to finish.
Riveting August 5, 2008
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
Fascinating book. I love the way this author tells the story. He's so smart and witty, with a terrific love of language. It is a pleasure to be in his company as he guides us through the worlds of forgers, art and World War II Holland.
A couple of things stand out. The story is set against the backdrop of Hitler, Goering and occupied Holland, and the time and place come to life vividly through telling details, e.g., "the Dutch had choked down 'roof rabbit' --dog or cat --" and "Germany snatched a hundred thousand bicycles from their Dutch owners in order to reuse the metal." Rarely has history been so compelling to me.
Secondly, the psychological underpinnings are astutely explored. We come to see how this forger was able to cast his spell on Goering and the art world. Dolnick describes a phenomenon known as the Uncanny Valley, where an imitation so closely resembles a real thing that we instinctively recoil. Far better and more believable, the forger discovers, to create a work that resembles a great piece, but differs from it. I loved this book and didn't want it to end.
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