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  <title><![CDATA[The Forger's Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century]]></title>
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  <description><![CDATA[<p> As riveting as a World War II thriller, <em>The Forger's Spell</em> is the true story of Johannes Vermeer and the small-time Dutch painter who dared to impersonate him centuries later. The con man's mark was Hermann Goering, one of the most reviled leaders of Nazi Germany and a fanatic collector of art. </p> <p> It was an almost perfect crime. For seven years a no-account painter named Han van Meegeren managed to pass off his paintings as those of one of the most beloved and admired artists who ever lived. But, as Edward Dolnick reveals, the reason for the forger's success was <em>not</em> his artistic skill. Van Meegeren was a mediocre artist. His true genius lay in psychological manipulation, and he came within inches of fooling both the Nazis and the world. Instead, he landed in an Amsterdam court on trial for his life. </p> <p> <em>ARTnews</em> called Dolnick's previous book, the Edgar Award-winning <em>The Rescue Artist</em>, &quot;the best book ever written on art crime.&quot; In <em>The Forger's Spell</em>, the stage is bigger, the stakes are higher, and the villains are blacker. </p>]]></description>
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        <name><![CDATA[Edward Dolnick]]></name>
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    <![CDATA[The Forger's Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century]]>
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    <![CDATA[<p> As riveting as a World War II thriller, <em>The Forger's Spell</em> is the true story of Johannes Vermeer and the small-time Dutch painter who dared to impersonate him centuries later. The con man's mark was Hermann Goering, one of the most reviled leaders of Nazi Germany and a fanatic collector of art. </p> <p> It was an almost perfect crime. For seven years a no-account painter named Han van Meegeren managed to pass off his paintings as those of one of the most beloved and admired artists who ever lived. But, as Edward Dolnick reveals, the reason for the forger's success was <em>not</em> his artistic skill. Van Meegeren was a mediocre artist. His true genius lay in psychological manipulation, and he came within inches of fooling both the Nazis and the world. Instead, he landed in an Amsterdam court on trial for his life. </p> <p> <em>ARTnews</em> called Dolnick's previous book, the Edgar Award-winning <em>The Rescue Artist</em>, &quot;the best book ever written on art crime.&quot; In <em>The Forger's Spell</em>, the stage is bigger, the stakes are higher, and the villains are blacker. </p>]]>
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  <read_at>Sat Oct 11 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Sep 03 09:55:11 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Oct 13 13:53:56 -0700 2008</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[My review is going to be choppy, like this book.  Yes, at times it was a fascinating read, but I think the author tried to cram too much information into one book.  It was extensively researched and annotated, but jumped from subject to subject without much continuity.  <br/><br/>It was part techn...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/31908441">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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</review>
      <review>
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    <![CDATA[The Forger's Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century]]>
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    <![CDATA[<p> As riveting as a World War II thriller, <em>The Forger's Spell</em> is the true story of Johannes Vermeer and the small-time Dutch painter who dared to impersonate him centuries later. The con man's mark was Hermann Goering, one of the most reviled leaders of Nazi Germany and a fanatic collector of art. </p> <p> It was an almost perfect crime. For seven years a no-account painter named Han van Meegeren managed to pass off his paintings as those of one of the most beloved and admired artists who ever lived. But, as Edward Dolnick reveals, the reason for the forger's success was <em>not</em> his artistic skill. Van Meegeren was a mediocre artist. His true genius lay in psychological manipulation, and he came within inches of fooling both the Nazis and the world. Instead, he landed in an Amsterdam court on trial for his life. </p> <p> <em>ARTnews</em> called Dolnick's previous book, the Edgar Award-winning <em>The Rescue Artist</em>, &quot;the best book ever written on art crime.&quot; In <em>The Forger's Spell</em>, the stage is bigger, the stakes are higher, and the villains are blacker. </p>]]>
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  <date_added>Tue Jun 24 09:35:45 -0700 2008</date_added>
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    <body><![CDATA[Famous art, a wily forger, nasty Nazis.  What more could you want?  LA Time gave this a very good review.<br/><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-book24-2008jun24,0,11503.story" title="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-book24-2008jun24,0,11503.story">http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Forger's Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century]]>
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    <![CDATA[<p> As riveting as a World War II thriller, <em>The Forger's Spell</em> is the true story of Johannes Vermeer and the small-time Dutch painter who dared to impersonate him centuries later. The con man's mark was Hermann Goering, one of the most reviled leaders of Nazi Germany and a fanatic collector of art. </p> <p> It was an almost perfect crime. For seven years a no-account painter named Han van Meegeren managed to pass off his paintings as those of one of the most beloved and admired artists who ever lived. But, as Edward Dolnick reveals, the reason for the forger's success was <em>not</em> his artistic skill. Van Meegeren was a mediocre artist. His true genius lay in psychological manipulation, and he came within inches of fooling both the Nazis and the world. Instead, he landed in an Amsterdam court on trial for his life. </p> <p> <em>ARTnews</em> called Dolnick's previous book, the Edgar Award-winning <em>The Rescue Artist</em>, &quot;the best book ever written on art crime.&quot; In <em>The Forger's Spell</em>, the stage is bigger, the stakes are higher, and the villains are blacker. </p>]]>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[ ... copy-cats ....]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at>Thu Nov 27 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Nov 20 19:07:14 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Nov 27 14:56:52 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Art theft and Art forgery go hand in glove, and both have always been of interest to me for some reason.  Maybe it's the <em>inherent</em> sleight-of-hand in all the arts --  can you really paint a woman's face without daVinci coming to mind, can you really write a tragic play without thinking of the greeks ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/38272897">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/38272897]]></url>
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      <review>
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    <name><![CDATA[Anne]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Forger's Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century]]>
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    <![CDATA[<p> As riveting as a World War II thriller, <em>The Forger's Spell</em> is the true story of Johannes Vermeer and the small-time Dutch painter who dared to impersonate him centuries later. The con man's mark was Hermann Goering, one of the most reviled leaders of Nazi Germany and a fanatic collector of art. </p> <p> It was an almost perfect crime. For seven years a no-account painter named Han van Meegeren managed to pass off his paintings as those of one of the most beloved and admired artists who ever lived. But, as Edward Dolnick reveals, the reason for the forger's success was <em>not</em> his artistic skill. Van Meegeren was a mediocre artist. His true genius lay in psychological manipulation, and he came within inches of fooling both the Nazis and the world. Instead, he landed in an Amsterdam court on trial for his life. </p> <p> <em>ARTnews</em> called Dolnick's previous book, the Edgar Award-winning <em>The Rescue Artist</em>, &quot;the best book ever written on art crime.&quot; In <em>The Forger's Spell</em>, the stage is bigger, the stakes are higher, and the villains are blacker. </p>]]>
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  <read_at>Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Aug 14 11:25:52 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Aug 28 08:13:23 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[The Forger's Spell is the true story of Hans van Meegeren, a not-so-great painter living in Holland during the Nazi occupation. What van Meegeren lacked in artistic talent, he more than made up for in his skills of psychology deception. When his own paintings couldn't sell, he turned to forging thos...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/30147662">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/30147662]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>49371162</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Tony]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Forger's Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century]]>
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    <![CDATA[<p> As riveting as a World War II thriller, <em>The Forger's Spell</em> is the true story of Johannes Vermeer and the small-time Dutch painter who dared to impersonate him centuries later. The con man's mark was Hermann Goering, one of the most reviled leaders of Nazi Germany and a fanatic collector of art. </p> <p> It was an almost perfect crime. For seven years a no-account painter named Han van Meegeren managed to pass off his paintings as those of one of the most beloved and admired artists who ever lived. But, as Edward Dolnick reveals, the reason for the forger's success was <em>not</em> his artistic skill. Van Meegeren was a mediocre artist. His true genius lay in psychological manipulation, and he came within inches of fooling both the Nazis and the world. Instead, he landed in an Amsterdam court on trial for his life. </p> <p> <em>ARTnews</em> called Dolnick's previous book, the Edgar Award-winning <em>The Rescue Artist</em>, &quot;the best book ever written on art crime.&quot; In <em>The Forger's Spell</em>, the stage is bigger, the stakes are higher, and the villains are blacker. </p>]]>
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    <rating>4</rating>
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  <read_at>Sun Mar 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Mar 15 15:33:29 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Mar 15 15:33:58 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Dolnick, Edward.  THE FORGER’S SPELL.  (2008).  ****.  This is the fascinating story of one of the greatest art forgers of the 20th Century, Han van Meegeren.  He was a passable artist in his own right, but was pretty much ignored by the rest of the art community.  According to him, he began to pa...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/49371162">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/49371162]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/49371162]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
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    <name><![CDATA[Judy]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Halifax, VA]]></location>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Forger's Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century]]>
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    <![CDATA[<p> As riveting as a World War II thriller, <em>The Forger's Spell</em> is the true story of Johannes Vermeer and the small-time Dutch painter who dared to impersonate him centuries later. The con man's mark was Hermann Goering, one of the most reviled leaders of Nazi Germany and a fanatic collector of art. </p> <p> It was an almost perfect crime. For seven years a no-account painter named Han van Meegeren managed to pass off his paintings as those of one of the most beloved and admired artists who ever lived. But, as Edward Dolnick reveals, the reason for the forger's success was <em>not</em> his artistic skill. Van Meegeren was a mediocre artist. His true genius lay in psychological manipulation, and he came within inches of fooling both the Nazis and the world. Instead, he landed in an Amsterdam court on trial for his life. </p> <p> <em>ARTnews</em> called Dolnick's previous book, the Edgar Award-winning <em>The Rescue Artist</em>, &quot;the best book ever written on art crime.&quot; In <em>The Forger's Spell</em>, the stage is bigger, the stakes are higher, and the villains are blacker. </p>]]>
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  <date_added>Mon Mar 02 11:28:29 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Mar 02 11:36:45 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I probably would have never read this book, but it was highly recommended to me by Samatha.  Right you were, Sam.  This book was fascinating.  It's a nonfiction volume that answers the question, How can a painting that is worth millions of dollars one day, be practically worthless the next?  The ans...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/48014224">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/48014224]]></url>
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[The Forger's Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century]]>
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    <![CDATA[<p> As riveting as a World War II thriller, <em>The Forger's Spell</em> is the true story of Johannes Vermeer and the small-time Dutch painter who dared to impersonate him centuries later. The con man's mark was Hermann Goering, one of the most reviled leaders of Nazi Germany and a fanatic collector of art. </p> <p> It was an almost perfect crime. For seven years a no-account painter named Han van Meegeren managed to pass off his paintings as those of one of the most beloved and admired artists who ever lived. But, as Edward Dolnick reveals, the reason for the forger's success was <em>not</em> his artistic skill. Van Meegeren was a mediocre artist. His true genius lay in psychological manipulation, and he came within inches of fooling both the Nazis and the world. Instead, he landed in an Amsterdam court on trial for his life. </p> <p> <em>ARTnews</em> called Dolnick's previous book, the Edgar Award-winning <em>The Rescue Artist</em>, &quot;the best book ever written on art crime.&quot; In <em>The Forger's Spell</em>, the stage is bigger, the stakes are higher, and the villains are blacker. </p>]]>
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    <body><![CDATA[This is the amazing story of Han Van Meegeren, the small time Dutch painter who managed to convince dealers, scholars, buyers, museums, and the public that he had found several &quot;lost&quot; masterpieces by Vermeer. The truth was that VM actually painted them, and then grew wealthy selling them a...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/40029143">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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    <![CDATA[The Forger's Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century]]>
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    <![CDATA[<p> As riveting as a World War II thriller, <em>The Forger's Spell</em> is the true story of Johannes Vermeer and the small-time Dutch painter who dared to impersonate him centuries later. The con man's mark was Hermann Goering, one of the most reviled leaders of Nazi Germany and a fanatic collector of art. </p> <p> It was an almost perfect crime. For seven years a no-account painter named Han van Meegeren managed to pass off his paintings as those of one of the most beloved and admired artists who ever lived. But, as Edward Dolnick reveals, the reason for the forger's success was <em>not</em> his artistic skill. Van Meegeren was a mediocre artist. His true genius lay in psychological manipulation, and he came within inches of fooling both the Nazis and the world. Instead, he landed in an Amsterdam court on trial for his life. </p> <p> <em>ARTnews</em> called Dolnick's previous book, the Edgar Award-winning <em>The Rescue Artist</em>, &quot;the best book ever written on art crime.&quot; In <em>The Forger's Spell</em>, the stage is bigger, the stakes are higher, and the villains are blacker. </p>]]>
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    <body><![CDATA[&quot;So primed are we to see what we want to see (and to reject what runs counter to our hopes and expectations) that psychologists and economists have coined an entire vocabulary to describe the ways we mislead ourselves. 'Conformation bias' is the broad heading. The idea is that we tell ourselves...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/29432546">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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    <![CDATA[The Forger's Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century]]>
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    <![CDATA[<p> As riveting as a World War II thriller, <em>The Forger's Spell</em> is the true story of Johannes Vermeer and the small-time Dutch painter who dared to impersonate him centuries later. The con man's mark was Hermann Goering, one of the most reviled leaders of Nazi Germany and a fanatic collector of art. </p> <p> It was an almost perfect crime. For seven years a no-account painter named Han van Meegeren managed to pass off his paintings as those of one of the most beloved and admired artists who ever lived. But, as Edward Dolnick reveals, the reason for the forger's success was <em>not</em> his artistic skill. Van Meegeren was a mediocre artist. His true genius lay in psychological manipulation, and he came within inches of fooling both the Nazis and the world. Instead, he landed in an Amsterdam court on trial for his life. </p> <p> <em>ARTnews</em> called Dolnick's previous book, the Edgar Award-winning <em>The Rescue Artist</em>, &quot;the best book ever written on art crime.&quot; In <em>The Forger's Spell</em>, the stage is bigger, the stakes are higher, and the villains are blacker. </p>]]>
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    <body><![CDATA[     &quot;The Forger's Spell&quot; by Edward Dolnick is a well told story about one of the most infamous art forgery cases of the 20th century. Han van Meegeren spent the duration of WW2 painting Vermeers; and what makes this case so fascinating - besides the big name artist he picked - was the way...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/52550245">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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    <![CDATA[The Forger's Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century]]>
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    <![CDATA[<p> As riveting as a World War II thriller, <em>The Forger's Spell</em> is the true story of Johannes Vermeer and the small-time Dutch painter who dared to impersonate him centuries later. The con man's mark was Hermann Goering, one of the most reviled leaders of Nazi Germany and a fanatic collector of art. </p> <p> It was an almost perfect crime. For seven years a no-account painter named Han van Meegeren managed to pass off his paintings as those of one of the most beloved and admired artists who ever lived. But, as Edward Dolnick reveals, the reason for the forger's success was <em>not</em> his artistic skill. Van Meegeren was a mediocre artist. His true genius lay in psychological manipulation, and he came within inches of fooling both the Nazis and the world. Instead, he landed in an Amsterdam court on trial for his life. </p> <p> <em>ARTnews</em> called Dolnick's previous book, the Edgar Award-winning <em>The Rescue Artist</em>, &quot;the best book ever written on art crime.&quot; In <em>The Forger's Spell</em>, the stage is bigger, the stakes are higher, and the villains are blacker. </p>]]>
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    <body><![CDATA[Non Fiction<br/><br/>Apparently this was a timely book for me.  I really enjoyed this book.  This is about a man who forged Vermeer's artwork and sold it to people like Goering and Hitler during the war.  I don't know why I enjoyed this book so much.  It basically talks about the art of forging an...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/48513232">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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    <![CDATA[The Forger's Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century]]>
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    <![CDATA[<p> As riveting as a World War II thriller, <em>The Forger's Spell</em> is the true story of Johannes Vermeer and the small-time Dutch painter who dared to impersonate him centuries later. The con man's mark was Hermann Goering, one of the most reviled leaders of Nazi Germany and a fanatic collector of art. </p> <p> It was an almost perfect crime. For seven years a no-account painter named Han van Meegeren managed to pass off his paintings as those of one of the most beloved and admired artists who ever lived. But, as Edward Dolnick reveals, the reason for the forger's success was <em>not</em> his artistic skill. Van Meegeren was a mediocre artist. His true genius lay in psychological manipulation, and he came within inches of fooling both the Nazis and the world. Instead, he landed in an Amsterdam court on trial for his life. </p> <p> <em>ARTnews</em> called Dolnick's previous book, the Edgar Award-winning <em>The Rescue Artist</em>, &quot;the best book ever written on art crime.&quot; In <em>The Forger's Spell</em>, the stage is bigger, the stakes are higher, and the villains are blacker. </p>]]>
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    <body><![CDATA[what could have been a fascinating story, somewhat ruined by lengthy digressions.  that the author includes a survey of 20th Century art forgery is no shocker.  that he cites to stories out of Gladwell's 'Blink' and other psychological studies is somewhat less pleasing.  <br/><br/>I would say that...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/27269907">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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    <![CDATA[The Forger's Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century]]>
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    <![CDATA[<p> As riveting as a World War II thriller, <em>The Forger's Spell</em> is the true story of Johannes Vermeer and the small-time Dutch painter who dared to impersonate him centuries later. The con man's mark was Hermann Goering, one of the most reviled leaders of Nazi Germany and a fanatic collector of art. </p> <p> It was an almost perfect crime. For seven years a no-account painter named Han van Meegeren managed to pass off his paintings as those of one of the most beloved and admired artists who ever lived. But, as Edward Dolnick reveals, the reason for the forger's success was <em>not</em> his artistic skill. Van Meegeren was a mediocre artist. His true genius lay in psychological manipulation, and he came within inches of fooling both the Nazis and the world. Instead, he landed in an Amsterdam court on trial for his life. </p> <p> <em>ARTnews</em> called Dolnick's previous book, the Edgar Award-winning <em>The Rescue Artist</em>, &quot;the best book ever written on art crime.&quot; In <em>The Forger's Spell</em>, the stage is bigger, the stakes are higher, and the villains are blacker. </p>]]>
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    <body><![CDATA[If you are interested in art, WWII history and the Dutch Masters with an emphasis on Vermeer along with art forgery in general, this is a great book.  It gets clunky in some places and there are times that the author's patience with some issues tried mine.  His use of analogies to explain some rathe...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/38857327">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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    <![CDATA[The Forger's Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century]]>
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    <![CDATA[<p> As riveting as a World War II thriller, <em>The Forger's Spell</em> is the true story of Johannes Vermeer and the small-time Dutch painter who dared to impersonate him centuries later. The con man's mark was Hermann Goering, one of the most reviled leaders of Nazi Germany and a fanatic collector of art. </p> <p> It was an almost perfect crime. For seven years a no-account painter named Han van Meegeren managed to pass off his paintings as those of one of the most beloved and admired artists who ever lived. But, as Edward Dolnick reveals, the reason for the forger's success was <em>not</em> his artistic skill. Van Meegeren was a mediocre artist. His true genius lay in psychological manipulation, and he came within inches of fooling both the Nazis and the world. Instead, he landed in an Amsterdam court on trial for his life. </p> <p> <em>ARTnews</em> called Dolnick's previous book, the Edgar Award-winning <em>The Rescue Artist</em>, &quot;the best book ever written on art crime.&quot; In <em>The Forger's Spell</em>, the stage is bigger, the stakes are higher, and the villains are blacker. </p>]]>
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    <body><![CDATA[<p>&quot;___Idiots!' he yelled. ___You think I sold a Vermeer to that fat Goering. But it's not a Vermeer. I painted it myself!&quot;' With lines like that, it's clear Dolnick has found the nonfiction equivalent of a Vermeer, buried under other (and more hackneyed) tales of World War II. Critic...</p><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/45463554">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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    <![CDATA[<p> As riveting as a World War II thriller, <em>The Forger's Spell</em> is the true story of Johannes Vermeer and the small-time Dutch painter who dared to impersonate him centuries later. The con man's mark was Hermann Goering, one of the most reviled leaders of Nazi Germany and a fanatic collector of art. </p> <p> It was an almost perfect crime. For seven years a no-account painter named Han van Meegeren managed to pass off his paintings as those of one of the most beloved and admired artists who ever lived. But, as Edward Dolnick reveals, the reason for the forger's success was <em>not</em> his artistic skill. Van Meegeren was a mediocre artist. His true genius lay in psychological manipulation, and he came within inches of fooling both the Nazis and the world. Instead, he landed in an Amsterdam court on trial for his life. </p> <p> <em>ARTnews</em> called Dolnick's previous book, the Edgar Award-winning <em>The Rescue Artist</em>, &quot;the best book ever written on art crime.&quot; In <em>The Forger's Spell</em>, the stage is bigger, the stakes are higher, and the villains are blacker. </p>]]>
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  <read_at>Sun Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
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    <body><![CDATA[Edward Dolnick gives us the fascinating story of Han Van Meergeren.  This man forged paintings, and not just of lesser known artists, but of the great Vermeer himself – you know – the painter of the luminous “Girl with a Pearl Earring”.  The crazy thing is that his paintings don’t look a t...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77378789">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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    <![CDATA[The Forger's Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century]]>
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    <![CDATA[<p> As riveting as a World War II thriller, <em>The Forger's Spell</em> is the true story of Johannes Vermeer and the small-time Dutch painter who dared to impersonate him centuries later. The con man's mark was Hermann Goering, one of the most reviled leaders of Nazi Germany and a fanatic collector of art. </p> <p> It was an almost perfect crime. For seven years a no-account painter named Han van Meegeren managed to pass off his paintings as those of one of the most beloved and admired artists who ever lived. But, as Edward Dolnick reveals, the reason for the forger's success was <em>not</em> his artistic skill. Van Meegeren was a mediocre artist. His true genius lay in psychological manipulation, and he came within inches of fooling both the Nazis and the world. Instead, he landed in an Amsterdam court on trial for his life. </p> <p> <em>ARTnews</em> called Dolnick's previous book, the Edgar Award-winning <em>The Rescue Artist</em>, &quot;the best book ever written on art crime.&quot; In <em>The Forger's Spell</em>, the stage is bigger, the stakes are higher, and the villains are blacker. </p>]]>
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    <body><![CDATA[During the 1940's, hack artist Han van Meergeren managed to pass his work off as long-lost Vermeers, duping the experts and making him phenomenally rich. His mark was no less a figure than Hermann Goering, noted Nazi, and fanatical art collector.  Van Meergeren's success depended on artistic skill, ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/46196076">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[The Forger's Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century]]>
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    <![CDATA[<p> As riveting as a World War II thriller, <em>The Forger's Spell</em> is the true story of Johannes Vermeer and the small-time Dutch painter who dared to impersonate him centuries later. The con man's mark was Hermann Goering, one of the most reviled leaders of Nazi Germany and a fanatic collector of art. </p> <p> It was an almost perfect crime. For seven years a no-account painter named Han van Meegeren managed to pass off his paintings as those of one of the most beloved and admired artists who ever lived. But, as Edward Dolnick reveals, the reason for the forger's success was <em>not</em> his artistic skill. Van Meegeren was a mediocre artist. His true genius lay in psychological manipulation, and he came within inches of fooling both the Nazis and the world. Instead, he landed in an Amsterdam court on trial for his life. </p> <p> <em>ARTnews</em> called Dolnick's previous book, the Edgar Award-winning <em>The Rescue Artist</em>, &quot;the best book ever written on art crime.&quot; In <em>The Forger's Spell</em>, the stage is bigger, the stakes are higher, and the villains are blacker. </p>]]>
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  <read_at>Mon Jun 22 13:42:30 -0700 2009</read_at>
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  <date_updated>Mon Jun 22 13:42:30 -0700 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[As the title suggests, this book tells the story of the greatest art hoax of the 20th century, but it does more than that.  In a choppy style (most chapters ran from 5 to 8 pages) we are introduced to a range of diverse areas of knowledge that indeed we should know something about to better apprecia...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/47069943">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[The Forger's Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century]]>
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    <![CDATA[<p> As riveting as a World War II thriller, <em>The Forger's Spell</em> is the true story of Johannes Vermeer and the small-time Dutch painter who dared to impersonate him centuries later. The con man's mark was Hermann Goering, one of the most reviled leaders of Nazi Germany and a fanatic collector of art. </p> <p> It was an almost perfect crime. For seven years a no-account painter named Han van Meegeren managed to pass off his paintings as those of one of the most beloved and admired artists who ever lived. But, as Edward Dolnick reveals, the reason for the forger's success was <em>not</em> his artistic skill. Van Meegeren was a mediocre artist. His true genius lay in psychological manipulation, and he came within inches of fooling both the Nazis and the world. Instead, he landed in an Amsterdam court on trial for his life. </p> <p> <em>ARTnews</em> called Dolnick's previous book, the Edgar Award-winning <em>The Rescue Artist</em>, &quot;the best book ever written on art crime.&quot; In <em>The Forger's Spell</em>, the stage is bigger, the stakes are higher, and the villains are blacker. </p>]]>
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  <read_at>Sat Apr 11 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Jan 23 23:01:30 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Apr 12 00:25:43 -0700 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[This was very interesting.  I like books that cover broad ranges of topics.  This one is a little jumpy, but I found it fascinating.  The main person being profiled pulled off forgeries of Vermeer right before WWII that made a huge crowd of art critics look stupid and ultimately ripped off Hermann G...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/44144553">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[The Forger's Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century]]>
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    <![CDATA[<p> As riveting as a World War II thriller, <em>The Forger's Spell</em> is the true story of Johannes Vermeer and the small-time Dutch painter who dared to impersonate him centuries later. The con man's mark was Hermann Goering, one of the most reviled leaders of Nazi Germany and a fanatic collector of art. </p> <p> It was an almost perfect crime. For seven years a no-account painter named Han van Meegeren managed to pass off his paintings as those of one of the most beloved and admired artists who ever lived. But, as Edward Dolnick reveals, the reason for the forger's success was <em>not</em> his artistic skill. Van Meegeren was a mediocre artist. His true genius lay in psychological manipulation, and he came within inches of fooling both the Nazis and the world. Instead, he landed in an Amsterdam court on trial for his life. </p> <p> <em>ARTnews</em> called Dolnick's previous book, the Edgar Award-winning <em>The Rescue Artist</em>, &quot;the best book ever written on art crime.&quot; In <em>The Forger's Spell</em>, the stage is bigger, the stakes are higher, and the villains are blacker. </p>]]>
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  <date_added>Mon Nov 03 17:56:16 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Nov 03 17:56:51 -0800 2008</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[I freaking loved Jonathan Harr's The Lost Painting about the discovery of a Caravaggio painting.<br/><br/>I freaking loved Simon Worrall's <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/266129.The_Poet_and_the_Murderer" title="The Poet and the Murderer by Simon Worrall">The Poet and the Murderer</a> about the forger of an Emily Dickinson poem.<br/><br/>I freaking loved Tracy Chevalier's Girl With a Pearl Earring, a fictional take on...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/36860900">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[The Forger's Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century]]>
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    <![CDATA[<p> As riveting as a World War II thriller, <em>The Forger's Spell</em> is the true story of Johannes Vermeer and the small-time Dutch painter who dared to impersonate him centuries later. The con man's mark was Hermann Goering, one of the most reviled leaders of Nazi Germany and a fanatic collector of art. </p> <p> It was an almost perfect crime. For seven years a no-account painter named Han van Meegeren managed to pass off his paintings as those of one of the most beloved and admired artists who ever lived. But, as Edward Dolnick reveals, the reason for the forger's success was <em>not</em> his artistic skill. Van Meegeren was a mediocre artist. His true genius lay in psychological manipulation, and he came within inches of fooling both the Nazis and the world. Instead, he landed in an Amsterdam court on trial for his life. </p> <p> <em>ARTnews</em> called Dolnick's previous book, the Edgar Award-winning <em>The Rescue Artist</em>, &quot;the best book ever written on art crime.&quot; In <em>The Forger's Spell</em>, the stage is bigger, the stakes are higher, and the villains are blacker. </p>]]>
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  <read_at>Sun Aug 17 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
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  <date_updated>Sat Jun 06 21:47:35 -0700 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[This book was SO interesting! It's the true story of an artist who just wasn't that popular with his own work. So before and during WWII when the Nazis were famously stealing art from all over Europe, this artist paints a few Vermeer paintings and people fall for them absolutely. Goering buys one, a...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/28975873">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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    <![CDATA[The Forger's Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century]]>
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    <![CDATA[<p> As riveting as a World War II thriller, <em>The Forger's Spell</em> is the true story of Johannes Vermeer and the small-time Dutch painter who dared to impersonate him centuries later. The con man's mark was Hermann Goering, one of the most reviled leaders of Nazi Germany and a fanatic collector of art. </p> <p> It was an almost perfect crime. For seven years a no-account painter named Han van Meegeren managed to pass off his paintings as those of one of the most beloved and admired artists who ever lived. But, as Edward Dolnick reveals, the reason for the forger's success was <em>not</em> his artistic skill. Van Meegeren was a mediocre artist. His true genius lay in psychological manipulation, and he came within inches of fooling both the Nazis and the world. Instead, he landed in an Amsterdam court on trial for his life. </p> <p> <em>ARTnews</em> called Dolnick's previous book, the Edgar Award-winning <em>The Rescue Artist</em>, &quot;the best book ever written on art crime.&quot; In <em>The Forger's Spell</em>, the stage is bigger, the stakes are higher, and the villains are blacker. </p>]]>
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  <date_added>Fri Jan 30 04:20:47 -0800 2009</date_added>
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    <body><![CDATA[Beloved Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer painted 35-36 paintings in the 1600's.  Disgruntled artist turned forger Van Meegeren added 30 paintings to the &quot;Vermeer&quot;  collection.  A fascinating true story of how he tricked art critics and the world.  How did he make the paintings look 200 years ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/44835490">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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