Not having read Edward Dolnick's previous book, "The Rescue Artist", I did not come to read "The Forger's Spell" with primed expectations. Mr. Dolnick succeeds in what many writers on this subject fail to do by showing and not telling the finer points of his subject. Far from being pedantic, the author's storyteller's style draws the reader into the world of art connaisseurship,forgers and dupes with ease. The only pan is the author's light treatment of Goerring, Hitler and their Nazi band of thieves. The cover clearly implies that there will be Nazis getting their comeupance as a result of their own greed and stupidity. And they do, but not in a way that satisfies.

Most well done, Forger's Spell leads through the psychological differences between the 17th and 20th century approaches to art. A backdrop is well set for understanding what appeals to the beholder, both expert and amateur. One comes to understand how a past generation could find beauty and authenticity in a fake that looks so ugly and kitschy to us today. "The Forger's Spell" gives us an appreciation we can take with us on our next visit to the art museum.

The Forger's Spell is a delightful romp through and around the Han Van Meeregen phenomenon, even if some of the chapters are repetitious. I especially enjoyed the description of the work that went into developing materials to mislead so-called experts and high points of the 1947 trial. It was the best book I have read in this genre since a book I read in the 1980's explaining how forgers build 18th century antique furniture from wood salvaged from old houses on the east coast.

For anyone who has had to listen too much to the fine arts chattering class crowd this book is proof that fine arts are only entertainment, that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and, (on the pop psychology level) that while seeing is believing, believing is also seeing.

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.

Interesting, but many parts are boring. Seems to repeat the same things over and over again.

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.

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.

Every bit as well-written and insightful as The Rescue Artist--a gem of a story from start to finish.

Dolnick has a good story with a lot of hooks: big money, Vermeer, Nazi intrigue, etc. And, I think he delivers with an interesting core story and a lot of good side notes on Nazi personalities, art forgery and art history -- especially of the Dutch school in the 17th cent.

But, where his more frenetic style payed dividends in "The Rescue Artist," I think it takes something away from this subject. The book is composed of dozens of very short chapters and bounces around -- sometimes without real solid continuity.

Which is why I recommend the paperback. If you're looking for something to read in short bursts on the train or at the beach, this book is very manageable, tells a good story and brings you out of the Evanovich-level mass market fiction zone.

I'm an artist and I am fascinated with all aspects painting including forgers and forgeries. This book is a page turner. Dolnick's approach is insightful, intelligent and free of jargon. He's combined the history of the second world war with the current school of thought on human nature. I loved this book, couldn't put it down and have ordered "The Rescue Artist". JL

Han Van Meegeren was a mediocre artist with an enormous ego. Convinced that his talents were being maliciously ignored by the Dutch artistic community, he used considerable patience and ingenuity to develop a way of forging paintings by some of the greatest artists of Holland's Golden Age, especially those of Johannes Vermeer. His activities peaked during the Great Depression and the Nazi takeover of Holland during World War II, a time period when the Dutch were especially vulnerable as they looked for reminders of a more peaceful, prosperous, past.

When I first opened this book I looked at the illustrations first. Comparing the Van Meegeren "art" with the real Vermeers completely confused me. If someone like me with no art training could spot the differences between sublime works like "Girl With A Pearl Earring" and travesties like "Christ at Emmaus," why on earth couldn't experts and cognoscenti do the same? Edward Dolnick does a good job of explaining the role preconceptions and prejudices play in evaluating a suspect painting and the way the milieu of the period affects judgement. Therefore, in the 1930s the Van Meegeren forgeries could pass muster because they displayed generally accepted views on beauty. Ten years later they were very obviously fakes because by then they looked out of date, which a true masterpiece could never do.

I found Dolnick's discussions of the methods forgers use and the ways forgeries are detected the most interesting parts of this book. I disliked Van Meegeren at first, but he grew on me despite myself for the sheer brazenness of his gall and his obvious delight in fooling so many experts for so long. And it certainly didn't hurt that some of his most celebrated victims were among the nastiest and most horrible people of all time: Hitler and Goering and their ilk. I was very glad to know that while in prison Goering was told that he had been tricked into buying a Van Meejeren fake, and that that, at least, seemed to cause him real anguish in a way that his multitudinous crimes against humanity did not. Most importantly, this book causes its readers to ponder where the line between illusion and reality really lies at times.

As a professional "fine" artist for more than half a century I learned so much about the philosophy of forging and the forgers' mind - plus the technology of forging antique paintings. But this book isn't just for artists - it's for anyone who enjoys looking at any kind of art. It should not be missed!

If you are looking for an interesting, well written book that does not trivialize WWII history and follows a logical story line, then this book is not for you.

When I saw this book mentioned in the New York Times, I went out and bought a copy because I had really enjoyed Edward Dolnick's previous book, The Rescue Artist. I wasn't anywhere near as impressed with The Forger's Spell. What made The Rescue Artist so good was the way Dolnick described the detective Charlie Hill on the hunt for a stolen painting. Hill was a really great, quirky character that Dolnick made come to life on the page. In The Forger's Spell, there's no character like that. The forger, Hans Van Meegeren, is interesting for what he was able to do - sell a forged Vermeer to Hermann Goering - but you never get much sense of who he was. Dolnick presents Van Meegeren as a greedy, second-rate painter who managed to fool a bunch of art experts and rich people because they were stupid and easy marks. It's not so compelling, and there's way too much padding here - a lot of chapters that don't advance the plot, and are pretty easy to skip. I would recommend buying Tom Hoving's book, False Impressions, which is a really good book about forgery. The Forger's Spell is nowhere near as good or interesting

I am a fan of Edward Dolnick's book The Rescue Artist, but I have to say that I was disappointed in The Forger's Spell. I bought it as soon as it came out because I was interested in the story of Han Van Meegeren. Van Meegeren was a fascinating crook who figured out how to fool people into seeing what they wanted to see. But I had already read Van Meegeren's story in John Kilbracken's book The Master Forger and, unfortunately, I didn't learn anything new in Dolnick's book. Anyone interested in Van Meegeren should look at Kilbracken's book, which does a better job of bringing the story to life. I wouldn't recommend The Forger's Spell.

I loved this book. The story of how a brilliant conman, (who happened to be a terrible painter) fooled the world is astonishing, as gripping as a thriller. Dolnick is an expert storyteller, weaving back and forth between art history, World War II, forgery how-to lessons, and the tale of Van Meegeren. We meet Nazi villains like the clownish Goering; Vermeer, the mysterious and divinely talented master; blowhard "experts" and bigtime frauds. Dolnick is an expert explainer, but he's also funny and has a winning voice. There are novelistic touches throughout, and vivid scenes that will stay with you. The narrative zips along to a dramatic ending. If you like a good yarn, you'll really enjoy The Forger's Spell.