Detecting Forgery: Forensic Investigation of Documents

By Joe Nickell

Book Overview

Detecting Forgery reveals the complete arsenal of forensic techniques used to detect forged handwriting and alterations in documents and to identify the authorship of disputed writings. Joe Nickell looks at famous cases such as Clifford Irving's "autobiography" of Howard Hughes and the Mormon papers of document dealer Mark Hoffman, as well as cases involving works of art. Detecting Forgery is a fascinating introduction to the growing field of forensic document examination and forgery detection.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0813191254
• ISBN13: 9780813191256
• Release Date: June 2005
• Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.84 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.8" x 9.1"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Excellent starting point - signed, William Shakespeare

I agree with the other two reviewers that this work is not a comprehensive treatise on the subject of detecting forgery. However, it does give beginners (like me) a good place to start. It is clearly written and broad (if not deep) in coverage. I would call this book "workmanlike" and "solid." If I were a writer of mystery novels, this would be a good reference for this area of criminal(?) activity. The small section on the autopen especially intrigued me (hint: don't buy John F. Kennedy autographed documents). The bibliography in the back is its greatest asset if you want to pursue the topic of forgery to a deeper level. Our interlibrary loan people are going to be hustling for years as I track down some of the sources Nickell cites in this book.

Detecting Forgery

This book is a fairly in depth study into the history and current practice of forensic study of written materials. It is a bit broad for modern use of law enforcement investigations but has some good information. For the price and information provided it's a good investment.