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Book Counterfeit Portrait Eight Reales

Download or read book Counterfeit Portrait Eight Reales written by Robert Gurney (Coin dealer) and published by Robert Gurney. This book was released on 2014-10-15 with total page 602 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The portrait style Spanish-American eight-reales was one of the most well known, and extensively circulated silver trade coins that the world has ever seen. Produced in Spain's new world colonies from 1772 to 1825, the coin made Spain a major player on the world financial stage in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. This was due in large measure to the fact this coin accounted for about sixty percent of the annual silver production worldwide. The popularity and general acceptance of this particular coin - the portrait style piece-of-eight - made it the object of forgers who operated in all areas of the globe. It was a coin not merely counterfeited in the countries of origin, but in all of the places where it was accepted as currency in day-to-day transactions. It was produced in small back-room operations and in large factories. It was produced at times in utter secrecy, yet at other times it was more or less an "open secret." It was produced as both worthless base metal copies and as "perfect" imitations containing the correct amount of silver. It has been made to circulate as currency, as well as to specifically deceive collectors. The fascinating story of these counterfeit issues created from shortly after the coin appeared until the present, is the subject of this book. The author, Robert Gurney, known to many coin collectors as "Swamper Bob," has been a lifelong enthusiast of the series. His interest commenced as a teen when he met and spoke at length with one of the forgers who actually made these coins for a living in the 1920's. The story of the full weight and correct assay silver imitations may at times not seem possible, but the newest scientific tests available provide conclusive evidence for the production of counterfeit versions made for circulation as late as 1930. With contributions made by several notable collectors, including Richard August, John Lorenzo and Gordon Nichols, this book documents the four different classifications of counterfeit eight-reales developed specifically by the author to fit the needs of this particular series. The book illustrates and describes literally hundreds of different types of counterfeits known to have circulated alongside the genuine versions. It expands upon the thirty-nine illustrated by Dr. John L. Riddell as circulating in New Orleans in 1845, and swells that number to some 589 varieties. This book was not written just for coin collectors, the subject is actually much broader. It is at its heart a history of the coin covering a period of 240 years of use and production. It is also the story of the methods and reasons for producing both counterfeits and forgeries during that same interval. The players and their motivations for the production of deceptive copies for over 240 years, provides some novel insights into human nature. The book is presented as a start to a long needed discussion - one that is decades overdue. It is only a start. The author hopes that this publication will bring old counterfeit coins out of their hiding places and into the light of day, where the varieties from childishly crude to artistically superb can be appreciated by everyone. Solamente el comienzo!

Book Counterfeit Portrait Eight Reales

    Book Details:
  • Author : Robert Gurney
  • Publisher : Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
  • Release : 2014-09-02
  • ISBN : 9781500497170
  • Pages : 0 pages

Download or read book Counterfeit Portrait Eight Reales written by Robert Gurney and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2014-09-02 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The portrait style Spanish-American eight-reales was one of the most well known, and extensively circulated silver trade coins that the world has ever seen. Produced in Spain's new world colonies from 1772 to 1825, the coin made Spain a major player on the world financial stage in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. This was due in large measure to the fact this coin accounted for about sixty percent of the annual silver production worldwide. The popularity and general acceptance of this particular coin - the portrait style piece-of-eight - made it the object of forgers who operated in all areas of the globe. It was a coin not merely counterfeited in the countries of origin, but in all of the places where it was accepted as currency in day-to-day transactions. It was produced in small back-room operations and in large factories. It was produced at times in utter secrecy, yet at other times it was more or less an "open secret." It was produced as both worthless base metal copies and as "perfect" imitations containing the correct amount of silver. It has been made to circulate as currency, as well as to specifically deceive collectors. The fascinating story of these counterfeit issues created from shortly after the coin appeared until the present, is the subject of this book. The author, Robert Gurney, known to many coin collectors as "Swamper Bob," has been a lifelong enthusiast of the series. His interest commenced as a teen when he met and spoke to one of the forgers who actually made these coins for a living in the 1920's. The story may at times not seem possible, but the newest scientific tests available provide conclusive evidence for the production of counterfeit versions made for circulation as late as 1930. With contributions made by several notable collectors, including Richard August, John Lorenzo and Gordon Nichols, this book documents the four different classifications of counterfeit eight-reales developed by the author to fit the needs of this particular series. The book illustrates and describes literally hundreds of different types of counterfeits known to have circulated alongside the genuine versions. It specifically expands upon the Thirty-nine varieties noted by Dr. John L. Riddell as existing in circulation in New Orleans in 1845, and swells that number to some 589 varieties. This book was not written just for coin collectors, the subject is actually much broader. It is at its heart a history of the coin covering a period of 240 years of use and production. It is also the story of the methods and reasons for producing both counterfeits and forgeries during that same interval. The players and their motivations for the production of deceptive copies for over 240 years, provides insight into human nature. The book is presented as a start to a long needed discussion - one that is decades overdue. It is only a start. The author hopes that this publication will bring old counterfeits out of their hiding places and into the light of day, where the varieties from childishly crude to artistically superb can be appreciated by everyone. Solamente el comienzo!

Book Counterfeit

    Book Details:
  • Author : Kirstin Chen
  • Publisher : HarperCollins
  • Release : 2022-06-07
  • ISBN : 0063119579
  • Pages : 206 pages

Download or read book Counterfeit written by Kirstin Chen and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2022-06-07 with total page 206 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK “A con artist story, a pop-feminist caper, a fashionable romp . . . Counterfeit is an entertaining, luxurious read—but beneath its glitz and flash, it is also a shrewd deconstruction of the American dream and the myth of the model minority. . . . Chen is up to something innovative and subversive here." — Camille Perri, NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW Recommended by New York Times Book Review • Washington Post • People • Entertainment Weekly • USA Today • Time • Cosmopolitan • Today show • Harper’s Bazaar • Vogue • Good Housekeeping • Parade • New York Post • Town & Country • GMA.com • Buzzfeed • Goodreads • Oprah Daily • Popsugar • Bustle • theSkimm • The Millions • and more! For fans of Hustlers and How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia, the story of two Asian American women who band together to grow a counterfeit handbag scheme into a global enterprise—an incisive and glittering blend of fashion, crime, and friendship from the author of Bury What We Cannot Take and Soy Sauce for Beginners. Money can’t buy happiness… but it can buy a decent fake. Ava Wong has always played it safe. As a strait-laced, rule-abiding Chinese American lawyer with a successful surgeon as a husband, a young son, and a beautiful home—she’s built the perfect life. But beneath this façade, Ava’s world is crumbling: her marriage is falling apart, her expensive law degree hasn’t been used in years, and her toddler’s tantrums are pushing her to the breaking point. Enter Winnie Fang, Ava’s enigmatic college roommate from Mainland China, who abruptly dropped out under mysterious circumstances. Now, twenty years later, Winnie is looking to reconnect with her old friend. But the shy, awkward girl Ava once knew has been replaced with a confident woman of the world, dripping in luxury goods, including a coveted Birkin in classic orange. The secret to her success? Winnie has developed an ingenious counterfeit scheme that involves importing near-exact replicas of luxury handbags and now she needs someone with a U.S. passport to help manage her business—someone who’d never be suspected of wrongdoing, someone like Ava. But when their spectacular success is threatened and Winnie vanishes once again, Ava is left to face the consequences. Swift, surprising, and sharply comic, Counterfeit is a stylish and feminist caper with a strong point of view and an axe to grind. Peering behind the curtain of the upscale designer storefronts and the Chinese factories where luxury goods are produced, Kirstin Chen interrogates the myth of the model minority through two unforgettable women determined to demand more from life. "If you appreciate a good caper, you’ll want to pick up Kirstin Chen’s novel . . . Fast-paced and fun, with smart commentary on the cultural differences between Asia and America." — TIME “Propulsive and captivating . . . A provocative story of fashion, friendship, and fakes (in more ways than one).” — VOGUE

Book Counterfeit Countess

    Book Details:
  • Author : Cheryl Bolen
  • Publisher : Harper & Appleton
  • Release : 2015-09-01
  • ISBN : 0821777890
  • Pages : 350 pages

Download or read book Counterfeit Countess written by Cheryl Bolen and published by Harper & Appleton. This book was released on 2015-09-01 with total page 350 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Daphne du Maurier award finalist for Best Historical Mystery “This story is full of romance and suspense. . . No one can resist a novel written by Cheryl Bolen. Her writing talents charm all readers. Highly recommended reading! 5 stars!” – Huntress Reviews “Bolen pens a sparkling tale, and readers will adore her feisty heroine, the arrogant, honorable Warwick and a wonderful cast of supporting characters.” – RT Book Reviews * * * Maggie thought she was married to an earl . . . but it seems that her late and unlamented husband lied to her from the day they met. Now—penniless and stranded in London—she has thrown herself on the mercy of the real Lord Warwick. What's a counterfeit countess to do? Edward, the Earl of Warwick, desires only to get rid of the beautiful woman who arrived at his house with no less than fourteen trunks, a younger sister, a maid, and a very large cat. Her preposterous explanation is of no importance—but her late husband held the clue to the identity of England's greatest traitor, a clue the Foreign Service must get at any cost. Edward will have to guard her night and day—but he cannot guard his heart.

Book A Counterfeit Heart

    Book Details:
  • Author : K. C. Bateman
  • Publisher : Kate Bateman
  • Release : 2020-08-17
  • ISBN : 1735231304
  • Pages : 398 pages

Download or read book A Counterfeit Heart written by K. C. Bateman and published by Kate Bateman. This book was released on 2020-08-17 with total page 398 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A feisty counterfeiter and a cocky British agent clash in this sultry Secrets and Spies novel by K. C. Bateman, whose witty, intelligent, and sexy historical romances have become her signature. As Sabine de la Tour tosses piles of forged banknotes onto a bonfire in a Paris park, she bids a reluctant farewell to her double life as a notorious criminal. Over the course of Napoleon’s reign, her counterfeits destabilized the continent and turned scoundrels into rich men, but now she and her business partner must escape France—or face the guillotine. Her only hope of surviving in England is to strike a deal with the very spy she’s spent her career outrunning. Now after meeting the arrogant operative in the flesh, Sabine longs to throw herself upon his mercy—and into his arms. Richard Hampden, Viscount Lovell, is prepared to take any risk to safeguard England from the horrors of the French Revolution. To lure the insurgents out from the shadows, he’s even willing to make a pact with his archenemy: Philippe Lacorte, the greatest counterfeiter in Europe. But when a cheeky, gamine-faced beauty proves herself to be Lacorte, Richard is shocked—and more than a little aroused. Unlike the debutantes who so often hurl themselves at him, this cunning minx offers a unique and irresistible challenge. Richard will help her. But in return, he wants something that even Sabine cannot fake. Look for all of K. C. Bateman’s delightful Secrets and Spies novels: TO STEAL A HEART | A RAVEN’S HEART | A COUNTERFEIT HEART “Scintillating! Clever characters and sizzling romance!” - Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW on This Earl Of Mine. “Rich with espionage and suspense . . . Multidimensional believable characters and fast-paced plotting propel the story forward to its moving conclusion.”—Publishers Weekly, on To Steal a Heart “I couldn’t ask for much more in an historical romance and I’m eagerly awaiting whatever Ms. Bateman comes up with next.”—All About Romance, on To Steal a Heart Perfect for readers who love Loretta Chase, Julia Quinn, Caroline Linden, Janna MacGregor, Scarlett Peckham, Laura Kinsale, Kerrigan Byrne, Lisa Kleypas, Courtney Milan, Tessa Dare, Eloisa James, Grace Burrowes, Madeline Hunter, Lenora Bell, Sophie Jordan, Lorraine Heath, Eva Leigh, Mary Jo Putney, Jo Beverley, Joanna Shupe, Sarah MacLean, Shana Galen, Stephanie Laurens and Sabrina Jeffries. Keywords: Historical romance, Regency romance, Victorian romance, action-adventure, sexy, bodyguard, best friend’s sister, enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, second chance romance, Napoleonic romance, fake relationship, marriage of convenience, Sexy, spies, Bow Street, spicy, funny, charming, Bestseller, Kindle, Nook, Ebook.

Book Hegel s God

    Book Details:
  • Author : William Desmond
  • Publisher : Taylor & Francis
  • Release : 2017-07-05
  • ISBN : 135193113X
  • Pages : 233 pages

Download or read book Hegel s God written by William Desmond and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2017-07-05 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: William Desmond's misgivings regarding Hegel's take on God leads the reader through Hegel's writings to reveal a path that leads anywhere but to God. The author believes that an idol is no less an idol constructed from thought as constructed from gold.

Book Real Food Fake Food

Download or read book Real Food Fake Food written by Larry Olmsted and published by Algonquin Books. This book was released on 2017-10-03 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Olmsted makes you insanely hungry and steaming mad--a must-read for anyone who cares deeply about the safety of our food and the welfare of our planet.” —Steven Raichlen, author of the Barbecue! Bible series “The world is full of delicious, lovingly crafted foods that embody the terrain, weather, and culture of their origins. Unfortunately, it’s also full of brazen impostors. In this entertaining and important book, Olmsted helps us fall in love with the real stuff and steer clear of the fraudsters.” —Kirk Kardashian, author of Milk Money: Cash, Cows, and the Death of the American Dairy Farm You’ve seen the headlines: Parmesan cheese made from wood pulp. Lobster rolls containing no lobster at all. Extra-virgin olive oil that isn’t. So many fake foods are in our supermarkets, our restaurants, and our kitchen cabinets that it’s hard to know what we’re eating anymore. In Real Food / Fake Food, award-winning journalist Larry Olmsted convinces us why real food matters and empowers consumers to make smarter choices. Olmsted brings readers into the unregulated food industry, revealing the shocking deception that extends from high-end foods like olive oil, wine, and Kobe beef to everyday staples such as coffee, honey, juice, and cheese. It’s a massive bait and switch in which counterfeiting is rampant and in which the consumer ultimately pays the price. But Olmsted does more than show us what foods to avoid. A bona fide gourmand, he travels to the sources of the real stuff to help us recognize what to look for, eat, and savor: genuine Parmigiano-Reggiano from Italy, fresh-caught grouper from Florida, authentic port from Portugal. Real foods that are grown, raised, produced, and prepared with care by masters of their craft. Part cautionary tale, part culinary crusade, Real Food / Fake Food is addictively readable, mouthwateringly enjoyable, and utterly relevant.

Book Bitter Pills

    Book Details:
  • Author : Muhammad H. Zaman
  • Publisher : Oxford University Press
  • Release : 2018-03-01
  • ISBN : 0190219459
  • Pages : 281 pages

Download or read book Bitter Pills written by Muhammad H. Zaman and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018-03-01 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Long the scourge of developing countries, fake pills are now increasingly common in the United States. The explosion of Internet commerce, coupled with globalization and increased pharmaceutical use has led to an unprecedented vulnerability in the U.S. drug supply. Today, an estimated 80% of our drugs are manufactured overseas, mostly in India and China. Every link along this supply chain offers an opportunity for counterfeiters, and increasingly, they are breaking in. In 2008, fake doses of the blood thinner Heparin killed 81 people worldwide and resulted in hundreds of severe allergic reactions in the United States. In 2012, a counterfeit version of the cancer drug Avastin, containing no active chemotherapy ingredient, was widely distributed in the United States. In early 2013, a drug trafficker named Francis Ortiz Gonzalez was sentenced to prison for distributing an assortment of counterfeit, Chinese-made pharmaceuticals across America. By the time he was arrested, he had already sold over 140,000 fake pills to customers. Even when the U.S. system works, as it mostly does, consumers are increasingly circumventing the safeguards. Skyrocketing health care costs in the U.S. have forced more Americans to become "medical tourists" seeking drugs, life-saving treatments and transplants abroad, sometimes in countries with rampant counterfeit drug problems and no FDA. Bitter Pills will heighten the public's awareness about counterfeit drugs, critically examine possible solutions, and help people protect themselves. Author Muhammad H. Zaman pays special attention to the science and engineering behind both counterfeit and legitimate drugs, and the role of a "technological fix" for the fake drug problem. Increasingly, fake drugs affect us all.

Book Caveat Emptor

    Book Details:
  • Author : Ken Perenyi
  • Publisher : Simon and Schuster
  • Release : 2022-04-12
  • ISBN : 163936305X
  • Pages : 235 pages

Download or read book Caveat Emptor written by Ken Perenyi and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2022-04-12 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is said that the greatest art forger in the world is the one who has never been caught. Caveat Emptor reveals the astonishing story of America’s most accomplished art forger. Ten years ago, an FBI investigation in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York was about to expose a scandal in the art world that would have been front-page news in New York and London. After a trail of fake paintings of astonishing quality led federal agents to art dealers, renowned experts, and the major auction houses, the investigation inexplicably ended, despite an abundance of evidence collected. The case was closed and the FBI file was marked “exempt from public disclosure.” Now that the statute of limitations on these crimes has expired and the case appears hermetically sealed shut by the FBI, this book, Caveat Emptor, is Ken Perenyi’s confession. It is the story, in detail, of how he pulled it all off. Glamorous stories of art-world scandal have always captured the public imagination. However, not since Clifford Irving’s 1969 bestselling Fake has there been a story at all like this one. Caveat Emptor is unique in that it is the first and only book by and about America’s first and only great art forger. And unlike other forgers, Perenyi produced no paper trail, no fake provenance whatsoever; he let the paintings speak for themselves. And that they did, routinely mesmerizing the experts in mere seconds. In the tradition of Frank Abagnale’s Catch Me If You Can, and certain to be a bombshell for the major international auction houses and galleries, here is the story of America’s greatest art forger.

Book Newton and the Counterfeiter

Download or read book Newton and the Counterfeiter written by Thomas Levenson and published by Faber & Faber. This book was released on 2011-03-17 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Already famous throughout Europe for his theories of planetary motion and gravity, Isaac Newton decided to take on the job of running the Royal Mint. And there, Newton became drawn into a battle with William Chaloner, the most skilful of counterfeiters, a man who not only got away with faking His Majesty's coins (a crime that the law equated with treason), but was trying to take over the Mint itself. But Chaloner had no idea who he was taking on. Newton pursued his enemy with the cold, implacable logic that he brought to his scientific research. Set against the backdrop of early eighteenth-century London with its sewers running down the middle of the streets, its fetid rivers, its packed houses, smoke and fog, its industries and its great port, this dark tale of obsession and revenge transforms our image of Britain's greatest scientist.

Book Counterfeit Countess

    Book Details:
  • Author : Cheryl Bolen
  • Publisher : Harper & Appleton
  • Release : 2015-09-01
  • ISBN : 1939602378
  • Pages : 339 pages

Download or read book Counterfeit Countess written by Cheryl Bolen and published by Harper & Appleton. This book was released on 2015-09-01 with total page 339 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Daphne du Maurier award finalist for Best Historical Mystery “This story is full of romance and suspense. . . No one can resist a novel written by Cheryl Bolen. Her writing talents charm all readers. Highly recommended reading! 5 stars!” – Huntress Reviews “Bolen pens a sparkling tale, and readers will adore her feisty heroine, the arrogant, honorable Warwick and a wonderful cast of supporting characters.” – RT Book Reviews * * * Maggie thought she was married to an earl . . . but it seems that her late and unlamented husband lied to her from the day they met. Now—penniless and stranded in London—she has thrown herself on the mercy of the real Lord Warwick. What's a counterfeit countess to do? Edward, the Earl of Warwick, desires only to get rid of the beautiful woman who arrived at his house with no less than fourteen trunks, a younger sister, a maid, and a very large cat. Her preposterous explanation is of no importance—but her late husband held the clue to the identity of England's greatest traitor, a clue the Foreign Service must get at any cost. Edward will have to guard her night and day—but he cannot guard his heart.

Book COUNTERFEIT EARL

    Book Details:
  • Author : Anne Herries
  • Publisher : Harlequin
  • Release : 2014-04-15
  • ISBN : 1460361342
  • Pages : 207 pages

Download or read book COUNTERFEIT EARL written by Anne Herries and published by Harlequin. This book was released on 2014-04-15 with total page 207 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A young woman disappears. A husband is suspected of murder. Stirring times for all the neighborhood. Olivia Roade Burton has lived in obscurity in Steepwood since she brought disgrace on herself by jilting a man of high degree. Now she's grown restless and yearns for excitement. But will any man risk proposing to her? Scarred and disillusioned after his experiences in the Peninsular War, Captain Jack Denning believed he was too tainted to marry a decent girl. Caught in an innocent but compromising situation with Olivia, he's forced into an offer of marriage—one that Olivia accepts with no hesitation. Can she find true love and ease the secret sorrow that haunts Jack's eyes…? Regency Drama Intrigue, mischief…and marriage The Steepwood Scandal

Book Counterfeit Miracles

Download or read book Counterfeit Miracles written by Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield and published by . This book was released on 1918 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book A Monograph of the Silver Dollar

    Book Details:
  • Author : John Leonard Riddell
  • Publisher : Literary Licensing, LLC
  • Release : 2014-08-07
  • ISBN : 9781498188319
  • Pages : 196 pages

Download or read book A Monograph of the Silver Dollar written by John Leonard Riddell and published by Literary Licensing, LLC. This book was released on 2014-08-07 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Is A New Release Of The Original 1845 Edition.

Book The Duke s Counterfeit Wife

Download or read book The Duke s Counterfeit Wife written by Louise Allen and published by Harlequin. This book was released on 2021-11-30 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A feigned marriage A very real attraction… When their ship is commandeered, Nicholas Terrell, Duke of Severton, saves stranger Sarah Parrish by claiming she’s his wife! She’s more valuable if their captors believe she’ll bring them a duchess’s ransom, but now Nicholas is compelled to share a cabin with his distractingly beautiful faux bride… Outspoken Sarah enchants him like no debutante ever has. Yet, as a lady’s companion, Sarah’s completely unsuitable for a duke. So surely a real match between them is impossible? From Harlequin Historical: Your romantic escape to the past.

Book Counterfeit Integrated Circuits

Download or read book Counterfeit Integrated Circuits written by Mark (Mohammad) Tehranipoor and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-02-12 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This timely and exhaustive study offers a much-needed examination of the scope and consequences of the electronic counterfeit trade. The authors describe a variety of shortcomings and vulnerabilities in the electronic component supply chain, which can result in counterfeit integrated circuits (ICs). Not only does this book provide an assessment of the current counterfeiting problems facing both the public and private sectors, it also offers practical, real-world solutions for combatting this substantial threat. · Helps beginners and practitioners in the field by providing a comprehensive background on the counterfeiting problem; · Presents innovative taxonomies for counterfeit types, test methods, and counterfeit defects, which allows for a detailed analysis of counterfeiting and its mitigation; · Provides step-by-step solutions for detecting different types of counterfeit ICs; · Offers pragmatic and practice-oriented, realistic solutions to counterfeit IC detection and avoidance, for industry and government.

Book Portrait of an Unknown Lady

Download or read book Portrait of an Unknown Lady written by Maria Gainza and published by Catapult. This book was released on 2022-03-22 with total page 118 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice New York Times Notable author María Gainza, who dazzled critics with Optic Nerve, returns with the captivating story of an auction house employee on the trail of an enigmatic master forger In the Buenos Aires art world, a master forger has achieved legendary status. Rumored to be a woman, she specializes in canvases by the painter Mariette Lydis, a portraitist of Argentinean high society. But who is this absurdly gifted creator of counterfeits? What motivates her? And what is her link to the community of artists who congregate, night after night, in a strange establishment called the Hotel Melancólico? On the trail of this mysterious forger is our narrator, an art critic and auction house employee through whose hands counterfeit works have passed. As she begins to take on the role of art-world detective, adopting her own methods of deception and manipulation, she warns us “not to proceed in expectation of names, numbers or dates . . . My techniques are those of the impressionist.” Driven by obsession and full of subtle surprise, Portrait of an Unknown Lady is a highly seductive and enveloping meditation on what we mean by "authenticity" in art, and a captivating exploration of the gap between what is lived and what is told.