From the great American showman, P.T. Barnum, responsible for some of the most extraordinary forgeries of all time, to 'King' David, the Yorkshire coiner, and the gang of hardened criminals known as the Hungarian Circle who forged money for personal gain, Salway exposes the amazing stories of forgers galore in an absorbing book illustrated with contemporary prints, drawings and photographs. Other cases covered include the mysteryperson behind the notorious Piltdown Man, the painter Han van Meegeren, the poet Thomas Chatterton, the POWs who manufactured documents and passes from the most meagre of materials to aid their escapes, and the boy who wrote a Shakespeare play...