Since we are talking about books, I would like to slip in a real oldie but goodie.  Money of Their Own, by Murray Teigh Bloom is a fascinating book about some prominent forgers of currency.  Although prominent, they obviously were not great forgets, because as the author points out, the really good ones don't get caught. 

The book was published in England in 1957, and I first read it when it was quite new.  A few years ago, I remembered it and mentioned it to my sons and about how much I enjoyed it.  Voila, I received a copy as a Christmas Present.  I reread it and enjoyed it as much as I had in college back in the 1950's.

Money of Their Own tells the story of 10 counterfeiters (or groups of counterfeiters).  The stories range over a large number of years from the late 19th through 20th Century and cover Mexico, Europe, and US and Africa.  The two most extensive sections deal with Operation Bernhard (The Nazi counterfeiting of US currency) and the story of Artur Alvez Reis, who was so successful that he brought down the government of Portugal.

Fun, light reading with lots of personal interjections by the author, the book steers away from a lot of the technical aspects but gives you just enough that you get a feeling of what the perps went through in trying to increase their own wealth.

The only negative that I might give the book is the lack of photos of those involved and of the masterpieces they created.

Money of Their Own is often available on Amazon for no more expensive than a modern novel, that is under $30.00.

I rate it a solid 4.5 Stars out of 5.