The collection includes essays by professors, lawyers, police, security directors, archaeologists, art historians, and members of the art trade, on the subject of art crime (including theft and forgery) and protection of cultural heritage.
It was the first book published under the auspices of ARCA (The Association for Research into Crimes against Art), an international non-profit think tank and research group which studies art crime.
All profits from the sale of this book go directly to support ARCA's charitable activities in defense of art.
And yet it involves a multibillion-dollar legitimate industry, with a conservatively-estimated $6 billion annual criminal profit.
The contributors conclude their analyses with specific practical suggestions to implement in the future.