08/06/2026
Finally done and off to printer and will be available starting two weeks
Every antique has a story. Most of them are lies.
The dealer's story is compelling. The price tag is substantial. And unless you know what to look for, you have no way of knowing whether what you are looking at is what you are being told it is. The market depends on that.
John Swahn spent thirty-two years making sure it never happens to you.
As the elected Master of the International Restorers Guild in London — the highest position in the Guild — Swahn was the restorer other restorers turned to when something irreplaceable was in danger. He consulted on Canterbury Cathedral's textile restoration and was sought out following the Windsor Castle fire. The Smithsonian, the Victoria and Albert Museum, Sotheby's, and Christie's called him when their own experts needed a second opinion.
Over thirty-two years and more than 6,000 clients, he developed a forensic methodology for reading the physical evidence every genuine antique carries in its wood, its joints, its hardware, and its finish. Evidence put there by the craftsman who made it. Evidence that cannot be faked.
The Truth About Antiques teaches that methodology to anyone willing to turn a piece over and read what the hidden surfaces are saying. No tools. No reference books. No expertise required — just the knowledge of what to look for, and the confidence to trust what you find.
After this book, you will never walk into an antique shop the same way again.
John Swahn no longer restores. He teaches people to see what he sees.
