To bend a flat plate glass to a curved form without using a forming mold and prevent the generation of reverse bending at the edge part of a bent plate glass.

This bending method comprises a step to apply a thermally shrinkable coating liquid 2 to one surface of a flat plate glass 1, a step to introduce the flat plate glass 1 coated with the coating liquid 2 into a heating furnace and a step to raise the temperature of the flat plate glass 1 introduced into the heating furnace at least to the softening point of the glass to form a coating film 2a on one surface of the flat plate glass 1 and to bend the heated flat plate glass 1 to a prescribed curvature by the shrinking force of the formed coating film 2a.