Book description
A PhD candidate in physics at Columbia University, Alex Stone is also
part of the underground magic circuit, an exclusive community whose
members convene regularly in pizza parlours and coffee shops to swap
tips and develop new illusions. Determined to take his lifelong hobby
to the professional level, Stone embarks on a personal quest to reach
the pinnacle of this bizarre world, and become a master magician.
But he has some learning to do.
In Fooling Houdini, we journey through a strange and
colourful subculture of obsessive, brilliant and dysfunctional
geniuses - blind card sharps, street-hustlers and Las Vegas showmen -
learning the principles and history of some of the greatest tricks
ever performed. Seeking answers to broader questions about decision
making, the limits of perception, and the nature of deception, Stone
helps us understand what happens as we attempt to distinguish reality
from illusion, and discovers the link between magic and psychology,
physics and even crime.
From back-street scams to laboratories to the Magic Olympics,
Fooling Houdini reveals the mysterious world of magic as
never before.
Alex Stone has written for
Harper's
,
Discover
,
Science
, and
The Wall Street Journal
. He lives in New York City.
