Abracadabra!: Secret Methods Magicians & Others Use to Deceive Their Audience [Paperback]

Nathaniel Schiffman (Author), Henry Gordon (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2005

Magicians use more than just mirrors, string, and sleight of hand to deceive their audience. Those who are masters at this trade have developed an arsenal of techniques to manipulate people. Every action and utterance on stage and off is precisely planned to achieve a specific effect. "Abracadabra!" is an insider's look at what goes on at a magic show, behind-the-scenes, and in the mind of the magician. Nathaniel Schiffman explains the principles of deception, exposing those seemingly innocent motions that conceal vital actions from onlookers; how the conjurer uses misdirection of space and time to mislead the audience; how silly and simple optical illusions can fool us; and what to look for during a magic show. Also explored in detail is the world of offstage magic. Some 'magicians' use various techniques in life to deceive and influence you, yet these magicians don't boast of their magic talent, because they are advertisers, politicians, generals, spies, con artists, computer programmers, movie directors, faith healers, psychics, and others. These 'magicians' work to make you buy their product, believe in their cause, and influence your thinking from the time you get up in the morning, until you go to bed at night. This is not a 'how to' book for aspiring magicians, but a layperson's guide to methods used to mislead or fool you. Lighthearted and informal, "Abracadabra!" will fascinate anyone interested in knowing how one person can control many. Included are hands-on experiments, magic tricks, and reader participation segments. You'll soon see that magicians don't just manipulate playing cards and animals; they manipulate you.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...unusually captivating book of the strange...wide-ranging analysis of the principles of illusion,...a hard book to lay down." -- Scientific American

About the Author

Nathaniel Schiffman (East Brunswick, NJ) is a writer and magic enthusiast whose long-standing fascination with the subject has made him a devotee of magic shows, literature, and performing tricks.

Product Details

• Paperback: 441 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (March 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591022487
• ISBN-13: 978-1591022480
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #732,553 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #44 in Books > Arts & Photography > Performing Arts > Magic & Illusion

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Magic and psychology, June 2, 2009

By 

Kate Oszko (Brisbane, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Abracadabra!: Secret Methods Magicians & Others Use to Deceive Their Audience (Paperback)

I am an absolute sucker for magic shows. When we lived in the US we went to a restaurant where a magician moved between tables doing tricks. Even right up close I had no idea how he did what he did.

This book does provide a lot of information about how tricks are done, including the fact that audiences are happy to play along. Everything the performer does is choreographed and planned to mislead and distract. It is psychological manipulation, using our assumptions against us to surprise and baffle us.

As well as going into a lot of detail about certain tricks, the author also provides us with little psychological games to play, to show the us how our minds can work against us. As well as examining traditional magic, he looks at manipulation as it's practiced in everyday life through advertising and other forms of persuasion. It's one thing to be tricked when we are happy to go along for the ride. It's another when we are made to do what others want us to, almost without realising it.

This book reveals some of the mystery - but even after reading it I still think I would be hard pressed to spot the sleight of hand. Magicians, good magicians, are masters of what they do. They are there to entertain and I am happy to play along.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very thorough and entertaining, August 10, 2007

By 

Gregory Lewis (Fort Worth, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Abracadabra!: Secret Methods Magicians & Others Use to Deceive Their Audience (Paperback)

This book did not disappoint. A well researched body of work and written for the average layperson. While some of the chapters stalled in certain areas, the overall work is great for those who must figure out how these magicians do the "impossible" tricks they do.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magicians use more than smoke and mirrors to deceive audiences, January 2, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Abracadabra!: Secret Methods Magicians & Others Use to Deceive Their Audience (Paperback)

Magicians use more than smoke and mirrors to deceive audiences, but their secrets are rarely revealed. Writer and magic enthusiast Nathaniel Schiffman's Abracadabra! Secret Methods Magicians And Others Use To Deceive Their Audience provides a lay reader's guide to common methods used to fool or mislead audiences. While experiments and magic tricks are included, the focus here is on how a magician manipulates the audience toward belief: an intriguing expose is created.