Visual Magic [Paperback]

David Thomson (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up

Enter the world of visual magic where a random pattern of squares suddenly becomes a face, or when special glasses (found in the book) transform a dotted pattern into 3-D splendor. Thirty tricks and illusions will delight you for hours. Watch as a goldfish seems to vanish from a picture, try to figure out which of two goats is actually bigger, and focus on the workings of some “impossible” shapes.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-9-- A presentation of more than 30 intriguing optical illusions accompanied by clear, brief explanations. With many full-page illustrations, plenty of white space, and excellent reproductions, the book is accessible and inviting. The illusions are well chosen to demonstrate various aspects of ``visual magic,'' including lines, color, brightness, and depth. Instructions on how to view the illusions are sometimes followed by brief explanations of how the effect is caused. Unfortunately, two punch-out props--three-dimensional glasses and a spinning disk--are essential for several of the examples to be effective. If libraries can get past this difficulty, this is an attractive browsing book that will complement more informative (but less graphically appealing) books such as Lawrence White's Optical Illusions (Watts, 1986) and The Optical Illusion Book (Morrow, 1984) by Seymour Simon. --Steven Engelfried, Pleasanton Library, CA
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

An intriguing compilation of optical illusions: images that sort themselves out when studied or that can be read more than one way; op art; an Escher; pictures that gain a third dimension when viewed through the special glasses provided, etc. Several of these have appeared elsewhere, but it's instructive to have them together in this handy eight-inch square book--especially with Thomson's brief but lucid explanations of what is happening when the eye and mind try to decipher images that are designed to confuse them. A dandy introduction to the concept of perception. (Nonfiction. 9-12) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Sterling (June 30, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806944897
• ISBN-13: 978-0806944890
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 7.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,178,098 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars VISUAL MAGIC!, June 16, 2000

By 

G (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Visual Magic (Paperback)

Complete with 3-D glasses, this interesting book gives the reader a sampling of the variety of visual perceptual images that make the brain work in order to understand what we are seeing. Compact and brief, I believe Dr. Thomson illustrates how the eye and the brain make an effort to work together, yet sometimes face a battle! I recommend this enjoyable book, and plan to use it to introduce some of my students to how the eye see, and what the brain thinks.