Seeing Double (Paperback)

by J. Richard Block (Author) "When we look at a figure, it is usually darker and smaller than its background and has a more precisely defined form..." (more)
Key Phrases: embedded figures, ambiguous figures, book upside, United Kingdom, Redstone Press, The Puzzle Museum (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Imagine horses that turn into frogs. Skull's eyes morphing into dainty ladies. Dragons twisting into elephants. Sound like the latest digital effects? Guess again.

Seeing Double is a collection of more than 175 seductive and mind-bending illustrations that trick the eye into seeing two different images -- and never both at the same time! And once you’ve seen them both, it is impossible to focus on just one, as the other will keep "popping" into your consciousness.

Exquisitely rendered hand drawn images, both antique and contemporary, from around the world fill every page of this delightfully entertaining, full-color volume. Double illusions, upside-downs, ambiguous images and ambigrams are smartly organized by technique and illusory effect, with vivid descriptions of the psychological impact the artist intended as well as current scientific explanations for each stunning effect. In creating these playful twosomes, the artist may paint a single line that is the chin of one man, the nose of another or strike an unusual equilibrium between a shape and its background, teasing our usual sense of perception.

Psychologist and collector, J. Richard Block has put his life’s work, his enthusiasm, and his knowledge into this wonderfully fun, informative treasure trove of puzzles, illusions and double diversions.

About the Author
J. Richard Block, Ph.D., former Vice President for Planning and Liaison and Professor of Psychology at Hofstra University, lives in Hempstead, New York. He is the President of Y & B Associates, which produces cards, games and puzzles dealing with illusions and art images for schools, museums, and the general public.

Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (September 6, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415934826
• ISBN-13: 978-0415934824
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 8.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #614,100 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A treasure trove of mind-challenging sights, March 4, 2003

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

Over 200 illusions and examples of mind-bending tricks are included in Seeing Double, an enthusiastically recommended guide which tricks the eye into seeing two different images of each selection - and never at the same time. These are hand-drawn renderings both antique and contemporary taken from around the world, providing both well-known and unusual images from double illusions and ambiguous images to puzzles. A treasure trove of mind-challenging sights.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT FUN & yet very educational...understanding how the brain really works!, March 15, 2006

By	Lee Say Keng "KNOWLEDGE ADVENTURER/TECHNOLOGY... (Singapore) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is the second book on visual illusions by J Richard Block, the author, after his earlier book entitled 'Can You Believe Your Eyes'. Both are printed in large format. In fact, there is also a card deck which amplifies the earlier book.

Both books discussed the phenomena of human perception through hundreds of perplexing visual illusions & mind-bending eye tricks gathered from around the world.

The entire collection in the two books is definitely amazing and unique in some way.

The best learning experiences I got out of these two wonderful books are a greater understanding - & appreciation - of how the brain really works. I often use many of the visual illusions to demonstrate the principal operating principles of the brain, particularly the salient aspects of selective recognition and patterning. I have also found that some of them have been very useful in demonstrating cognitive traps & pattern interrupts, especially in the context of personal creativity.

Although the visual illusions are fun to play with, I find them very educational, just as what I have elaborated.

There is another type of visual illusions, known as random dot stereograms (some people call them 3D visual illusions), which are more fun but somewhat harder to play with. Nevertheless, they are also very educational, especially in understanding - & appreciating - how the brain really works!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars There's more than one way of looking at things, December 26, 2005

By	Jill Malter ([e-mail]) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This book is plenty of fun. It begins with images that can be seen in two ways depending on what you regard as the background. Next are multiple figures that share contours, where the background is not the key to the ambiguity. Then we have a short chapter where you see different figures depending on whether you look at the left-hand or right-hand part of the image. After that come some rather famous images that are composed of several smaller images.

The chapter I liked the best was about images that change into related images when you turn the book upside down. This includes four of the famous Gustav Verbeek "Muffaroo and Lovekins" cartoon strips (written in 1903 and 1904). And the book concludes with a variety of other illusions.

I was surprised that it is so easy to produce interesting illusions. But I don't want to take anything away from the artists: what they created shows terrific imagination and talent.