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Matthew L. Tompkins

The Spectacle of Illusion: Deception, Magic and the Paranormal Hardcover – April 23, 2019

by Matthew Tompkins (Author)

49 ratings

4.4 on Goodreads

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The tricks and props of magic and spiritualism: how magicians and psychics fooled the world―and what scientists can learn from them

In The Spectacle of Illusion, professional magician-turned experimental psychologist Dr. Matthew L. Tompkins investigates the arts of deception as practised and popularised by mesmerists, magicians and psychics since the early 18th century. Organised thematically within a broadly chronological trajectory, this compelling book explores how illusions perpetuated by magicians and fraudulent mystics can not only deceive our senses but also teach us about the inner workings of our minds. Indeed, modern scientists are increasingly turning to magic tricks to develop new techniques to examine human perception, memory and belief. Beginning by discussing mesmerism and spiritualism, the book moves on to consider how professional magicians such as John Nevil Maskelyne and Harry Houdini engaged with these movements – particularly how they set out to challenge and debunk paranormal claims. It also relates the interactions between magicians, mystics and scientists over the past 200 years, and reveals how the researchers who attempted to investigate magical and paranormal phenomena were themselves deceived, and what this can teach us about deception. Highly illustrated throughout with entertaining and bizarre drawings, double-exposure spirit photographs and photographs of spoon-bending from hitherto inaccessible and un-mined archives, including the Wellcome Collection, the Harry Price Library, the Society for Physical Research, and last but not least, the Magic Circle’s closely guarded collection, the book also features newly commissioned photography of planchettes, rapping boards, tilting tables, ectoplasm, automata and illusion boxes. Concluding with a modern-day analysis of the science of magic and illusion, analysing surprisingly weird phenomena such as ideomotor action, sleep paralysis, choice blindness and the psychology of misdirection, this unnerving volume highlights how unreliable our minds can be, and how complicit they can be in the perpetuation of illusions.

Print length

224 pages
Language

English
Publisher

D.A.P.
Publication date

April 23, 2019
Dimensions

7 x 1.1 x 9.9 inches
ISBN-10

1942884370
ISBN-13

978-1942884378
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From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

Review

‘Spectacle of Illusion’ is a remarkable book. Even if you didn't read a single word of this book, the remarkable images, seem to lift a lid on the Magic world. This book both reveals the inner workings of the extraordinary and yet seems to keep all it’s secrets too. It’s wonderful. -- Andy Nyman

The Spectacle of Illusion, offers a comprehensive examination of paranormal illusions since the 1800s. -- Gabriel H. Sanchez ― Buzzfeed

The Spectacle Of Illusion is populated by clairvoyants, telepaths and ghost-hunters, materialised using imagery drawn from the archives of the Wellcome Collection. The pictures are thrilling. ― Daily Mail

For those who prefer to trust their own eyes, ears, and memories, the presentation of an optical illusion or a claim of communication with the spirit realm tends to draw skepticism. -- Anne Kniggendorf ― Publishers Weekly

The magician and psychologist Matthew L. Tompkins’s new book, The Spectacle of Illusion, chronicles the struggles of the scientific community to understand―and sometimes debunk―the illusions and mysteries that have so captivated the general public since the eighteenth century. ― Paris Review

For The Spectacle of Illusion, Matthew L. Tompkins has compiled a trove of posters, photos, and illustrations from magical, psychic, and spiritualist practices over the past two centuries that evidences both the strong lure of enchantments and the meticulousness of their deceptions. The assemblage also proves intriguing as it unintentionally suggests a kinship between some portion of twentieth-century art and magic and the occult. -- Albert Mobilio ― Bookforum

The Spectacle of Illusion is a delightful and informative roller coaster that explores our fascination with magic, the paranormal, and the psychology of cognitive illusions. -- Clive Wilkins ― Science Magazine

Matthew Tompkins’ The Spectacle of Illusion explore[s] an area of magic research which has received arguably the biggest expansion in recent years: the psychology of performance magic and conjuring. -- Beatrice Ashton-Lelliott ― British Society for Literature and Science

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ D.A.P. (April 23, 2019)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1942884370
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1942884378
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.9 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7 x 1.1 x 9.9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #463,225 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #123 in Magic & Illusion
- #168 in Magic Tricks
- #1,429 in Magic Studies (Books)

Customer Reviews:
49 ratings

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Matthew L. Tompkins

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American magician-turned-psychologist Dr. Matthew L. Tompkins obtained a DPhil in Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford. Previously, he had obtained a BA in Psychology at the State University of New York at Geneseo and an MSc in Psychological Research at Oxford.

Customer reviews

5 star		80%
4 star		14%
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2 star		3%
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C J

Top quality

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 1, 2022

Verified Purchase

This book is a great pleasure to own because everything about it is extremely well done.

Helpful

Capercailzie

Beautifully illustrated

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 18, 2020

Verified Purchase

This is a wonderfully illustrated book about the history of magic. The text is also solid and has been written by an expert in the field. To me, it's more than a mere coffee table book.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Jeanette A.

A fun read!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 26, 2020

Verified Purchase

Tompkins' topical overview magic and illusions primarily centers on the relationship between magic and spiritualism but it also takes fun offshoots into modern psychology, history and more. Worth reading for sure!

One person found this helpful

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Nathan Herren

Great coffee table book!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 9, 2020

Verified Purchase

The “City in France” Market (they his review) in Savannah is selling this book for $90. It’s a great and chic coffee table book.

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Shawn McDowell

The Spectacle of Illusion

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 25, 2019

Verified Purchase

I just got this book in the mail and I had to look through it and I love it. It is perfect for what I have need of.

3 people found this helpful

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Alan

A beautiful book

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 12, 2019

Verified Purchase

Lots of pictures. Lots of stories, but not much info of how they do anything real or scam.

2 people found this helpful

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Robert P. Weissburg

Great book on the considerable limitations of human perception. Fun too.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 3, 2019

Verified Purchase

Saw the great review of this in the journal Science and ordered it straight away. Not disappointed; should be required reading.

2 people found this helpful

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Harry Arnheim

Nice book.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 8, 2020

Verified Purchase

Nicely bound hardcover, Quite complete. However print is unusually small.

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Josu

Is seeing believing? Is believing seeing?

Reviewed in Spain 🇪🇸 on August 2, 2020

Verified Purchase

How can we hope to conduct experiments on things that only exist within our minds.

Highly recommend this beautifully written and illustrated book to anyone interested in science, magic or who simply enjoys good stories about weird pieces of forgotten history.

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The Spectacle of Illusion: Deception, Magic and the Paranormal Hardcover – April 23, 2019

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Matthew L. Tompkins

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