Masters of Deception: The Gang That Ruled Cyberspace: Slatalla, Michele: 9780060926946: Amazon.com: Books

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Masters of Deception: The Gang That Ruled Cyberspace Paperback – December 1, 1995

by Michele Slatalla (Author)

4.6 523 ratings

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The bestselling account of a band of kids from New York who fought an electronic turf war that ranged across some of the nation's most powerful computer systems. "An immensely fun and -- one cannot emphasize this enough -- accessible history of the first outlaws in cyberspace."--Glamour

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Print length

240 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Harper Perennial
Publication date

December 1, 1995
Dimensions

8.05 x 5.32 x 0.59 inches
ISBN-10

0060926945
ISBN-13

978-0060926946
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Masters of Deception: The Gang That Ruled Cyberspace

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Customer reviews

523 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book's illustrations and pictures captivating and interesting. They describe the writing as detailed, concise, and informative. The book contains a variety of optical illusions that engage readers' eyes. Readers appreciate the well-known and obscure artists included in the book. Overall, they find the book entertaining and thought-provoking.

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Art quality Reading quality Writing quality Optical illusions Art information Enlightenedness Entertainment value Gift value

38 customers mention "Art quality"38 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's art quality. They find the illustrations and images by professional artists intriguing. The book is well-constructed, with heavy paper and glossy photos. It provides a great introduction to various artists' artwork, including nontraditional portraiture, commercial works, and sculptures.

"...represented, as are ambigrams, nontraditional portraiture, unabashedly commercial artwork, and sculptures based on constructions in Escher's famous..." Read more

"Wonderful book that shows art at its most playful and ingenious...." Read more

"...This is a great looking book - big, hardcover, suitable for your coffee table...." Read more

"...No college book store prices to pay here! The photos are large for most images and captures the true colors of the artwork...." Read more

26 customers mention "Reading quality"26 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging with its mesmerizing illusions and interesting facts. They describe it as entertaining and thought-provoking, with nice references. The overall theme is excellent and the book is unique.

"...back then, and I am glad that this book is still in print and reasonably popular." Read more

"...will quibble about one or two artists covered, but the overall theme of the book is excellent...." Read more

"...at the artists included in this book and how the stretched the reaches of the imagination...." Read more

"...The book itself is the best of it's kind- realartists, well known and lesser known, but no collections of dumb optical illusions...." Read more

22 customers mention "Writing quality"18 positive4 negative

Customers appreciate the detailed and concise writing quality of the book. They find the examples and discussions extensive, with informative captions that help decipher the artwork. The text is great, with excellent narratives and wonderful pictures.

"...The writing is central to the book; explaining that vision itself is deception before considering deception in art..." Read more

"...sampling of well known artists, plus an array of fun illusions, and EXPLANATIONS, which is something I had not seen in other books of illusions...." Read more

"...in this book for all the work of every artist, it gives the reader many good examples of each artists work, which will no doubt compel one to find..." Read more

"...Al Seckel has created a nice collection here using informative captions to help decipher the work...." Read more

16 customers mention "Optical illusions"13 positive3 negative

Customers enjoy the optical illusions in the book. They find it a good gift for fans and say the pictures are great at tricking the eye.

"...does a wonderful job of exciting the reader with the possibilities of illusionistic art, and wisely lets the artwork speak for itself more often..." Read more

"...Images by famous professional artists that use optical illusions are always intriguing and Al Seckel has created a nice collection here using..." Read more

"It isn't a secret that this book contains loads of great optical illusions, but I just want to add my vote that this is a great book and will be..." Read more

"...kind- realartists, well known and lesser known, but no collections of dumb optical illusions...." Read more

12 customers mention "Art information"12 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's art information. They find it has a nice sampling of well-known artists, as well as obscure ones. The book includes biographical information about 20 different artists, which enhances their appreciation.

"...As stated in other reviews, the book has a nice sampling of well known artists, plus an array of fun illusions, and EXPLANATIONS, which is something..." Read more

"...Of course it has the standards, but it also has more obscure artists which are just as talented but haven't received the international acclaim of..." Read more

"...Twenty artists are represented. They are not only superb artists but also Leonardo da Vincis in their cleverness...." Read more

"...inspires me .. it teaches me.... This book is fabulous as it talks about the artists and shows some of their pieces, most of which are simply..." Read more

9 customers mention "Enlightenedness"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book an eye-opener and entertaining. They say it's a collection of some of the best deceptive artists in history, like Leonardo da Vinci, who are imaginative and clever. The book provides inspiration for their own art and is a great debunker for naive realists.

"...and thread, this is a wild trip thru the creative minds of amazingly imaginative artists! Get this book, you won’t regret it!!!" Read more

"...They are not only superb artists but also Leonardo da Vincis in their cleverness...." Read more

"Interesting, imaginative, highly revealing and great fun; also a great debunker for naive realists, ie for anyone who believes that what they see..." Read more

"Bought as a gift for my father & he loves it. Exposed him to more Escher-like artists and provided inspiration for his own art." Read more

9 customers mention "Entertainment value"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book entertaining and intellectual. They enjoy the well-known artists and fun illusions.

"...the book has a nice sampling of well known artists, plus an array of fun illusions, and EXPLANATIONS, which is something I had not seen in other..." Read more

"...appeals to the math and engineering mind, although it can be enjoyed by all. My husband, a math teacher, will bring it into his teaching repetoire. "..." Read more

"A well written, entertaining, seemingly balanced account on the events surrounding some of the first major computer crime prosecutions...." Read more

"This is art that is clever and entertaining. It's way beyond being merely decorative. I'm in awe of such genius." Read more

9 customers mention "Gift value"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book a good gift idea, especially for the price. They say it's fun to find a present that is unique and entertaining. The book would be a great gift for teenagers interested in drawing.

"Great gift for teenager interested in drawing...." Read more

"...Would make a nice gift for an adult who has an interest in this type of artwork." Read more

"...It is so fun to find a present you know is unique and entertaining, not to mention intellectual stimulation. The recipient loved it...." Read more

"Fabulous coffee table book. Great for gifts, great to just look at , anytime." Read more

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Danno
Beautiful Overview of Art Based on Illusions
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2017
Verified Purchase
This is a beautiful paperback art book that covers a broad spectrum of art related to optical illusions. I've seen it on sale in many locations, including museum gift shops. Escher, Dali, and Arcimboldo are represented (as you'd expect) but the bulk of the book is devoted to a wide variety of artists inspired by either the artists mentioned earlier or various quirks of visual perception. Op Art is well-represented, as are ambigrams, nontraditional portraiture, unabashedly commercial artwork, and sculptures based on constructions in Escher's famous works. I'd already seen many of these images on the internet, but it's better to see them within this intelligent context. The book, with its many full-page reproductions, does a wonderful job of exciting the reader with the possibilities of illusionistic art, and wisely lets the artwork speak for itself more often than not.

Two things did surprise me about this book (although they did not cause me to lower my rating). There is very little in here to connect these works of art to even the basic principles of visual perception in layman's terms. I was also surprised to see so little attention given to Magritte, who seems to have overtaken Dali in the public's mind as the supreme Surrealist. There is some minor nudity scattered around, but nothing that isn't PG-13.

When I was a teen many years ago, I treasured my Escher calendars and Dali postcards. I would have loved to have seen such a book back then, and I am glad that this book is still in print and reasonably popular.

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13 people found this helpful

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Richard Gollin
Highly individual and entertaining book.
Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2009
Verified Purchase
Not quite what I was expecting from other reviewers.But still well worth 5 stars plus.

For a start it is not a coffee book with pictures to be leafed through when bored. The writing is central to the book; explaining that vision itself is deception before considering deception in art (which is all , in turn, deception by definition).

Then the author makes no attempt at an exhaustive history of optical illusions in art. He gives us a delightful cameo of Giuseppe Arcimboldo whose paintings of faces made of fruit can be seen in Vienna, I think. Then its pretty well a leap straight to the 20th century with Dali, Escher and several living artists.

I was never really a fan of Dali , an opinion based on the single big canvas to be seen in most galleries.But some of the Dalis in this book such as hand painted twin stereoscopic images are stunningly clever. And the other artists are often even more clever;just astoundingly so! Just what imagination and skills do you need to make sculptures of impossible 3 dimensional figures?

Theres no attempt to give an exhaustive list of op artists and everyone will quibble about one or two artists covered, but the overall theme of the book is excellent.

By the way, the book is outstanding value on Amazon and has a back-up web site which I must visit soon!

Quibbles? Well some time serious artistic works are going to have to more than tip their caps to Magic Eye programmes for achieving what Psychology text books said was completely impossible: 3D images in colour from one single 'picture'.

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9 people found this helpful

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Clifford Bentz
Oddities of the Art World!
Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2021
Verified Purchase
Wonderful book that shows art at its most playful and ingenious. You will be amazed at the artists included in this book and how the stretched the reaches of the imagination. From 3-D to art made with sugar,dirt and thread, this is a wild trip thru the creative minds of amazingly imaginative artists!
Get this book, you won’t regret it!!!

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Bas Vodde
Hacker history, interesting read
Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2014
Verified Purchase
Masters of Deception is a description of the "great Hacker wars" between two rival hacker gangs Legion of Doom (LOD) and Masters of Deception (MOD). It sounds impressive, but it was just a couple of teenagers with a lot of knowledge about the phone system that started to annoy each other. Put it in that way, the Great Hacker War doesn't look that great, but the book is still good for understanding the hacker dynamics of the end of the 80s and beginning 90s.

The book is written from the perspective of MOD and starts with the founding of MOD by Phiber Optik, Acid Phreak and Scorpion. They together explore the phone system. Phiber Optik was in the Legion of Doom group, but got kicked out and therefore they started the Masters of Deception hacker group. Though it started out as a joke, they grew quite fast and their hacks became quite sophisticated. Not only that, they were also getting more attention from the Secret Service, especially their pranks done to the LOD members who wanted to quit hacking and start a security company. Eventually... well... I'll leave what eventually happens to the reader.

The book is well written and very easy to read. It took me a couple of days on and off reading. The tone of the book is a bit uncomfortable and strange as the authors do take a strong position for the hackers and view them as teenagers playing pranks with a bit too much knowledge. The book is shallow on technical knowledge however, which is most likely because the authors are professional authors and not professional hackers. I think I would have enjoyed it more with a bit more technical information. That said, I did enjoy the book and I think it describes an important timeframe in hacker history. Decided to go with 4 stars. Recommended if you are interested in hacking history, otherwise better not pick it up.

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7 people found this helpful

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M@Ni@
Excellent
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2024
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Excellent

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Budgiegirl
my new coffee table book
Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2007
Verified Purchase
Wow - I chose this based on the chorus of 5 star reviews, submitted by others who seem much more knowledgeable in this field than I, and I am NOT disappointed! This is a great looking book - big, hardcover, suitable for your coffee table. As stated in other reviews, the book has a nice sampling of well known artists, plus an array of fun illusions, and EXPLANATIONS, which is something I had not seen in other books of illusions. This is just a very nice book, meeting the hype, and worthy of your coffee table or anybody else's for that matter .. definitely gift-worthy.

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12 people found this helpful

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Camila de Andrade Reis
Livro usado, porém muito bem preservado! Ótima compra!
Reviewed in Brazil on January 1, 2025
Verified Purchase
Estava um pouco receosa de adquirir um produto usado, porém fui surpreendida pela qualidade da preservação do produto! Ótima compra e o produto chegou bem rápido!

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09
Amazing images
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 26, 2024
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Better than expected - amazing images, some by lesser promoted artists with well written succinct mini biogs.

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TV
Una pasada de libro
Reviewed in Spain on January 10, 2023
Verified Purchase
Magnífico. Está en inglés, pero aquí lo importante son las imágenes y es una recopilación de ilusiones ópticas, trampantojos y demás que pensé que sería imposible reunir tantas, tan buenas y de tantos autores en un solo libro.

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Noli Andrea
Eccezionale
Reviewed in Italy on December 10, 2021
Verified Purchase
Eccezionale compendio di opere di autori che hanno fatto dell'illusione ottica un'arte. Magnifico per chi ama il genere. Grande formato, per apprezzare meglio i lavori

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RAth13U
Para conocer la historia de los primeros hackers
Reviewed in Mexico on July 14, 2019
Verified Purchase
Relatado de forma sencilla y divertida. De repente empieza a ser aburrido por el detalle no tan técnico que puede ser atractivo para algunos lectores. Sin embargo, no deja de ser un buen libro que debe estar en la biblioteca de toda gente de sistemas.

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