Fooling Houdini: Magicians, Mentalists, Math Geeks, and the Hidden Powers of the Mind

Alex Stone

HarperCollins, Jun 19, 2012 - Biography & Autobiography - 320 pages

When Alex Stone was five years old, his father bought him a magic kit—a gift that would spark a lifelong love. Years later, while living in New York City, he discovered a vibrant underground magic scene exploding with creativity and innovation and populated by a fascinating cast of characters: from his gruff mentor, who holds court in the back of a rundown pizza shop, to one of the world's greatest card cheats, who also happens to be blind. Captivated, he plunged headlong into this mysterious world, eventually competing at the Magic Olympics and training with great magicians around the globe to perfect his craft.

From the back rooms of New York City's century-old magic societies to cutting-edge psychology labs; three-card monte on Canal Street to glossy Las Vegas casinos; Fooling Houdini recounts Stone's quest to join the ranks of master magicians. As he navigates this quirky and occasionally hilarious subculture, Stone pulls back the curtain on a community shrouded in secrecy, fueled by obsession and brilliance, and organized around a single overriding need: to prove one's worth by deceiving others.

But his journey is more than a tale of tricks, gigs, and geeks. In trying to understand how expert magicians manipulate our minds to create their astonishing illusions, Stone uncovers a wealth of insight into human nature and the nature of perception. Every turn leads to questions about how the mind perceives the world and processes everyday experiences. By investigating some of the lesser-known corners of psychology, neuroscience, physics, history, and even crime, all through the lens of trickery and illusion, Fooling Houdini arrives at a host of startling revelations about how the mind works—and why, sometimes, it doesn't.

What people are saying

Review: Fooling Houdini: Magicians, Mentalists, Math Geeks, and the Hidden Powers of the Mind

User Review  - Mendocino County - Goodreads

Fooling Houdini: Magicians, Mentalists, Math Geeks, and the Hidden Powers of the Mind, by Alex Stone Why would a physics PhD student leave Columbia University to study magic? Why do we enjoy being ...

Review: Fooling Houdini: Magicians, Mentalists, Math Geeks, and the Hidden Powers of the Mind

User Review  - Gina - Goodreads

This is an interesting and compelling read. Magic! Who can resist? I have to admit though...I ended up returning to the library with about 40 pages to go. Just had to call it done.

About the author

ALEX STONE has written for Harper’s, Discover, Science, and The Wall Street Journal. He lives in New York City.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Fooling Houdini: Magicians, Mentalists, Math Geeks, and the Hidden Powers of the Mind
• Author: Alex Stone
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: HarperCollins, 2012
• ISBN: 0061766216, 9780061766213
• Length: 320 pages
• Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs; Games / Magic; Science / Life Sciences / Neuroscience