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

By Alex Stone

Categories: Science & Math

Science writer and amateur magician Alex Stone explores the hidden world of magic and what it reveals about the human mind. After a humiliating failure at the Magic Olympics, he set out to master the art, visiting New York's old magic societies, card sharps, mentalists, mathematicians and psychology labs. Stone shows how magic exploits the limits of perception, attention and memory, and how it can teach us about the way we see the world.

Recommended by 1 person

• Shane Parrish: “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 Alex Stone’s quest to join the ranks of master magicians.”