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

"What I loved most about Fooling Houdini is the world it takes us into: these huddled cliques of obsessed magicians reinventing their art. . . . This book makes you want to do magic tricks, and convinces you just how hard it is to do them well."--Ira Glass, host of "This American Life"

"In a memoir studded with historical factoids, charming anecdotes and a variety of behind-the-curtain insider secrets to classic magic tricks, stone serves as a winsome tour guide. . . . There's plenty of eye-opening knowledge on display. . . . Magically engrossing."--Kirkus

"Part insider's look at the high-stakes world of casinos and cardsharps, part scientific examination of deception, this page-turner gives an intriguing peek behind the magician's curtain."--Discover

"The narrative is compelling because it comes veined with a very human question: What is truth? That may sound too philosophical for such a fun memoir, but when Stone invokes this question it comes across as pitch perfect."--The Boston Globe

"Fooling Houdini is not only informative, but highly entertaining. Stone has pulled the proverbial rabbit out of the hat."--USA Today

"A fascinating ramble around a subject that, Stone convincingly argues, raises all sorts of big questions about how our brains interpret the world."--Reader's Digest (UK)

"An enthralling journey into the inner world of magic. Alex Stone writes with a winning voice that you'll want to follow anywhere."--Joshua Foer, author of Moonwalking with Einstein

"Alex Stone's Fooling Houdini is a delight. In the physics Ph.D program at Columbia, he drops everything to pursue the murky world of magic. He writes with wit and scientific sharpness and grand humor. He immerses us in a fascinating world few have ever entered."--Buzz Bissinger, author of Father's Day and Friday Night Lights

"Fooling Houdini is a totally smart and engrossing study of one of America's most misunderstood sub-cultures, and at the same time the story of one man's quest to probe the mysteries of magic, science, and where the two meet."--John Hodgman, author of The Areas of My Expertise

"Fooling Houdini is an eye-opening, irresistible journey into the world of magic. Stone has written a masterful story that is bursting with energy, inventiveness, and a sense of wonder on every page. I couldn't put it down!"--Steven Levitt, co-author of Freakonomics

From the back rooms of New York City's age-old magic societies to cutting-edge psychology labs, this enthralling behind-the-scenes glimpse into the mysterious and vibrant world of magic, which is rife with eccentric personalities, recounts the author's quest to join the ranks of master magicians. 50,000 first printing.