Hello, I have a gift card for a certain bookstore that has only a few basic books on magic.
I found this book: Magic in Theory: An Introduction to the Theoretical and Psychological Elements of Conjuring.
Authors: Peter Lamont and Professor Richard Wiseman.


It says: A useful manual for any magician or curious spectator who wonders why the tricks seem so real, this guide examines the psychological aspects of a magician's work. Exploring the ways in which human psychology plays into the methods of conjuring rather than focusing on the individual tricks alone, this explanation of the general principles of magic includes chapters on the use of misdirection, sleight of hand, and reconstruction, provides a better understanding of this ancient art, and offers a section on psychics that warns of their deceptive magic skills.

Has anyone read this book? Is it good or not? It’s probably the best book on magic they have. Advise is highly appreciated.
Cheers, Wouter.

In addition to whatever responses you receive from users here, you can also read the table of contents and a limited number of pages at Amazon.com .

That's a good idea. I will do.

I would say, though its an interesting book - its certainly not a must-have...

you could always ask them if they can order books "in" for you?

It 's a very dry read. As mentioned above, I wouldn't call it a must have. How useful it is to you may depend on your experience. If it's Barnes & Noble they could order books for you that are not in stock. There are some good books that can be purchased in a mainstream book store like Jim Tyler's.

Thanks for the information! It's a Dutch bookstore and they have a few books on different subject I'm interested in. The magic section is limited. I might go for an other book and get a good book on magic theory from a magicshop.

Any suggestions on a book on theory? I have the books of wonder.

Scripting Magic by Pete McCabe
Audience Management by Gay Ljungberg
Transformations by Larry Haas
Strong Magic and Designing Miracles both by Darwin Ortiz
Books by Eugene Burger

O.k., first I didn't want to write it, but to be honest: I have it, I read it long time ago, but nevertheless you can skip it. Jan

I found the book a dry read, and felt that Sleight of Mind by Macknick, Blakeslee and Martinez Conde was a more fun and more psychologically book, if you are interested in what magic can tell us about psychology.

Peter Lamont's books "The Rise of the Indian Rope Trick" and "The First Psychic" are very awesome.

Thanks for the tips. There are better books out there, I understand, will look further in to it. Yes, I am interested in what magic can tell us about psychology.

I will look into the books mentioned. Thanks!

How about one of Jim Steinmeyer's books for general audiences-- Hiding the Elephant, for example--if you haven't read them already? They're readily available and definitely enjoyable.

Ascanio book 1 of the series is great. Yes.

This is not a bad text Wouter. It is exactly what its title suggests, an introduction to magic theory and psychology. I would categorize this book as an entry level text on magic theory for beginners. Topics such as misdirection, the construction of a magic effect, and the spectator's ability to reconstruct a magic effect are discussed in separate chapters. This is one of those books you wish you had when you started out in magic.