Peter Lamont

It is the greatest legend of the Orient. A rope is thrown into the air and rises into the sky until it is completely vertical. A boy then climbs the rope, higher and higher. There, in broad daylight and surrounded by spectators, the boy disappears. In this book th3e author reveals the truth behind this remarkable legend. The Indian rope trick isn't Indian, it doesn't involve a rope, and it isn't a trick. The author describes how a simple hoax grew into the world's most famous mystery, assisted on its way by those in search of fame and fortune, and by others whose aim was to destroy it in defence of the West.

The Biography of a Legend

The Rise of the Indian Rope Trick

Jim Steinmeyer

Pull back the curtain on the real history of magic – and discover why magic really matters If you read a standard history of magic, you learn that it begins in ancient Egypt, with the resurrection of a goose in front of the Pharaoh. You discover how magicians were tortured and killed during the age of witchcraft. You are told how conjuring tricks were used to quell rebellious colonial natives. The history of magic is full of such stories, which turn out not to be true. Behind the smoke and mirrors, however, lies the real story of magic. It is a history of people from humble roots, who made and lost fortunes, and who deceived kings and queens. In order to survive, they concealed many secrets, yet they revealed some and they stole others. They engaged in deception, exposure, and betrayal, in a quest to make the impossible happen. They managed to survive in a world in which a series of technological wonders appeared, which previous generations would have considered magical. Even today, when we now take the most sophisticated technology for granted, we can still be astonished by tricks that were performed hundreds of years ago. The Secret History of Magic reveals how this was done. It is about why magic matters in a world that no longer seems to have a place for it, but which desperately needs a sense of wonder.

The True Story of the Deceptive Art

The Secret History of Magic

Richard Wiseman

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.

An Introduction to the Theoretical and Psychological Elements of Conjuring

Magic in Theory

Since the early nineteenth century, mesmerists, mediums and psychics have exhibited extraordinary phenomena. These have been demonstrated, reported and disputed by every modern generation. We continue to wonder why people believe in such things, while others wonder why they are dismissed so easily. Extraordinary Beliefs takes a historical approach to an ongoing psychological problem: why do people believe in extraordinary phenomena? It considers the phenomena that have been associated with mesmerism, spiritualism, psychical research and parapsychology. By drawing upon conjuring theory, frame analysis and discourse analysis, it examines how such phenomena have been made convincing in demonstration and report, and then disputed endlessly. It argues that we cannot understand extraordinary beliefs unless we properly consider the events in which people believe, and what people believe about them. And it shows how, in constructing and maintaining particular beliefs about particular phenomena, we have been in the business of constructing ourselves.

A Historical Approach to a Psychological Problem

Extraordinary Beliefs

Marcus Hearn

This deluxe, full-colour hardback is packed full of previously unseen images from the collection of James Bond production designer Peter Lamont. Oscar-winning production designer Peter Lamont worked behind the scenes on 18 lames Bond films, beginning with the 1960s classics starring Sean Connery and George Lazenby. Along the way, he worked with director James Cameron and contributed to The Ipcress File and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The Man With the Golden Eye is a richly illustrated memoir that provides an unparalleled insight into some of the best-loved films ever made.

Designing the James Bond Films

The Man with the Golden Eye

Professor Richard Richard Wiseman

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.

This is the story of the world's first recognised psychic, Daniel Dunglas Home, and the Victorians who deified and despised him. Originally published: London: Little, Brown, 2005.

Peter Lamont

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