 Trade In this Item for up to Ł0.25
Trade in On Deception for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to Ł0.25, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Plus, get an extra Ł5 when you trade in books worth Ł10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
On Deception presents the highlights of Houdini's writings on illusions, revealing him to have been a remarkably prescient champion of rationalism and an ardent opponent of the duping of susceptible individuals. Throughout his life, the world's most famous escapologist strove to expose the methods and tricks of illusionists and sham spiritualists. Studying entertainers and criminals alike, Houdini investigates the tricks of the mind and sleights of hand that have deceived people throughout history. The magician's writings caused a public sensation; legend has it that The Right Way to do Wrong was bought in bulk by burglars in an attempt to guard the tricks of their trade. This collection also includes Houdini's revelations about the methods behind some of his own most famous tricks, and articles he wrote to expose his imitators, demonstrating him to be unarguably the master of his craft.
About the Author
Harry Houdini (1874-1926) was a magician, escapologist and performer of stunts, as well as a sceptic and investigator of spiritualists. He produced films, acted, and penned numerous books. Derren Brown is a well-known English magician, mentalist, and psychological illusionist.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
28 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
An OK read but brief and not quite what I had been expecting. It's basically a list of various scams and illusions with some insight into how they were performed when the book was written. A few anecdotes from Houdini's travels are thrown in for good measure. I had been expecting a deeper insight from Houdini into human psychology with some unique observations based on his own experiences. From that point of view the book was quite disappointing.
It's not badly written, but Houdini's prose isn't interesting enough to make this book feel particularly special in my opinion.
It's very much a collection of short essays and I was suprised by how short it was, coming in well under 100 pages. I think that the publishers have tried to pad it out as much as possible with the foreword and the way the text and "chapters" are set out.
It's not badly written, but Houdini's prose isn't interesting enough to make this book feel particularly special in my opinion.
It's very much a collection of short essays and I was suprised by how short it was, coming in well under 100 pages. I think that the publishers have tried to pad it out as much as possible with the foreword and the way the text and "chapters" are set out.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This review is based on a Library Thing Early Reviewers' copy from Hesperus Press of On Deception (2009) by Harry Houdini.
This is not a book on how to perform escapes or how to do magic tricks. It is an exposé of fakery with a good bit of autobiographical information thrown in for good measure. The book was first published in 1906 by a self-aggrandizing, 33-year-old Houdini, "Handcuff King" and "Prison Breaker." Humble he was not, as this book will clearly reveal.
The unmaskings begin with exposés of the methods of thieves -- overcoat thieves, Venetian blind thieves, church thieves, wedding thieves, van thieves, satchel thieves, and diamond thieves -- tricksters of the worst sort. The book concludes with exposés of the methods of circus entertainers whose sensational performances endanger life and limb -- fire-eaters, sword-swallowers, and snake-handlers -- people to whom Houdini ascribes the less than flattering title of "Miracle-Mongers."
In between his exposés of the worst and best deceivers among us, Houdini debunks the work of frauds of all sorts: divine healers, counterfeit doctors, spirit mediums, clairvoyants, astrologers, confidence men, fortune tellers, East Indian fakirs, magnetic healers, and Voodoo doctors.
Occupying the space normally given to a book's preface is a short chapter entitled "Houdini on Houdini." In the spirit of exposing deception, I must point out that Houdini's statements about his birth date and birthplace are illusory. He wrote, "I am an American by birth, born in Appleton, Wisconsin, U.S.A., on 6th April 1873." Au contraire. In a biographical note appended to the last chapter of the book, we learn that "Harry Houdini was born Erik Weisz in Budapest, Hungary in 1874." That would make him 32 years old when he wrote this book, not 33, and an immigrant, not a natural-born citizen of the U.S.A.
Despite the fact that Houdini did not write this book to tell his readers how to become escapologists, he nevertheless includes some of his own methods in his exposé. For instance, his secret to prison breaking and handcuff escaping calls for the concealment of master keys, skeleton keys, and lock picking implements. It's as simple as that. Escaping from straitjackets is another story. Physical strength, dexterity, and persistence are the requirements. No deception is needed.
If you want to know what Houdini was about, this book will clue you in. He began his career in show business as a circus performer and ended his career as a debunker of spiritualist frauds. Along the way, he became the highest paid and most legendary Vaudeville performer in history.
This is not a book on how to perform escapes or how to do magic tricks. It is an exposé of fakery with a good bit of autobiographical information thrown in for good measure. The book was first published in 1906 by a self-aggrandizing, 33-year-old Houdini, "Handcuff King" and "Prison Breaker." Humble he was not, as this book will clearly reveal.
The unmaskings begin with exposés of the methods of thieves -- overcoat thieves, Venetian blind thieves, church thieves, wedding thieves, van thieves, satchel thieves, and diamond thieves -- tricksters of the worst sort. The book concludes with exposés of the methods of circus entertainers whose sensational performances endanger life and limb -- fire-eaters, sword-swallowers, and snake-handlers -- people to whom Houdini ascribes the less than flattering title of "Miracle-Mongers."
In between his exposés of the worst and best deceivers among us, Houdini debunks the work of frauds of all sorts: divine healers, counterfeit doctors, spirit mediums, clairvoyants, astrologers, confidence men, fortune tellers, East Indian fakirs, magnetic healers, and Voodoo doctors.
Occupying the space normally given to a book's preface is a short chapter entitled "Houdini on Houdini." In the spirit of exposing deception, I must point out that Houdini's statements about his birth date and birthplace are illusory. He wrote, "I am an American by birth, born in Appleton, Wisconsin, U.S.A., on 6th April 1873." Au contraire. In a biographical note appended to the last chapter of the book, we learn that "Harry Houdini was born Erik Weisz in Budapest, Hungary in 1874." That would make him 32 years old when he wrote this book, not 33, and an immigrant, not a natural-born citizen of the U.S.A.
Despite the fact that Houdini did not write this book to tell his readers how to become escapologists, he nevertheless includes some of his own methods in his exposé. For instance, his secret to prison breaking and handcuff escaping calls for the concealment of master keys, skeleton keys, and lock picking implements. It's as simple as that. Escaping from straitjackets is another story. Physical strength, dexterity, and persistence are the requirements. No deception is needed.
If you want to know what Houdini was about, this book will clue you in. He began his career in show business as a circus performer and ended his career as a debunker of spiritualist frauds. Along the way, he became the highest paid and most legendary Vaudeville performer in history.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have to say this small book (the meat is fewer than 70 not very large pages) looks like something put together just to make a bit of cash. The introduction by Derren Brown is OK stuff, largely biographical material about Erik Weisz, Houdini's real name. But Brown doesn't refer to the book's actual contents - perhaps someone else selected the bits? - probably taken from Houdini's books. He wrote, for example, separate books on frauds, on handcuffs, and on 'spirits'. There's what seems now a quaint feel about those times - no mobile phones or computers or TV. We have the then-equivalent of Nigerian scams, the opportunist thieves, handcuffs and skeleton keys and jail-breakers, fake doctors, fire-eaters and persons able to survive snake bites. There isn't even an account of mediums and their tricks. There are no illustrations - maybe anything that needed a picture was edited out.
Entertaining and somewhat depressing, as far as it goes; but dismally poor value for money.
Entertaining and somewhat depressing, as far as it goes; but dismally poor value for money.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Good Book
This was an ok book, a few good anecdotes and very well written. Most definatly worth a read for any fans of Houdini.
Published 4 months ago by Simply-Amazing-1
Don't expect much insight into Houdini the man
It's perhaps worth noting that Houdini's writings were mostly ghosted by pulpster and magician Walter Gibson, who served as a knowledgeable ghostwriter for many eminent magicians... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Brooligan
A genius, this man!!
The lengths people will go to to make a living!!
Houdini writes in a very readable style, and it's only a small book, so you'll whiz through this in a day, but what a... Read more
Houdini writes in a very readable style, and it's only a small book, so you'll whiz through this in a day, but what a... Read more
Published 22 months ago by C. A. Wilson
A historcal curiosity
An interesting insight in Houndini's own views put into a more modern context by Deren Brown's introduction.
Published on 12 May 2010 by Ms. S. Haselgrove
Brief but insightful
The book is very brief, but is priced accordingly. It was still fascinating to get a glimpse of Houdini's way of thinking. Derren Brown's introduction is witty as usual. Read more
Published on 25 Mar 2010 by A. Slattery
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/02/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192198663_.gif){kind=small}
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
