Can you trust your eyes? The newest discovery in the ‘Ology series amazes and thrills as the closely guarded secrets of the illusionologists are revealed!
Do you wonder how Harry Houdini performed his amazing escapes? Are you burning to learn the art of making a beautiful woman appear to levitate? Look closely, for the secrets of the world's most famous magicians and illusionists — from the ancient Egyptians through the early twentieth century "Handcuff King" himself — are contained within! More than a fascinating history of magic through the ages, Illusionology is an indispensable guide unveiling step-by-step instructions for more than twenty-five astonishing feats. Master the classic cups-and-ball illusion! Mesmerize your friends with mindreading card tricks! Along with sundry flaps and booklets, readers will find
props for their own sleight of hand, including:
— A magical "dematerializer"
— A set of trick playing cards
— A pair of "disappearing spot" paddles
— A "levitating" card!
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful.
Illusionology: A Great Escape
By Kendra
There is a scene in the movie "The Goonies" where the boys, bored on a rainy day, race up to Mikey's attic in the search of "rich stuff." Mikey and Brand's father is the curator of the local museum and apparently what doesn't make the cut at the museum winds up in the attic.The attic is dark and dusty. The boys are all amusing themselves. Mouth destroys a painting and makes a crude joke. He's Mouth after all.And then Mikey, all alone, finds something amazing. He finds a map to the pirate One-Eyed Willy's treasure. Thus the rainy day mystery begins. The setting, the tone, is all perfect for that initial discovery. The wiping of the dust from the glass, the discovery of the newspaper clipping of Chester Copperpot's search for the treasure and his disappearance.What child doesn't crave this sort of thing?Which I think is why the "ology" books produced by Candlewick Press are so popular. Books such as "Pirateology," "Egyptology" and "Dragonology" have all graced the bookshelves in my classroom and have all been so used and abused by curious hands, they are practically falling apart.The brilliance of the "ology" series is that each book presents itself as a found journal. There are no authors per se. Each book is filled with interactive materials from "dragon skin" to old handwritten notes and letters.The most recent "ology" book is "Illusionology." It is probably my favorite by far. The interactive materials include various magic tricks like playing cards and optical illusions. Though ultimately a work of fiction, "Illusionology" offers real and true facts about the art of magic, why it works, how it works, how your brain is fooled. It introduces real life illusionists and scientists, like Houdini and Tesla and explains their contributions to the art.I'm still reading and rereading "Illusionology" finding new tidbits each time I do. It's fascinating.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.Magical
By NewAgeMama
This book was my son's favorite. It teaches them all the secrets of magicians. Learn card tricks with cards that actually detach from the book, read about the life of Houdini, and see how easy it is for illusions to play tricks on your mind. This is a very exciting and interactive book! My only complaint is that the pieces are easy to lose***received a free copy of this book for review purposes.Opinions are still my own***
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
Super book for kids of all ages!
By Corinne
This book was a Christmas gift for our daughter and she uses it all the time. It is filled with fun magic tricks and optical illusions that are fun and spark interest in learning new things. I was surprised at what I learned and found it very interest myself. We have many of the Ology books and this is one of the best. Highly recommend.
