Price$20.00
Media TypeBook, eBook
CategoryPhilosophy, History
Date AddedSep 11, 2013
Perspectives on Magic
Peter Prevos
Third Hemisphere Publishing
(Based on 1 review)
This book explores some answers to the questions that scholars from different fields of science have asked about the performances of magicians. For magicians this book provides new perspectives on their performance art. For people with only a passive interest in magic, this book provides an insight into a quaint performance art that is surrounded in secrecy and clichés.
Reviews
(Top ▲)
I wasn't sure what to expect when Peter asked me to review this. I had seen the cover and read a short description when it first hit the market. A young boy with a top hat on the cover didn't entice me. I was also afraid it was going to be another book just rehashing the modern fascination with how magic affects the brain.
So in my email to Peter, before agreeing to review this book, I mentioned that I had a background in physics and engineering. He responded with a note that he is also an engineer, but that the book has a "strong social science focus."
Now I was interested…
I never thought I would be highlighting lines and, in some cases, entire paragraphs in a book like this… but the book is now full of them.
I may be the perfect audience for this type of book, but I believe any magician will find useful insights contained in these pages.
In considering what I was going to write about the book, an idea dawned on me. There are (at least) two definitions of the word "deep" that can be applied to non-fiction works. The one we encounter most often is when the author takes one topic and tries to explain everything there is to know about that topic, usually with an entire section devoted to references. This book is a scholarly work and does have a 16-page Bibliography (10% of the book).
However, there's another dimension of depth in this book. It's the type of depth you may get from poetry, inspirational writings and Zen koans. It's the type of depth that asks great questions and opens up new pathways for you to change your own way of thinking. To me, this is a much more fruitful way to spend my time.
So I encourage everyone who calls themselves a magician to pick up a copy of this book. It's inexpensive and a fast read. But, most importantly, it may provide an insight or two that could really change your magical performances in a practical way.
So in my email to Peter, before agreeing to review this book, I mentioned that I had a background in physics and engineering. He responded with a note that he is also an engineer, but that the book has a "strong social science focus."
Now I was interested…
I never thought I would be highlighting lines and, in some cases, entire paragraphs in a book like this… but the book is now full of them.
I may be the perfect audience for this type of book, but I believe any magician will find useful insights contained in these pages.
In considering what I was going to write about the book, an idea dawned on me. There are (at least) two definitions of the word "deep" that can be applied to non-fiction works. The one we encounter most often is when the author takes one topic and tries to explain everything there is to know about that topic, usually with an entire section devoted to references. This book is a scholarly work and does have a 16-page Bibliography (10% of the book).
However, there's another dimension of depth in this book. It's the type of depth you may get from poetry, inspirational writings and Zen koans. It's the type of depth that asks great questions and opens up new pathways for you to change your own way of thinking. To me, this is a much more fruitful way to spend my time.
So I encourage everyone who calls themselves a magician to pick up a copy of this book. It's inexpensive and a fast read. But, most importantly, it may provide an insight or two that could really change your magical performances in a practical way.