Derren Brown's television and stage performances have entranced and dumbfounded millions. His baffling illusions and stunning set pieces - such as The Seance , Russian Roulette and The Heist - have set standards of what's possible. This work takes you on a journey into the structure and pyschology of magic.

Celebrates 500 years of the dazzling visual culture of the world's greatest magicians. Featuring over 1,000 vintage posters, photographs, handbills, and engravings, this book traces the history of magic as a performing art from the 1470s through the post-WWII years.

Old habits die hard in Scotland. This guide to Scotland's annual festivals includes festivals ranging Up-Helly-Aa in Shetland to the Burning of the Clavie in Burghead, from the Stonehaven Fireballs to South Queensferry's Burry Man.

Mexico has a vast range of festivals, several commemorating national events but mostly religious or spiritual in inspiration. This book shows what makes these festivities so attractive and also uniquely Mexican. It draws on the author's travels in Mexico and the collections she has helped create in the British Museum.

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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.

Traces the history of Italian puppetry from its evolution in the 16th century. This work covers: the golden ages of marionettes, glove puppets, fantoccini, pupi, and other forms; descriptions of episodic, dramatic performances known as rappresentanti figurati; and, studies of two marionette companies, Turin's Lupi and Catania's Fratelli Napoli.

In this book Hemingway shares his passion for bullfighting. The technical skills are described and explained, with chapters on individual bullfighters and the bulls. This work also contains a number of short stories inspired by the intense life and inevitable death of those violent afternoons.

An instruction manual for budding magicians, this title provides all the basic skills needed and gives advice on how to practice and perform over 80 easy-to-learn tricks for all ages from mathematical tricks to sleight of hand and mind reading stunts.

Introduces the theatre puppets from major Asian traditions, taking the reader on a journey through hundreds of years of craftsmanship and creativity in nearly 350 photographs. This illustrated book is of interest to audiences with an interest in the Asian arts, as well as to the general reader.

Derren Brown's television and stage performances have entranced and dumbfounded millions. This work reveals the secrets behind his craft, what makes him tick and how you can adapt his techniques for use in everyday life. It guides you through a coin and a card trick, revealing how you can transform a simple trick into a convincing illusion.

Presents an array of tricks that baffle and amaze.

Designed for absolute beginners, this is a friendly, funny introduction to the art of magic. This book of tricks doesn't require any special manual skills or expensive props. There are over 50 popular and easy-to-master magic tricks presented in a step-by-step manner, and fully illustrated.

In over 140 full colour images, renownedphotographer Ed Swinden, captures theexcitement colour and vibrancy of thisunique occasion.The Halsgrove Group includes DAA Halsgrove.

Beautifully illustrated throughout by Peter Bailey and with an introduction by Daniel Radcliffe, this most magical of gift books brings the greatest illusionists of all time back to life ...

Shares the sights, the sounds, the excitement, and the knowledge which fuelled the authors passion for Spain and the bullfight. This book contains some of his finest writing, inspired by the intense life, as well as the inevitable death, of those hot, violent afternoons.

Featuring 1,000 color and black-and-white illustrations, including many posters by the famous Strobridge lithographers, this book looks at the grit and glamour behind the circus phenomenon. It sheds fresh light on circus history, from a behind-the-scenes look at life on the move, to the freedoms enjoyed by early female performers.

Sex and death are brought together in bullfighting. A man faces death while the crowd looks on, and so people are drawn to the arena to witness the ultimate spectator sport. Here A.L. Kennedy explores all the definitions: sport, art form, stylized torture.