Price$40.00
Media TypeBook
CategoryMentalism, Hypnotism
Date AddedFeb 25, 2008
Tricks of the Mind
Derren Brown
Channel 4 Books
(Based on 1 review)
Tricks of the Mind takes you on a journey into the structure and psychology of magic. Derren teaches you how to read clues in people's behaviour and spot liars.He discusses the whys and wherefores of hypnosis and shows you how to do it. And he investigates the power of suggestion and how you can massively improve your memory. He also takes a long hard look at the paranormal industry and why some of usfeel the need to believe in it in the first place...
Alternately hilarious, controversial and challenging, Tricks of the Mind is essential reading for Derren's legions of fans, and pretty bloody irresistible even if you don't like him that much...
Reviews
(Top ▲)
“I have always liked the idea of communicating that excitement and delight in the utilization of obscure, devilish and esoteric principles, both honest and dishonest. It’s a primary driving force behind my work. This book will therefore be a genuine attempt to offer an introduction to those areas I love.”
That’s a passage from the first chapter entitled “Disillusionment” from Derren Brown’s TRICKS OF THE MIND. It’s a summation of the chapter in which Brown gives us his thoughts on religion and magic. Too general you say? Well how about the first sentence of the same chapter:
“The Bible is not history.”
Are you awake now? From the get go, one can tell this will not be some fluffy self-help book, but rather a tome that will engage you by an artist who’s going to lay it on the line in print for all to see. Or as Brown declares later, “…I cannot explain everything here; so in return for not being impossibly open, I promise to be entirely honest.”
And so he is. Those of you already won over by Brown’s performances will no doubt enjoy this read. Like Steve Cohen’s WIN THE CROWD, it’s a book written for the public, which shares ideas on performance, magic, psychology, influence and memory. The difference between these two books is that Brown takes the time to show you not only techniques, but how he’s applied them and why they interest him in the first place. Cohen shares anecdotes about performing. Brown shares those too along with personal life experiences. Which explains why TRICKS is twice as long.
Brown pulls no punches. He is a former Christian whose rational thoughts kept getting in the way. Brown admits, at one point in his life, he was probably a very naïve, annoying, maybe even pushy Christian. His journey of studying hypnotism, magic, mentalism and psychology led him to the conclusion that science, not religion, is the only thing you can hang your hat on at the end of the day. It's a thoughtful chapter on how Brown arrived at this answer for himself, and those in the same boat will no doubt find some value here.
Brown also, not surprisingly, takes aim at traditional magic and performers, suggesting that magic "requires genuine self-deprecation on the part of the performer, and classically it is one area where we never find it." He asks "How many magicians can you honestly say are particularly likeable characters?" Remember, this book is aimed at the public. Magic has long suffered an image problem and the current crop of television performers, Brown excluded, isn't doing anything to help it.
Brown then discusses in detail a simple coin trick and a simple card trick. His understanding of the psychology, misdirection and deception of close-up magic reads like one of John Carney's books. It's shocking that Brown takes this much time to teach the reader a couple of tricks. One can only hope that the beginners in magic that this book will no doubt produce, will study this chapter again and again.
And that's just the first 50 pages! So what do the other 350 pages deal with? Memory techniques, hypnosis, body language, science, anti-science, pseudo-science and bad thinking, and a wonderful suggested reading list. I won't go into any detail here about those subjects, but I will tell you, these chapters are interactive. You'll have to act on these tips and techniques to avoid falling asleep. And that's what's so smashing about the book. Brown has provided enough information for YOU to act on it and start applying it to your everyday life. The ideas here go beyond cards and coins. Just imagine if, at least once a day, you could apply magical thinking to something you do without pulling out a deck of cards? Derren Brown, in this volume and his other books for magicians, has given us the context in which magic finds itself in the twenty-first century.
This isn't yet available in the United States, and at this pace, may never be available. So you'll have to seek it out on eBay or Amazon.com.uk. It's available in hardback or paperback, with the paperback containing several pages of additional material. It's worth it.
That’s a passage from the first chapter entitled “Disillusionment” from Derren Brown’s TRICKS OF THE MIND. It’s a summation of the chapter in which Brown gives us his thoughts on religion and magic. Too general you say? Well how about the first sentence of the same chapter:
“The Bible is not history.”
Are you awake now? From the get go, one can tell this will not be some fluffy self-help book, but rather a tome that will engage you by an artist who’s going to lay it on the line in print for all to see. Or as Brown declares later, “…I cannot explain everything here; so in return for not being impossibly open, I promise to be entirely honest.”
And so he is. Those of you already won over by Brown’s performances will no doubt enjoy this read. Like Steve Cohen’s WIN THE CROWD, it’s a book written for the public, which shares ideas on performance, magic, psychology, influence and memory. The difference between these two books is that Brown takes the time to show you not only techniques, but how he’s applied them and why they interest him in the first place. Cohen shares anecdotes about performing. Brown shares those too along with personal life experiences. Which explains why TRICKS is twice as long.
Brown pulls no punches. He is a former Christian whose rational thoughts kept getting in the way. Brown admits, at one point in his life, he was probably a very naïve, annoying, maybe even pushy Christian. His journey of studying hypnotism, magic, mentalism and psychology led him to the conclusion that science, not religion, is the only thing you can hang your hat on at the end of the day. It's a thoughtful chapter on how Brown arrived at this answer for himself, and those in the same boat will no doubt find some value here.
Brown also, not surprisingly, takes aim at traditional magic and performers, suggesting that magic "requires genuine self-deprecation on the part of the performer, and classically it is one area where we never find it." He asks "How many magicians can you honestly say are particularly likeable characters?" Remember, this book is aimed at the public. Magic has long suffered an image problem and the current crop of television performers, Brown excluded, isn't doing anything to help it.
Brown then discusses in detail a simple coin trick and a simple card trick. His understanding of the psychology, misdirection and deception of close-up magic reads like one of John Carney's books. It's shocking that Brown takes this much time to teach the reader a couple of tricks. One can only hope that the beginners in magic that this book will no doubt produce, will study this chapter again and again.
And that's just the first 50 pages! So what do the other 350 pages deal with? Memory techniques, hypnosis, body language, science, anti-science, pseudo-science and bad thinking, and a wonderful suggested reading list. I won't go into any detail here about those subjects, but I will tell you, these chapters are interactive. You'll have to act on these tips and techniques to avoid falling asleep. And that's what's so smashing about the book. Brown has provided enough information for YOU to act on it and start applying it to your everyday life. The ideas here go beyond cards and coins. Just imagine if, at least once a day, you could apply magical thinking to something you do without pulling out a deck of cards? Derren Brown, in this volume and his other books for magicians, has given us the context in which magic finds itself in the twenty-first century.
This isn't yet available in the United States, and at this pace, may never be available. So you'll have to seek it out on eBay or Amazon.com.uk. It's available in hardback or paperback, with the paperback containing several pages of additional material. It's worth it.