Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Channel 4 (2007), Edition: Reprint, 416 pages
Description
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 new standards of what's possible, as well as causing more than their fair share of controversy. Now, for the first time, he reveals the secrets behind his craft, what makes him tick and just why he grew that beard.Tricks of the Mind takes you on a journey into the structure and pyschology 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 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 us feel 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...… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member psiloiordinary
First of all I must declare that I have never seen Derren on the TV and so came to this book "cold". Having said that I don't think it detracted from the book at all.
I enjoyed this read which seems almost semi-autobiographical and "preachy" but in a very polite way. He covers subjects which are
The amount of psychology/kidoogy/headology which can go into even the simplest trick was a real insight to me and the suggested simple card trick worked wonders on my nine year old daughter.
As an ex enthusiastic Christian, Derren brings an interesting perspective on such subjects as magic, memory, hypnosis, body language, anti-science psuedo-science and bad thinking.
Fascinating stuff. The view that people aren't just easily deceived but that they enjoy being deceived and many actually need to be deceived rings a very large bell (of agreement) with my naturally sceptical tendencies. This book has wetted my appetite for learning some card tricks, looking into the placebo effect a bit more and trying to get hold of some of his "really useful" further reading suggestions.
For me the book got a bit too bogged down in body language or I would have scored it higher.
Overall good fun and food for thought.
I enjoyed this read which seems almost semi-autobiographical and "preachy" but in a very polite way. He covers subjects which are
Show More
close to his heart not just because he makes his living through them but because they are all to do with the way he looks at the world.The amount of psychology/kidoogy/headology which can go into even the simplest trick was a real insight to me and the suggested simple card trick worked wonders on my nine year old daughter.
As an ex enthusiastic Christian, Derren brings an interesting perspective on such subjects as magic, memory, hypnosis, body language, anti-science psuedo-science and bad thinking.
Fascinating stuff. The view that people aren't just easily deceived but that they enjoy being deceived and many actually need to be deceived rings a very large bell (of agreement) with my naturally sceptical tendencies. This book has wetted my appetite for learning some card tricks, looking into the placebo effect a bit more and trying to get hold of some of his "really useful" further reading suggestions.
For me the book got a bit too bogged down in body language or I would have scored it higher.
Overall good fun and food for thought.
Show Less
LibraryThing member chikwan
Very entertaining and interesting read to accompany his TV work
LibraryThing member dmstraker
Interesting but bitty. Goes off on a rant sometimes. Some very useful pieces.
LibraryThing member LittleRach
Very, very interesting. I'm a huge DB fan though, so obviously I'm biased. I can't say I agree with everything in there, but I found it was all interesting nonetheless. I particularly enjoyed the chapters on cognitive illusions and bad science. The book also contains a bibliography, including
Show More
comments - so I'll be using this to read more about the topics I found most interesting. Show Less
LibraryThing member jeffd1830
Bloody brilliant! This man is a genius. I feel as though I have been tricked! But it's not a bad thing.
LibraryThing member simondavies
Really interesting look into the mind of a magician. Some useful chapters on memory techniques and self-hypnosis.
LibraryThing member stevage
Enjoyed this more than expected. Very erratic writing style, ranging from high-energy literature-like foreword with numerous asides, to a very straight-faced and almost dull explanation of cold-reading. During the best bits, he mixes in occasional absurd asides (like claiming Hypnos was the Greek
Lots of introspection and self-deprecation make his opinions much more palatable.
Show More
god of having sex with broom handles on stage) to liven up the material.Lots of introspection and self-deprecation make his opinions much more palatable.
Show Less
LibraryThing member redjanet
Like many others, I generally enjoy watching Derren Brown on television and have also been to a couple of his live performances, in which I found him charming, engaging and thoroughly bewildering.
This book is an attempt of Derren to explain to his readers some of the basic, "tricks," that he uses
A large part of the book is dedicated to generally teaching the reader some basic techniques of improving memory, "reading," physical and verbal language of others as well as hypnotisation and neuro-linguistic programming. This is all interesting subject matter, though I did find myself more willing to read through these chapters to get the general idea of how they work rather than actually try the exercises myself, especially as I do most of my reading on my commutes to and from work.
I did very much enjoy the latter chapters of the book which deal with Derren's opinions and thoughts on anti-science, pseudo-scence and those who claim to be psychics. I have always admired Derren Brown's insistence to the public that he is not actually a believer in the supernatural himself and the gist of this book is to show how rich the human experience is, partially due to the fact that we are so interested in the idea of the supernatural and such topics and in the many ways we like to emulate or believe what we perceive to be magic. He is very strongly opinionated and some of the more religiously bent or those prone to believing in psychics and the supernatural may be uncomfortable reading what he has to say on such topics, but I admire his honesty, especially considering his line of work.
This book is an attempt of Derren to explain to his readers some of the basic, "tricks," that he uses
Show More
and his general way of thinking which affects the work that he does and how he likes to come across to his audiences.A large part of the book is dedicated to generally teaching the reader some basic techniques of improving memory, "reading," physical and verbal language of others as well as hypnotisation and neuro-linguistic programming. This is all interesting subject matter, though I did find myself more willing to read through these chapters to get the general idea of how they work rather than actually try the exercises myself, especially as I do most of my reading on my commutes to and from work.
I did very much enjoy the latter chapters of the book which deal with Derren's opinions and thoughts on anti-science, pseudo-scence and those who claim to be psychics. I have always admired Derren Brown's insistence to the public that he is not actually a believer in the supernatural himself and the gist of this book is to show how rich the human experience is, partially due to the fact that we are so interested in the idea of the supernatural and such topics and in the many ways we like to emulate or believe what we perceive to be magic. He is very strongly opinionated and some of the more religiously bent or those prone to believing in psychics and the supernatural may be uncomfortable reading what he has to say on such topics, but I admire his honesty, especially considering his line of work.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Lukerik
I really enjoyed this. He can be very funny and he's consistently interesting, even when he talks about himself. My favourite part (apart from the correspondence) is that on hypnotism. I've been hypnotised numerous times as I was a guinea pig for a friend who was training to become a hypnotist so
As Brown himself admits, the last part is a rant. I agree with the man - I don't think highly of people take advantage of the stupid and other vulnerable sectors of society. Again, there is some interesting information in there but I'm not sure the rant really adds any value. A small complaint though - overall a good book and I recommend it.
Show More
it was very interesting to see the thoughts of someone who obviously knows a lot about it.As Brown himself admits, the last part is a rant. I agree with the man - I don't think highly of people take advantage of the stupid and other vulnerable sectors of society. Again, there is some interesting information in there but I'm not sure the rant really adds any value. A small complaint though - overall a good book and I recommend it.
Show Less
LibraryThing member soylentgreen23
The cover makes this look like fluff, but it is anything but. An honest examination of hypnosis and hocus-pocus, with a lot of behind-the-scenes this-is-how-it-works revelations. A companion piece to anything Dawkins has written, actually.
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2006-10-23
Physical description
416 p.; 7.8 inches
ISBN
1905026358 / 9781905026357
Similar in this library
Sleights of Mind: What the Neuroscience of Magic Reveals about Our Everyday Deceptions by Stephen Macknik
Hiding the Elephant: How Magicians Invented the Impossible and Learned to Disappear by Jim Steinmeyer