How Magicians Think: Misdirection, Deception, and Why Magic Matters

There’s a saying: The door to magic is closed, but it’s not locked. In How Magicians Think, professional magician and bestselling author Joshua Jay not only opens that door, he brings us inside and turns on the light, revealing the artistry, inside history, and fascinating traditions of a subject long shrouded in mystery. But above all, he reveals the mindset behind the magic—what it’s like to practice an art that so many love yet so few understand.

This is not a how-to book, nor a how-do-they-do-it expose. Written as a series of short, lively essays, How Magicians Think describes the making of illusions, the psychology behind them, and the characters who create them. He writes about how technology influences the world of magic; the aesthetics of performance; his contemporaries, including David Copperfield, Penn & Teller, and David Blaine; and how magicians hone their craft (Jay spends countless hours in absolute darkness to perfect his sleights of hand). And answers questions like, Can a magic trick be too good? And how do you saw a person in half? (It depends…)

Compelling, thoughtful, and written by an insider, How Magicians Think is a rare excursion into a truly secret world.