Presents step-by-step instructions for performing hundreds of tricks, provides tips on establishing a stage presence, and offers methods and styles of master magicians

Forget about David Copperfield, cruise ship illusionists, and birthday party magicians. They're so old school, so 20th century. The conjuring that people starting out in magic today want to do is edgier, grittier, quick, visual, and maybe a little dangerous - magic to the max. Welcome to the world of street magic! The Complete Idiot's Guide to Street Magicwill teach you how to do it! Even some of the simplest stunts, if performed effectively, have the same strong potential to amaze onlookers as the more challenging feats. Out of the literally thousands of tricks that can be included, only those that are the most direct and have the greatest impact, both visually and psychologically, will appear in the book. Each magical effect will be rated on a scale from one-to-three stars, easy to difficult, according to how hard it is to learn and/or to perform.

A guide to ghosts and haunted places covers such topics as urban legends, poltergeists, spiritualism, sâeances, ghost hunters, haunted houses, mediums, and ghost writings.

You don’t need a white tiger, expensive props, or hours of preparation to do magic. With a little practice, some clever misdirection (which lays at the heart of all magic tricks), and showmanship, you can surprise family, friends, and coworkers using a few everyday items! If you’re looking to saw a beautiful women in half or make buildings disappear, we’re sorry, but this book isn’t you. But if you want to act out little miracles that you can perform on the spur of the moment with items that are usually within reach, then Magic For Dummies can show you how. Magic For Dummies features more than 90 easy-to-perform deceptions, illusions, and sleights of hand for any event or occasion. You’ll discover how to perform entertaining card tricks, coin tricks, disappearing acts, as well as the always-popular mind reading trick. You’ll even see how easy it is to make money disappear as well as melt a saltshaker! Chock-full of show-stopping tricks, Magic For Dummies will: Get you started with easy-to-learn magic tricks Let you turn a restaurant into a your stage with tricks that include utensils, mugs, and even food Show you how to use a deck of cards to perform endless magic tricks Make you the life of the party with tricks such as “Call This Number,” “The Strength Test,” and “The Phantom Photo” Get you out of tough situations by giving you ten things to say when things go wrong Filled with photos, patter, and presentation tips for every trick in the book, Magic For Dummies offers a great opportunity to become familiar with some of the coolest magic tricks ever performed. With the help of author David Pogue and the stunning tricks contributed by thirty-five of America’s top professional magicians, you’ll be leaving your friends, family, and coworkers spellbound at your mastery of the mystical arts.

Learn the secrets of conjuring tricks from the expert, shown in 2500 clear photographs.

"The best book yet on easy-to-do magic." — Martin Gardner Amaze friends, astonish your family, and fascinate any audience by infallibly dealing a royal flush, correctly predicting the outcome of the World Series, unmasking a psychic fraud, and performing a host of other dazzling deceptions. You can do it with the help of this book, one of the best guides to magic tricks that don't require long hours of practice or elaborate preparation. You'll find invaluable techniques — clearly demonstrated with abundant illustrations — for accomplishing magical feats with cards, coins, rope, comedy magic, mental displays of dexterity and much more, as well as expert advice for practicing psychological misdirection and dramatic presentation. Although the tricks in this book require little in the way of props, sleight of hand or a high degree of skill, the effects they produce are astounding. Novices especially will find Big Book of Magic Tricks a wonderful introduction to the art of conjuring but the book is crammed with so much choice new information that even professional magicians can learn something. "This book is quality — the tricks are effective, the methods ingenious, and the advice Fulves gives on presenting the tricks properly is excellent." — Robert Dike Blair

You're no idiot. You know the wildly popular Harry Potter series has captivated readers of all ages from the release of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stoneon. But did you recognize all the subtle references Rowling uses in her characters' names or in the magical creatures we encounter and places we explore in Harry's wonderful world of wizardry? The truth is, the world of Harry Potter is incredibly textured and complex and not only has factual roots in history, mythology, science, and folklore, but also draws on all genres of literature, from C. S. Lewis to the Bible. You'll learn this and much more in the fun facts and tantalizing trivia provided in this fabulous new addition to the Complete Idiot's Guide series! This is not a retelling of Rowling's stories, nor is it intended to be a cheat sheet to the novels, a la the Cliffs Notes series. Instead, it is an entertaining and easily referenced presentation of insider information to the world Rowling has created in her spellbinding series of novels.