Didierjean, André, Cyril Thomas, Les secrets de la prestidigitation : Comment les magiciens manipulent notre esprit (Paris: Odile Jacob, 2025)
[Translated from the French]
Publisher’s presentation:
“Prodigious illusions, surprising card tricks, mentalism sessions… What can science teach us about magic tricks? Can we influence a person’s choices without their knowledge? Can we make them perceive something that does not exist? can we change their memories? Behind these feats of prestidigitation lies a fundamental lever: psychology.
An original show of illusions and science, this book explains how conjurers play with our choices, our attention and our perception. Two researchers in cognitive psychology explore the flaws in our minds that make us vulnerable to illusions. Masters of reasoning biases, magicians use this knowledge to amaze us.
This book invites us on an improbable journey into our brains, using sleight of hand illustrated in pictures or accessible on video, to reveal their psychological secrets.”