Shattering Illusions: Essays on the Ethics, History, and Presentation of Magic

Twenty insightful and occasionally incendiary essays on the topics of: why magicians have failed to stop the exposure of secrets to the public; why magic is held in low esteem by much of show business and the public, and what can be done about it; intellectual property rights in magic; the problems of presentation for mentalists (and one solution); should you learn magic from books or from videos; how to tell a good trick from a bad one; the fallacy of "naturalness" in sleight-of-hand; commercialism, its benefits and pitfalls; discovering an on-stage character and a style that can lead to success-and an answer to the troubling question, "Why do we love magic?"