Tricks of the Mind

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Customer Reviews:

• 
  2008-07-05
  By Mary's Smile, London
  I read the book some time ago and therefore do not remember all in detail. What has stayed in my mind however is how funny he is and also his excellent tips on memory. I would recommend it to anyone.
  
  
• 
  2008-08-09
  By Mr. J. Horniblow, Reading, Berkshire
  I wasn't even expecting this to be a self-help book, but it not only entertained me, but is startlingly good at improving what was a poor memory. I had really struggled with memory books by the like of Tony Buzan, but Derren Brown's wit, imagination, clear explanation of the Loci System as well as superior version of the Major System had me remembering football results and phone numbers with ease.
  
  Although he uses plenty of tongue-in-cheek use of superlatives to describe himself and his achievements, this book is packed full of tips and techniques you can actually use. Unlike many "self help" books, which is just the author explaining just how wonderful they are, without actually teaching anything.
  
  If you're into crystal healing, you're probably not going to like his opinions on this or his rant about junk medicine, but you should probably read it anyway.
  
  Let's see now... telephone, sausage, monkey... easy peasy! And the old lady with the beehives and totem pole still lets me remember that long number. I have never been able to achieve stuff like that before.
  
  Buy the book - for the price of less than two pints, you could develop the basis of enough pub tricks to win all the drinks you'll ever need!
  
  
  
• 
  2008-08-28
  By Mr. J. Beaumont, Oxford, England.
  To be honest, I don't think this book needs another review, as much of what makes this title great has already been expressed on here. Work is quiet, however, and so it is too hard not to say something about a book I so thoroughly enjoyed.
  
  As many people have said, Brown's writing style is very entertaining, lines such as "read on you clever sausage, you," give it the light-hearted tone that makes it such an easy read. Obviously, any one who picks up this book will be doing so because they are curious about Brown's techniques, and I really felt that the content did not disappoint in the slightest. Near the start of the book, Brown gives a discourse in the powers of misdirection as he goes through a vanishing coin trick. The general premise is: You do one thing and this provokes a good response from your audience, but how about you add another element to the trick to help build the anticipation; but that's not enough, so you add yet another element near the end that actually makes the audience believe they have discovered how you did the trick, you taunt them with this and then - at the last moment, you dash all their hopes as you reveal that you have misled them and they have completely failed to discover your method. I was learning the delights of showmanship, and this man is obviously a master of that art.
  
  I found the memory section of the book incredible. My memory is awful and so I was amazed to note that within five minutes of starting the chapter, I was memorising lists of twenty words in order, after thirty seconds of looking at them. A couple of days later I got my friends to give me forty words - it took me a couple of minutes but now - about three weeks later, I can remember the list, in order, back to front - no problem. Brown also details methods for learning numbers, scripts or more diverse subjects, such as the Titles of all of Shakespeare's plays, in order. If applied correctly, there really is no limit to what you can remember with these techniques.
  
  The hypnosis section was fascinating and this was always a topic I was very curious about. I thought Brown revealed quite a good deal about this area, and he even gives you the titles of the books that he started his learning from. Nearer the end of the book, Brown goes into the paranormal and we read his well-constructed arguments against supernatural phenomena. I admittedly felt my interest dipping slightly during these later stages of the book, simply because I did not find these topics as interesting as the chapters on psychology, but everyone will pick up this book for different reasons, and the topics Brown covers are too diverse for one not to have strong preferences to certain chapters.
  
  All in all, a very informative read. I'm still bringing this book up in conversation to people. It is by no means comprehensive, but I think it gives a great picture as to the kinds of things Brown was experimenting with in the early stages of his craft - what with all the books he suggests for further reading, Tricks of the mind provides a firm foundation for anybody who is interested in studying Mentalism, Hypnosis or any other psychological trickery. If I wasn't so tight with my stars, I would certainly give this book 5!
  
  
  
• 
  2008-09-11
  By M. Ward, Newark, Nottinghamshire, UK
  I bought this to read on holiday, which probably didn't help, as I think you have to be in the mood to read it.
  
  I found it a very hard and drawn out read. I didn't get alot out of the book and he reveal tricks which are readily available online. Or to school teachers who help you revise for an exam
  
  I did however like his more autobiographical parts of the book, and I imagine his own will be fantastic. This book is not.
  
  
• 
  2008-09-29
  By gm33, Scotland
  The book is a humourous introduction to a diverse range of subjects - magic, memory, hypnosis, suggestibility, spotting lies, cognitive illusions, religion, scepticism and the paranormal.
  
  Some sections were witty and extremely informative - magic and memory stand out in my mind - other sections can be dry and humourless. The book as a whole is certainly worth reading particularly if you're interested in Brown's areas of expertise as a performer.
  
  The downside to the book is that Brown frequently rants about the importance of science and scepticism particularly in relation to his past life as a Christian. Despite this he seems to blindly accept the views of anyone he considers a supporter of science. Statistics about being more likely to die from a plane crashing into my house than to die in a train-crash, or the millions killed because of the banning of DDT require some backing up before I can accept them.