Flim-flam!
by James Randi, Dominique Le Brun · first published 1980
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2HN commenters
2017–2023first – last mentioned
50% recommend50% neutral
A professional magician exposes mystics, mediums, psychic surgeons, and others who claim to possess supernatural or paranormal powers, demonstrating how their feats are little more than well-planned tricks that any competent magician can duplicate.
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…created from this book. This may be the single most influential book I've ever read. It spurted my interest in physics and cosmology and was probably single-handedly responsible for my loss of religion. Flim-Flam! by James Randi [6] - This is the book that made me a skeptic. Before reading this book around 6th grade, I was a hardcore believer in the occult. In fact, I had already read the Uri Geller book by…
on “Ask HN: Most influential books you read growing up” ↗…(1917) should be included here. Concocted by a pair of teenage girls with a camera and paper cutouts, it fooled many including Arthur Conan Doyle. It's featured in the first chapter of James Randi's book "Flim-Flam!". One amazing thing about this case was that many believed the photos to be authentic simply because they believed the girls were incapable (both in terms of character and skill) of this level of deception.…
on “Photo Tampering Throughout History [pdf]” ↗