Hiding the Elephant: How Magicians Invented the Impossible and Learned to Disappear

“Spectators do not care about the method because it is the only part of the trick that is purposefully hidden,” he told the crowd. “It’s irrelevant how it’s done; what matters is what it does.” As Pandrea spoke, I realized that this is exactly what I would want in a routine of my own. If I was going to invent something, I needed to keep the method

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Magicians are theatrical. And they use that theatricality to help perpetrate the deception. Is he waving his hands like that for dramatic effect, or does he need to move in that manner to execute the secret action? Is he wearing those out-of-date coattails to look dapper, or to hide the doves? Is he telling us this to fill time and “entertain” us,

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