Books › Flim-flam!
Flim-flam!
First published 1980 · 348 pages
A delightfully sharp and unapologetic dismantling of the world's most popular paranormal hoaxes.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like sitting in the front row of a masterclass taught by a brilliantly cranky professor who has finally run out of patience for nonsense. It is a brisk, highly entertaining tour through the mechanics of deception, fueled by a palpable sense of exasperation and a deep, underlying respect for the truth. The prose is sharp, theatrical, and laced with biting wit, moving swiftly from one debunking to the next with the practiced flair of a stage magician revealing a rival's cheap tricks. The atmosphere is grounded and combative, offering a deeply satisfying intellectual cleanse. It will delight skeptics, science lovers, and anyone who finds joy in watching a sharp mind systematically dismantle charlatans and frauds.
- Mood
- intellectual
- combative
- illuminating
- grounded
- Tone
- wry
- skeptical
- exasperated
- witty
- unapologetic
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- the triumph of reason · psychology of deception · human gullibility · intellectual integrity · the pursuit of truth
- The writing
- Sharp, conversational, and relentlessly logical, laced with biting sarcasm and theatrical flair.
- The arc
- Moves from incredulous frustration at widespread deception to a satisfying, empowering sense of intellectual clarity.
- Who it's for
- Skeptics, science enthusiasts, and anyone who loves watching a clever expert dismantle charlatans.
Content notes
- medical quackery
- fraud
About the book
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.
Description from Open Library.
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