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Product Summary
"Jay's Journal of Anomalies"  by Ricky Jay

Guide Rating -  
Pros  •  Ceaselessly entertaining
•  Erudite and informative
•  Gorgeously illustrated
Cons  •  Boasts peculiar subject matter
•  Triggers snorts of incredulous laughter
•  Attracts over-the-shoulder readers
The Bottom Line - This is a treasure of a book, no con!

 
Product Description
•  Hardcover
•  Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (New York)
•  ISBN: 0-374-17867-4
 
 
Guide Review
"Jay's Journal of Anomalies"  by Ricky Jay
In this series of essays, Ricky Jay, the celebrated sleight-of-hand artist, actor and "scholar of the unusual," waxes eloquent on such esoteric topics as learned dogs, cheaters at bowling, human levitation, crucifixion for fun and profit and the surprising historical connections between dentistry and legerdemain. Often addressing his readership as "students of deception," Jay imparts an intimate understanding and deep appreciation of the complementary disciplines of lying, cheating and showmanship. You will learned how circus fleas were "trained" to play soccer and pull miniscule chariots; how 19th-century performers "danced" on ceilings; how performing dogs "learned" to spell; and how Alexander Graham Bell found inspiration for the invention of the telephone in an ersatz "mechanical" chess player. Altogether a quirky, spellbinding, delightful volume.
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