Experiencing the Impossible: The Science of Magic: by Gustav Kuhn, Cambridge, MA, MIT Press, 2019, 296 pp., $27.95T/£22.00 (cloth).

"Experiencing the Impossible: The Science of Magic" by Gustav Kuhn is a groundbreaking book that explores the psycho-neurological processes behind the experience of magic. It delves into the cognitive mechanisms and neurological mechanisms that underpin magical beliefs, offering insights into the mysteries of the human mind. The book discusses topics such as misdirection, magical thinking, the role of visual illusions as coping mechanisms, the coexistence of rational and magical proclivities, the subjective nature of conscious perception, the fallibility of human memory, and the phenomenon of mind control. It also examines the intersections between magic and hypnosis, magic and film, and magic and game design. This book is highly recommended for historians of science, psychologists, philosophers, graduate students, and general readers interested in the science of magic. [Extracted from the article]