Optical Illusion Magic: Visual Tricks & Amusements - Hardcover

DiSpezio, Michael A.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0806965819 ISBN 13: 9780806965819

Publisher: Sterling, 1999

Synopsis

Cool distortions, a perplexing parallel pattern, afterimages, 3-D foolery, a shady comparison, imaginary interference, flip flopping faces, and other optical illusions will "trick" you into seeing what isn't there! There's one thing you can be sure of, when it comes to optical illusions: appearances are always deceiving! The author lives in North Falmouth, CA. 80 pages (all in color), 10 x 10.

About this title

Reviews

Grade 4-8-An attractive introduction to a great variety of optical illusions by the author of several books on critical-thinking puzzles. More comprehensive in detail than many other titles on this topic, the book clearly explains how the eye is deceived by visual tricks. Many examples are effectively used to illustrate different patterns and types of illusions, including spirals, slants, afterimages, broken lines, and 3-D. Brief historical background traces when each image was first published. Readers will be fascinated by the many tricks played by patterns and designs, and will enjoy the suggested activities.
Marion F. Gallivan, Gannon University, Erie, PA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

You won't believe your eyes, and perhaps you shouldn't. Once you read this book, you'll understand how your perception can be skewed by the way your brain processes certain input. Using information learned from previous experiences, your brain tries quickly to make order out of what you're seeing. Page after page of illusions will have you reaching for a ruler to see if lines really are the same length or if the sides of that square are straight or bowed. Author DiSpezio presents many classics, such as the ambiguous drawing that might be a vase and might be two faces, as well as some less familiar ones. There are even directions on how to make some of your own magic. A few pages are a little confusing where a busy background interferes with an illusion or the layout makes the text difficult to follow, but it is worth the extra effort to read carefully, because you won't want to miss any of these visual tricks.

Joan Silberlicht Epstein

This large-format book presents a full selection of optical illusions. Librarians will be bemused by the author's claim that previous volumes on the subject fall into one of two camps, coffee-table books featuring eye candy without explanation and academic tomes with few illustrations. DiSpezio does, however, manage to present a wide selection of illusions accompanied by clearly stated explanations. The layout is a bit choppy, with many blocks of color dividing the spreads. More complete and informative than most children's books on the subject, this entertaining, enlightening volume will be helpful for projects and fun for browsing. Carolyn Phelan

Edition details

• Publisher: Sterling
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0806965819
• ISBN 13: 9780806965819
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 80