With dark humor Magic Castle alumnus explores the business of psychics.

Charles Grafton Page (1812-68) was an American electrical experimenter and inventor, physician, patent examiner, patent advocate, and professor of chemistry. He began his career as an astute natural philosopher who developed innovative work with natural phenomena through direct observation and experimenting. Through his work Page developed a deep understanding of electromagnetism which he applied in the service of the US Patent Office in support of other inventors, and in pursuit of his own ill-fated dream of electromagnetic locomotion. His work had a lasting impact on telegraphy and in the practice and politics of patenting scientific innovation. Comfortable himself in public performance as a popular lecturer and singer, and being also a skilled ventriloquist, Page was astute in detecting the misuse of performative acts in defrauding the public. One of the most prevalent fraudulent schemes of the time involved communications with spirits by means of rapping sounds, the motion of a table, or other similar signs in the vicinity of the perpetrator-medium, these sounds and motions being attributed to occult forces and forms of electricity. Page investigated some of these performers in person, and in this book published in 1853 he exposes the various means of deception they employed, including his analysis of the techniques he witnessed during a sitting with the notorious Fox sisters of Rochester, New York. Page's efforts to expose these frauds stemmed in part from his keen concern for furthering public understanding of science and, in common with other scientists throughout history, his strong desire to debunk the unscrupulous applications of pseudoscience upon a willing and gullible public.

Every beginner tarot reader needs a reliable guide to help them navigate the convoluted world of tarot. The concept of tarot card reading has been around for centuries mystifying generations of people. Over years its garnered and inspired several myths and legends about the craft that has both scared people away and deemed it sacrilege. This book will not only teach you the basic foundations of Tarot reading, but it will also take a step further to help you build a relationship with your deck. Samantha Marie has been involved with tarot reading for over 10 years and uses her years of teaching and reading experience to create the perfect learning experience.

“A personal how-to guide for investigative journalists, a twisted tale of a scam of huge proportions, and a really good read” (Bethany McLean, author of The Smartest Guys in the Room), this spellbinding true story follows a pair of award-winning CNN investigative journalists as they track down the mysterious psychic at the center of an international scam that stole tens of millions of dollars from the elderly and emotionally vulnerable. While investigating financial crimes for CNN Money, Blake Ellis and Melanie Hicken were intrigued by reports that elderly Americans were giving away thousands of dollars to mail-in schemes. With a little digging, they soon discovered a shocking true story. Victims received personalized letters from a woman who, claiming amazing psychic powers, convinced them to send money in return for riches, good health, and good fortune. The predatory scam had been going on unabated for decades, raking in more than $200 million in the United States and Canada alone—with investigators from all over the world unable to stop it. And at the center of it all—an elusive French psychic named Maria Duval. Based on the five-part series that originally appeared on CNN’s website in 2016 and was seen by more than three million people, A Deal with the Devil picks up where the series left off as Ellis and Hicken reveal more bizarre characters, follow new leads, close in on Maria Duval, and connect the dots in an edge-of-your-seat journey across the US to England and France. A Deal with the Devil is a fascinating, thrilling search for the truth that will suck you “deep into the heart of a labyrinthine investigation that raises bigger questions about greed, manipulation, and the desperate hunger to believe” (Megan Abbott, author of You Will Know Me).

An illustrated examination of the use of psychics in solving criminal cases. Crime investigation is not always a matter of gathering hard evidence. Just as police officers sometimes follow a "hunch," people with psychic abilities have often supplied invaluable leads to help crack the most baffling cases. Psychic Detectives allows you to enter their world, revealing their astounding experiences and the often-heavy price they pay for sharing what they know. Police agencies are generally reluctant to admit to the use of psychics during or even after the completion of an investigation for fear of ridicule from the public and other members of the law enforcement community. Despite this, psychics have often become involved in a large number of highly publicized investigations into serial murders conducted over the last 20 years or more. Featured cases include the Kennedy assassinations; Jack the Ripper; the Charles Manson murders; Uri Geller's diamond find; David Berkowitz ("Son of Sam"); the Moors murders; Peter Sutcliffe ("The Yorkshire Ripper"); the IRA bombing, Manchester; the disappearance of Lord Lucan; the Patty Hearst kidnapping; and many more.

There is more to Uri Geller than his countless "miracles" - and James (The Amazing) Randi tells all in this fascinating examination of the Geller myth. - What really makes Geller run? - Why have scientists reported on all Geller's "successful" psychic tests and ignored his many failures? - Why will Uri perform almost anywhere, anytime, except in front of professional magicians? - Can Geller actually bend spoons, keys and nails with his "psychic" powers? - Why do people around the world continue to believe Geller has magic powers, when his tricks have been exposed many times? In an eye-opening expos�, Randi provides a devastating blow to Geller and the pseudoscience of parapsychology.

A past case comes back to haunt Twin Cities P.I. McKenzie as a stolen sum of money threatens to resurface in From the Grave, the next mystery in David Housewright’s award-winning series. Once a police detective in St. Paul, Minnesota, Rushmore McKenzie became an unlikely millionaire and an occasional unlicensed private investigator, doing favors for friends. But this time, he finds himself in dire need of working on his own behalf. His dear friend and first love Shelby Dunston attends a public reading by a psychic medium with the hope of connecting with her grandfather one final time. Instead, she hears McKenzie’s name spoken by the psychic in connection with a huge sum of stolen—and missing—money. Caught in a world of psychic mediums, with a man from his past with a stake in the future, and more than one party willing to go to great and deadly lengths to get involved, McKenzie must figure out just how much he’s willing to believe—like his life depends on it—before everything takes a much darker turn.

Claimants of paranormal abilities have always attracted controversy and fascination, and sometimes rigorous study by scientists. Charles Bailey, an Australian medium, was seemingly able to materialize different objects--animate and inanimate--under conditions which made it difficult to conceive how they could have been normally produced. Sumitra Singh, a woman of Northern India who in 1984 became subject to epileptic-type seizures, claimed to be possessed by spirits of the dead. Franck Kluski was a Polish poet, banker and physical medium who specialized in both human and animal materializations. This biographical dictionary contains profiles of 330 psychics worldwide from Tony Agpaoa to Elenor Zugun, each accompanied by a bibliography listing the primary sources consulted. The primary focus is on those claimed psychics who have figured prominently in the history of the subject, though some lesser-known figures are included to show how rich, varied, and colorful that history has been. The aim throughout is to present each case as fairly and dispassionately as the facts allow, with a particular eye for accuracy in details and presentation. The approach is historical, not apologetic or accusatory, making the work ideally suited as a permanent reference.