Mysterious Stranger (HB) - Tapa dura

This is the man who had himself buried alive in Manhattan for a week in 1999 and (for a belated encore the following year) spent 62 hours entombed in a block of ice. Some 16m viewers tuned in to watch him emerge a little shakily into the glare of TV lights. You can't help wondering what he'll do as a publicity stunt to launch this, his first book. There will be a national tour and a TV special on Channel 4, so for a while there will be no escaping the great escapologist. But just as Blaine is no ordinary magician, this is no ordinary magic book. Part history of magic, part autobiography, part how-to manual, Mysterious Stranger promises a new approach to one of mankind's oldest arts.

David Blaine, downtown hipster and master of the ancient art of illusion, challenges our version of reality and brings magic to the world. 'David Blaine! He completely blew my mind'. Damien Hirst In Mysterious Stranger, David Blaine, the inscrutable Brooklyn magician whose unique style disarming sleights of hand, and death-defying feats have brought him international acclaim shares the secrets and the wonders of his art. From the first profound illusions on the pages of the book, through the history of magic and the secrets of the legendary masters, to ways in which we can play with reality (mind-reading, bar tricks, card game tips, hoaxes, pranks and bets you can't lose), David Blaine draws the reader into his world of curiosities. Learn the power of your own mind and see the world differently. This is the man who has such control over his body that he survived being buried alive for 6 days on Manhattan's Upper West Side, and encased in ice for 3 days in Good Morning America's Times Square studio, watched by the world on television. This book will be the publishing event of 2001 with phenomenal media attention, an extraordinary UK magic stunt by the master himself, and a huge consumer advertising campaign. 'You don't get into magic: magic gets into you'.