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Woodstock · 28th July 2010, 05:46 PM

I'm relatively new to the world of skepticism*and I was wondering if anybody could recommend a good book about debunking psychics. I've been hunting on my own and I've found things that address that alongside other issues, but is there a good book that focuses on demonstrating why they're all frauds?

* My beliefs haven't changed, I'm just becoming interested in learning more and digging deeper.

ExMinister · 28th July 2010, 05:53 PM

The Psychic Mafia by M. Lamar Keene is good. Some parts are a little dated but overall it's still excellent.

There are a few books on cold reading, including one by Ian Rowland, which I haven't read yet but would like to.

MattusMaximus · 28th July 2010, 07:25 PM

Ian Rowland's book, The Full Facts Book of Cold Reading, is an excellent resource on this topic!

Big Les · 29th July 2010, 12:44 PM

I second both of those recommendations. Derren Brown's 'Tricks of the Mind' is good as well, and an enjoyable and easy read - though only partly dealing with psychics.

Nothing really cuts to how it's done like 'Full Facts' though. If you can buy a copy or get it via an Inter-Library Loan, I recommend that you do.

JonWhite · 1st August 2010, 08:35 AM

A little dry in parts and Geller gets a few chapters to himself, but "Psychology of the Psychic" is worth a read.

28th July 2010, 05:46 PM	#1
Woodstock New Blood Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 1	Can Anybody Recommend a Good Book About Psychics? I'm relatively new to the world of skepticismand I was wondering if anybody could recommend a good book about debunking psychics. I've been hunting on my own and I've found things that address that alongside other issues, but is there a good book that focuses on demonstrating why they're all frauds? My beliefs haven't changed, I'm just becoming interested in learning more and digging deeper.
Woodstock New Blood Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 1

28th July 2010, 05:53 PM	#2
ExMinister RSL Acolyte Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 2,760	The Psychic Mafia by M. Lamar Keene is good. Some parts are a little dated but overall it's still excellent. There are a few books on cold reading, including one by Ian Rowland, which I haven't read yet but would like to.
ExMinister RSL Acolyte Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 2,760	__________________ www.stopsylvia.com

28th July 2010, 07:25 PM	#3
MattusMaximus Intellectual Gladiator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: In the midst of a vast, beautiful & uncaring universe Posts: 14,204	Ian Rowland's book, The Full Facts Book of Cold Reading, is an excellent resource on this topic!
	__________________ Visit my blog: The Skeptical Teacher The Times They Are A-Changin'

29th July 2010, 12:44 PM	#4
Big Les Not so much a medium as a large Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 5,004	I second both of those recommendations. Derren Brown's 'Tricks of the Mind' is good as well, and an enjoyable and easy read - though only partly dealing with psychics. Nothing really cuts to how it's done like 'Full Facts' though. If you can buy a copy or get it via an Inter-Library Loan, I recommend that you do.
	__________________ "Feeling you’ve done something is not quite the same as the empirical scientific proof." -Stephen Fry The BS Historian

1st August 2010, 08:35 AM	#5
JonWhite Muse Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: London Posts: 647	A little dry in parts and Geller gets a few chapters to himself, but "Psychology of the Psychic" is worth a read.
	__________________ "In cases where prior knowledge is available, the alternative to 'an open mind' is not 'a closed mind'. It is 'an informed mind'. In such contexts, any appeal to 'keep an open mind' is an appeal to prefer ignorance over knowledge" Ian Rowland