Peter DuffieMagic Magazine Review MARCH 2015
"The most interesting book I have read in a long time" Peter Duffie BEANOGIRL "Caroline Franz" (England)
A super book from start to finish! What I really liked about this book was the personal touch - it is not just a book about the Piddington's Secrets, it is a book about family secrets and discovery of these secrets 60 years later. Martin Hart has written a personal story from the heart (pun intended!) and this shows through the combination of first person writing and historical facts about the Piddington's. In other words, it is not just about how they did it, it also about the discovery of how they did it! Overall, a great read. By The Martingales
(10th Feb 2015) I read your book in one sitting. In a word.....WONDERFUL!! By Darren Collins
(Published on LuLu.com) 10-Jan-2015 Bought book. Read book. Couldn't put book down. Amazing insight. Recommended! By Jonathan Young
(Published on LuLu.com) 09-Jan-2015 A really interesting read of one of the greatest telepathy acts of the last century. What makes this book unique is Martin Hart's perspective - his granddad worked for the Piddington's and against the Piddington's strict instructions, Martin's granddad wrote extensive notes on the different acts. These notes were not discovered until relatively recently, hence why no book has really uncovered the secrets before. It is against this backdrop that the secrets are revealed. And fascinating they are! By Brian Lawrence (2016)
When I first started to read this book it was to glance at what to expect, however I could not put it down. The author takes us on a fascinating 'page-turner' trip inside the mind of Sydney Piddington and reveals where, when, why and how he created the most baffling two-person telepathy illusion magic has ever known. No stone is left un-turned and the surprises never stop. Although it reveals the methods used by the Piddingtons, it offers so much more. The author shows how his own family crossed paths with the Piddingtons and how this encounter helped with the magic. In my opinion, this is the most amazing revelation magic has ever seen and if I could recommend an award for best history-of-magic book, Piddington's Secrets would win hands-down.
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Book reviews
This book is the first to describe the actual methods employed by Sydney and Lesley Piddington in their famous thought transference act. There was much speculation over the years, with many people assuming they knew the methods, but this is the first book to reveal their actual methods, based on first hand documentary proof.
The author, Martin Hart, spends a considerable amount of time setting the scene, explaining how it was the extreme nature of a prisoner of war camp that spawned the original act. This book can be taken in a number of ways. To take it as purely a technical document of mentalist methods would be a huge mistake, it is not that, and the reader would be disappointed. However to take it as a description of the brilliant thought process that an individual took to create one of the most baffling magic/mentalist act of the century would open the reader’s eyes to what is actually possible with some lateral thought. The Piddingtons understood their environment, not just physically, but also the attitudes of society at that time, both towards authority, and the new interest in the scientific analysis of human thought transference. They were able to adapt to attempted guesses of their methods on a weekly basis, tweaking their core methods brilliantly. It was almost like a game of chess being played out, each side trying to catch the other out. The Piddingtons would have had everything to loose should their methods have been discovered, and the pressure that Sydney was under at times must have been immense, but certainly no more than he would have been used to during his time in the infamous Changi prison camp. The Piddingtons were entertainers, and understood about publicity, and molding their careers to the industry and era. I found the book extremely well written, entertaining, enthralling, thought provoking and a lesson in how to do something right. The author approached the disclosure (that I understand will remain within the magical community, and not the wider public) with great thought and sensitivity. This book can also be taken in a far wider context than the magical one. It shows how it is possible, with thought, for an individual to adapt their personal philosophy to make advantages out of disadvantages. The lessons that can be drawn from this book are wide, and the conclusions that the reader can come to on completion would depend on their own individual situation, just as the Piddingtons adapted to theirs. |
