Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #45514 in Books
• Published on: 2006-11-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 312 pages

Synopsis
This work is an intriguing collection of baffling images and shapes that change before your eyes: hidden figures, incredible designs and dazzling graphic patterns. The book includes such well-known optical illusions as: Shepard's Tabletop; Wade's Spiral; the Floating Finger Illusion; Ames Room; and Rubin's Face/Vase Illusion. There are more than 275 illusions in all, with explanations of each image and notes about the science of visual perception. There is a huge variety of themes. Every type of optical illusion is represented: Figure/ground illusions; Shape-shifting illusions; Ambiguous figures; Impossible objects; Trompe l'oeil; and Stereo Illusions. Illusions are rendered in photographs, artwork and computer imaging and all reproduced in full colour. The author is a leading authority on visual and sensory illusions, and writes an illusions column in "National Geographic Kids" magazine.

Customer Reviews

Beware of Repeats!
I teach about visual illusions and in my opinion Seckel definitely offers the most extensive and well-illustrated collections currently available. At the time of writing this one is probably the best of Seckel's collections. However, if you buy more than one of his collections, beware - these are an extreme example of recycled material (not in the sense that you may have seen some versions before in collections by other authors - that is inevitable in this territory - indeed, he offers some very good new versions of old favourites). If you want a single good collection of visual illusions, Seckel usually offers the best, so buy whatever is his current latest. The major problem is that each new one he brings out tends to contain up to around about 85% of the material he has already published under another title/with a different cover. I have even had to return books because they were nearly identical to others of his which had a different title and cover. If you collect books of illusions, be alert to this danger. Seckel does also offer a few specialised, themed collections that are also useful.

Great fun!
This is one of those books you pick up and cannot put down. There is a huge range of visual tricks here looking into symmetry, shapes, colours, perception and abstract images within images. 279 in total. Some of them are so good (particularly the colour tricks) you simply cannot believe it until you read the accompanying notes in the back of the book to prove it by covering parts of the image! I'm a big fan of these illusions but only wanted one book on them (as the other reviewer has said, they do get repeated from book to book) and this was a great choice. There are some classic old favourites you've seen before but these are kept to a minimum, most of the content I had not seen before.