Rating: 
Summary: Is this an illusion,or am I seeing things?
Review:
Another wonderful work by Al Seckel and an appropriate companion to his other gem "Master's of Detection".See my review of it dated Dec 1,2004.
This is a fine collection of 144 intriguing illusions.There are examples of a lot of different forms of illusions.I say a lot because there is one form which I like which is not included. That being "trompe-l'oeil" which is French for still-life deception,illusion,sham or camouflage.A well known artist who excels at it is Bev Doolittle.
Al has included many of the classic illusions,of which 105 is an example from the puzzle master Sam Loyd,and crops up in many books.No.5 is really good being a combination of a photograph of a man holding an "impossible figure".Nos.10 & 104 are similar,but 10 jumps out at me while 104 is something else!No.26 and 139 would have to be called "real illusions".No.139 reminds me of an experience I had on the Marsh Boardwalk at Point Pelee National Park during spring bird migration.An American Bittern,which stands about 20 inches tall, was standing in the reeds about 30 feet from me in a similar pose;except the bill was pointed straight up.The bird held itself completely motionless while I pointed it out to quite a few people over a period of a half hour or so.Some had great dificulty in picking it out,even with binoculars.What a thrill it was for them when they finally "found it".
A few are ageless ones namely,14(which reminds me of another of a girl in a mirror),77,95,147 and 144 ;but always good to see again.No. 119 is a switch where you get to make and solve your own illusion or puzzle.
Kudos to Jerry,see review of Oct 23,2000,who states:
"The mind is blind to what the eye can't see".Well said!
Anyway, a great treatment of illusions and sure to catch the interest of young and not so young,and all in between.
'
Rating:
Summary: A Visual Challenge!
Review: "In his recent publication "The Art of Optical Illusions", Al Seckel has assembled one of the most extensive collections of optical illusion art yet to be published. The very fine quality of images offered in this 160 page Illusion Works offering makes it both an excellent visual illusion reference source as well as a handsome coffee table winner. If you don't have it...you need this book! I vote 5 Stars for Mr. Seckel's outstanding book!"
Rating:
Summary: A Visual Challenge!
Review: "In his recent publication "The Art of Optical Illusions", Al Seckel has assembled one of the most extensive collections of optical illusion art yet to be published. The very fine quality of images offered in this 160 page Illusion Works offering makes it both an excellent visual illusion reference source as well as a handsome coffee table winner. If you don't have it...you need this book! I vote 5 Stars for Mr. Seckel's outstanding book!"
Rating:
Summary: The Creative Intelligence of Vision
Review: "The Art of Optical Illusions" will trick and treat your eyes. Images appear from nowhere, flat surfaces become three-dimensional, and pictures with paradoxes become peculiarly perplexing. This is a true amusement park for the mind.The lavishly produced collection of 150 color and black and white pictures are displayed in four galleries. Each gallery is followed by a page containing the explanations for the illusions. Under each picture, there is a short description of how to enjoy the illusion or a description of how to make the illusion work. On page 78, I found a purple and white Figure/Ground illusion. When you focus on the white images, you see kitchen tools. When you focus on the purple image, you also see kitchen tools. The picture of the cherry pie is also amusing. First you see a pie minus a piece, then you see just a piece of pie in the pie plate. The picture of the "Impossible Triangle" took me about 3 minutes to figure out. I really had to think on that one and many of the images do stimulate thinking. When I did figure it out, it was enlightening. For some reason the calculation on page 37 worked for me the first time. The "Heart Afterimage" was fun. You have to steadily stare at a black dot in the middle of a green heart surrounded by a yellow heart. Then, when you look on a white page, you see a red heart. The "Folded Chess Set" is so amusing, your eyes cannot keep the image in one place. The chessboard keeps moving back and forth and you feel like you are going to get dizzy if you keep looking at it. Now, I must admit....I cheated on a few of the illusions and still haven't figured out the one on page 115. There are plenty of scientific reasons to explain why the illusions work. You can look up the images by number at the end of each gallery chapter. As a child I was introduced to a small book of illusions and since then I have been fascinated with optical effects and visual perception. Vision science is now one of the most exciting areas being researched. Al Seckel is one of the world's leading authorities on illusions and designs interactive illusion and perception galleries for science museums. He is currently working in the Division of Computational and Neuronal Systems at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. This book will amuse and intrigue you. It will delight your mind and make you laugh as the answer to a puzzling picture suddenly pops out and surprises you. The images are unusual and you will have to take out a ruler and measure the tabletops on page 10. Then you still won't believe they are the same size! On page 3 you will see yellow dots, but as you look around the page, they start to blink. I saw black dots in the middle of the yellow dots. This made them appear to be blinking, but there are no real black dots. Welcome to "The Creative Intelligence of Vision." You are going to love this collection of visual puzzles and enigmatic designs. Keep this on your coffee table to amuse all your friends. This is a true classic study of illusions. "Whilst part of what we perceive comes through our senses from the object before us, another part (and it may be the larger part) always comes out of our own mind." --William James
Rating:
Summary: A Brilliant Collection, by fermed
Review: Al Seckel has done a wonderful job of assembling this great collection of visual illusions. It is lavishly illustrated - mostly one illusion per page - with the majority in full color, allowing the reader a generous view of the eye-teasing pictures. Some are classical illusions, redesigned and improved, and others were brand new to me. The accompanying text is concise and helpful. A sensory illusion is essentially a deception in which physical stimuli are arranged in such a way as to make them appear different from what they really are. It is a form of cheating the senses through appearances. But why would anyone be interested in such distortions? Painters, of course, were the first professionals to make full use of visual deception by making our eyes believe that when we are looking at their two-dimensional canvasses we are seeing a thre-dimensional world. They cheated our eyes (and our brains too) into contributing "depth" to their flat works. Velazquez's great "Las Meninas" is the prototype of how optical illusions can be elevated to great art. But there is much more to it than that: decorators, designers, psychologists, philosophers (Aristotle was intrigued by the sensory illusion, illustrated in this book, in which a person "senses" that they have two noses), engineers, children, physicians, and the generally curious should take some time to be entertained by by these figures, for illusions can be a wellspring to unexpected creativity. Recently V. S. Ramachandran, a physician and neuroscientist, started using optical illusions to control the intractable pain experienced by amputees in their missing limbs. His book is called "Phantoms in the Brain." Ah, you may say, how can it be possible for a hand that no longer exists to create an itch (an unscratchable itch, of course) or a pain, or even a sensation in the amputee? Ell, it does, to the extent that some amputees are driven to suicide by their intractable illusions of pain and itch and discomfort in their non-exiting limbs. Ramachandran combats one sensory illusion (of pain) with a visual illusion of an existing hand, and amazingly teaches the victims of "phantom" limbs how to obtain relief that way. Personally, I bought this volume to give to a young friend for her 10th birthday. This book (and a ruler) will teach her that things in this world are frequently not the way they appear to be. She might as well learn that bit of scientific intelligence as soon as possible.
Rating: 
Summary: This is the best collection of illusions ever published.
Review: Almost all published books reprint the same classic illusions over and over again, and most of the time without any real or proper scientific explanations. This is not the case with Optical Illusions, which is now the best collection of visual and other types of sensory illusions ever assembled in book form. The majority of illusions in Optical Illusions have not appeared before. Many of the effects are new, since they come from very recent discoveries in vision science. Of course, the old classic illusions are also represented, but even here, their effects have been greatly augmented. There is a tremendous variety of effects covered, and the over 150 different illusions are so powerful and delightful, that the book should keep you, your family, and friends delighted for hours and hours. Many of the illusions contained in this book will repeatedly fool your perceptions even though you definitely know that you are being tricked! Although the book is in a popular format and accessible to all ages, the book is greatly augmented by having brief and up-to-date scientific explanations for each effect. The book can also serve as a stepping stone to some great student projects at any level: from elementary school to graduate school! Vision science is one of the most exciting areas in current scientific research, and the study of illusions is one that brings great joy. I hope that this book will bring both surprise and delight to both young and old alike, as well as stimulating some thought about the most marvelous mystery in the universe, the human brain. Al Seckel Division of Computational and Neuronal Systems California Institute of Technology P.S. If you want a preview, please visit our award-winning web site (with many interactive illusions)
Rating:
Summary: Best of show
Review: An excellent book on a fascinating subject that is often treated too much as a mere amusement without further inquiries into the cognitive dissonances to which are eyes and minds are susceptible. I bought several copies to give away - then I had to have one for myself.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: I got my book today and I'm so happy to have bought it.
You will smile and get amazed with such incredible pictures
and effects. I agree with other people that the explanations about each effect are minimum. I'd like little more about the theory
behind each one, but it doesn't matter, you and your family
will spend great moments with this book. I definetly
recommend it to everyone :-)
Rating:
Summary: Great for both adults and kids!
Review: I was very impressed with the illusions in this book. I have viewed many illusions before, but this book had many I had never seen. My 12 year old boy loved the book too. He looked at it for quite some time and was utterly amazed. I enjoyed that because he actually had to use his brain to figure things out. Very good!
Rating:
Summary: ABSOLUTELY ASTONISHING
Review: I,unbeknown at the time, had the good fortune to meet the Author, Al Seckel this summer while on a dinosaur prospecting campout in Montana. Al Seckel and I spent several days prospecting during which time we discussed a wide range of subjects. I found Al to be very courteous, knowledgeable,likeable and possessed all the positive arbites of a perfect prospecting companion. I did however, detect an aurora of mystery surrounding Al in his mannerism related to our discussions. Several days ago I received a package in the mail. Upon opening the package, it was a book titled The Art of OPTICAL ILLUSIONS.At the top right corner of the cover the name read AL SECKEL. The book was sent to me and my wife as a gift by Al Seckel. The mysterious aurora that I had detected in Al during our prospecting venture was now answered. My wife Gail and I have read, viewed,and viewed, and continue to view and study the illusions displayed in this book with complete amazement. The illusions reawakened and replenished our somewhat stale minds to an awareness that only one who reads and views the content in the book can describe. I highly recommend the book for all ages. If the book can reawaken an old and stale mind,imagine what the book can do in furthering a developing mind. In rating the Book titled The Art of OPTICAL ILLUSIONS,I rate this book as five stars plus.
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