Rating: 
Summary: Learn more about David Blaine and history of magic.
Review: Perhaps you have seen Illusionist, David Blaine on his ABC Network specials. "Street Magic" were he levitated off the sidewalk and did up-close street magic, "Frozen In Time", "David Blaine's Vertigo", the ABC 2000 Extravaganza, Larry King Live, or news reports of his endurance in the plexiglass box over London for 44 days days in 2003.
In this book, David Blaine will tell you about how magic was important to him as a child and some personal details about his life. You will also learn about "magic", its history and about magicians, Robert-Houdin, Rajah Raboid (Ray Boyd), Dedi, Blaise de Manfre, Evatima Thardo, Ivan Ivanitz Chabert, Francois Battalia, Matthew Buchinger, Max Malini, Alexander Herrmann, Marquis d'Orighuala de Gago, Ehrich Weiss (Houdini) and Orson Welles. David Blaine will give you a detailed behind-the-scenes account of his first event, "The Premature Burial"--being buried alive, six feet underground, with a container of water above, for seven days, April 5-12, 1999. He will also give you personal details about his other feats of endurance that were televised on the ABC Network, "Frozen In Time", November 29, 2000, trapped in ice for 3 days outside in New York Times Square, "David Blaine's Vertigo", May 22, 2002--standing on an 83-foot tall pillar that was only 22 inches wide to stand on for 35 hours in Bryant Park. These feats had no trick involved. They were very real and David risked his own life to survive in these events.
Each ABC Network special in its entirety can all be seen in the DVD, "David Blaine--Fearless".
This book also contains many magic tricks you may try yourself and many puzzles to solve. The puzzles, enigmas, phtographs and conundrums ("clues") are all part of "Blaine's Challenge". $100,000.00 would be given to whomever could understand and solve the puzzles, enigmas and conundrums that direct you to the location of a "Treasure Map" somewhere in the United States. From there you follow the instructions and call the phone number that was with the "Treasure".
"Blaine's Challenge" began with this book when it was first available, October 29, 2002. The solving and searching was on. On November 5, 2003, David Blaine appeared on "Larry King Live" (CNN) and revealed one clue. On March 20, 2004, someone had found the secret location (an address in Southern California, Laurel Canyon Blvd in a private community) of a bridge and then a hollow stone that contained the gold orb. As scheduled thereafter, David Blaine handed the winner $1000,000.00. If no one had found the treasure by December 31,2004, the money would have gone to charity.
Incidentally, the DVD, "David Blaine--Fearless" begins with a black & white film that contained a very important clue (the address numbers) and subliminal images were given to you on the DVD. Where David Blaine filmed this film was the location of the "Treasure" that lead to the ultimate $1000,000.00. I started thinking hard myself when I saw the "Visiting ...with Huell Howser" program about the private neighborhood on Laurel Canyon Blvd.
The winner, in fact,did not have a copy of this book nor the DVD, but did watch "Larry King Live" when David gave a clue. With six weeks of the searcher's own time, the searcher boarded a plane, made it to the location, and found the "treasure".
There are around 90 photographs of David Blaine in this book and some had clues in them. Poster Art of Houdini and David Blaine included.
Surely, there will be many more events that David Blaine will do and eventually another book.
We all like David Blaine and we enjoy his Street Magic.
Rating: 
Summary: Pulls the Wool Right Over Your Eyes...
Review: Talk about a magic trick! There I was, holding this cool-looking book in my hands, so full of excitement and anticipation that I got suckered into buying it. Sadly, the text is so hackneyed, so cheesy, so boring that it takes all the magic out of the subject. Such a shame! In his acknowledgments, Blaine credits some guy named Larry "Ratso" Sloman as a ghost writer of some sort---if this is the case, Blaine should have made Monsieur Ratso disappear. Now there would have been a worthwhile trick! But seriously, in my humble opinion, this book did not amaze or thrill or wow me, even in the last chapters discussing Blaine's own fabulous tricks. The darn writing was so poor that it didn't describe things to create an image of the tricks or evoke any emotion for what is supposed to be Mystery. David Blaine and his publisher might have pulled the wool over my eyes in getting me to buy this book, but they sure botched the magic.
Rating:
Summary: The Stranger
Review: The book was good. It's a quick read. Keep in mind this isn't a book that tells you the secrets of magic, but it teaches you a few things and is a great reference book on Blaines life and other great magicans too. I reccomend it for non-magicians too. If you're wondering who this mysterious stranger is and where he came from I suggest this book. $8-10.00 used isn't bad at all. Give it a shot
Rating:
Summary: The Stranger
Review: The book was good. It's a quick read. Keep in mind this isn't a book that tells you the secrets of magic, but it teaches you a few things and is a great reference book on Blaines life and other great magicans too. I reccomend it for non-magicians too. If you're wondering who this mysterious stranger is and where he came from I suggest this book. $8-10.00 used isn't bad at all. Give it a shot
Rating: 
Summary: Insightful, engaging memoir and basic history of magic
Review: This book is by the famous, darkly handsome street magician who gained fame recently through three major stunts: entombing himself in the sidewalk, being encased in a block of ice, and standing on (then leaping from) an 80-foot pillar in Bryant Park. Blaine's book is part memoir, part how-to guide, and part history of magic. The three elements blend well, although the directions on how to perform various tricks occasionally seem somewhat shoe-horned in with the autobiographical narrative. However, this creates an unusual structure that makes the book quite engaging, even if you don't have an interest in actually performing the tricks. If you've seen Blaine on any of his television specials, you may have been captivated by the simple beauty of his tricks and his laid-back style. This style comes across in his writing, which is very natural and vivid. His writing is less dynamic during his long histories of magic and magicians, specifically in a chapter dedicated to Houdini. I can't be sure, but some of these passages read as though they were ghost-written, or at least heavily edited. That's not a complaint, because the rest of the book is sufficiently personal to compensate for it.Perhaps the books most interesting chapters are the last three, which details the three major televised stunts he has performed. He discusses the preparation and execution of each of the stunts, as well as his state of mind during each of them, which in most cases can most succinctly be described as "out of it". These passages are particularly interesting if you've actually seen his stunts either in person or on TV. Blaine also frequently discusses his relationship with his (now deceased) mother, who he obviously loved very much, and seems to have served as a motivation for his success. Blaine comes off as very down-to-earth, daring, practical, focused, and hard-working. Unlike other autobiographies, he does not really attempt to exaggerate his own contributions to magic, but seems almost over-whelmed and flattered by the success he has experienced. All in all, the book is an entertaining and fast read that gives you great insight into Blaine's character and methodology, and will teach you a few tricks of your own, if you are interested.
Rating:
Summary: inspirational and entertaining
Review: This book is worth reading for the "Playing the Part of a Magician" chapter alone. Most of the book serves as a history of magic and of past-time mystifiers. However, in the aforementioned chapter, Blaine gets personal, sharing his most intimate feelings regarding his rise to success and his mom's battle with cancer.
Blaine is all tricks, all illusions, he's just GREAT at what he does. The man had a dream, and chased it. He's taken the world by storm and doesn't intend on stopping, quite yet.
This book inspires one to follow their heart's desire and to never lose their curiosity. Staying fascinated with the world will keep you young.
Rating:
Summary: Fair and balanced.
Review: When I first saw this in the bookstore I thought it said "Mysterious Strang(l)er" and I was obviously shocked. So I decided to buy it. And was disappointed that Blaine was not a Mysterious Strangler, yet happy that people can't be a Mysterious Strangler and publish a book about it. After having read it I'm not sure what genre this book falls into. Self promo, superficial knowledge of magic, or expose of do-gooding. Thus I found it an excellent book! If for no other reason buy it because one or all of the published editions may be valuable collectables one day which may put food on your table. Any thing that keeps food on the table is well worth having.
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