The Great Book of Optical Illusions

by Seckel, Al

• ISBN13: 9781552976500
• ISBN10: 1552976505
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-07-02
• Publisher: Firefly Books Ltd

Summary

It is said that "seeing is believing." But what if the picture you see is hard to believe? Maybe it appears to be something else entirely.In The Great Book of Optical Illusions, Al Seckel brings together a collection of fascinating visual puzzles and enigmatic designs that make the viewer wonder: How does this work? What does it really contain?From collections of baffling shapes that defy the viewer to work out the hidden figures, to dazzling patterns that appear to change on the page, here are optical illusions found in classical art and through history to the most modern of visual tricks.There are more than 280 color and black and white illustrations in the book, from Illusionworks, the world's leading brand of illusion artworks.

Author Biography

Al Seckel, formerly of the California Institute of Technology, is a leading authority on visual and other types of sensory illusions. His earlier work, The Great Book of Optical Illusions garnered rave reviews, and sold nearly 100,000 copies. He is the author of over 15 books on this subject, and has lectured extensively at many of the world's most prestigious universities. He also designs interactive galleries on illusions and perception for science museums across the country and around the world. Seckel writes an illusion column for National Geographic Kids magazine.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Notes on Gallery I

Notes on Gallery II

Notes on Gallery III

Notes on Gallery IV

Notes on Gallery V

Notes on Gallery VI

Notes on Gallery VII

Notes on Gallery VIII

Glossary

Further Reading

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

GALLERY I

(1) Shepard's Tabletop: These two tabletops are absolutely identical in size and shape! If you don't believe it, trace only the tabletops and see for yourself.

Previous page: Fraser's Spiral is one of the most powerful illusions known. What you see appears to be a spiral, but it is really a series of perfect concentric circles! This illusion is so powerful that it has been known to induce incorrect finger tracing!

(2) Extent and Perspective: Although they appear to be dramatically different in length, lines AB and CD are equal.

(3) The Scintillating Grid: The disks at the junctions will appear to flash when you move your eyes around this image.

(4) Checker Shadow: The light check inside the shadow is identical to the dark check outside the shadow. If you don't believe it, cut out a peephole exactly the size of each square and test it!

(5) Escher's Impossible Box. Belgian artist Matheau Haemakers, drawing his inspiration from a print by the Dutch graphic artist M.C. Esther, has created a physical model of an impossible box.

(6) Ouchi Illusion: Move the page back and forth. The center section may appear to move in a direction different from its surroundings. The center section will also appear to be at a different depth.

(7) Man on the Moon: This image of Buzz Aldrin's helmet was made out of a collage of space images.

(8) Melancholy Tunes on a Flemish Winter's Day: Flemish artist Jos De Mey captured this incredible scene on a winter's day. How does that left column come forward?

(9) Crazy Nuts: Can you figure out how the straight steel rod miraculously passes through the seemingly perpendicular holes?

(10) Figure/Ground: What is hiding here? Before you check out the answer, search carefully, because once you perceive the hidden image, you will never be able to see this image in its meaningless state again.

(11) Kissing Couple Illusion: An illusory kiss by American artist Jerry Downs.

(12) Impossible Staircase: What happens when you walk around this peculiar staircase? Where is the bottom or top step located?

(13) Ball and Shadow Illusion: Are the balls in the two illustrations in different positions relative to the background?

(Continues...)

Excerpted from THE GREAT BOOK OF OPTICAL ILLUSIONS by Al Seckel Copyright © 2002 by Illusion Works
Excerpted by permission. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.