Editing Misdirection (magic) (section)

==Use==

In ''The Encyclopedia of Magic and Magicians'', author [[T.A. Waters]] writes that "Misdirection is the cornerstone of nearly all successful magic; without it, even the most skilled Sleight of Hand or mechanical device is unlikely to create an illusion of real magic."<ref>''The Encyclopedia of Magic and Magicians'', pg. 232, copyright 1988</ref> Misdirection uses the limits of the human mind to give the wrong picture and memory. The mind of a typical audience member can only concentrate on one thing at a time. The magician uses this to manipulate the audience's ideas or perceptions of sensory input, leading them to false conclusions.

The performer can direct the audience's attention in various ways. In the book, ''The Secret Art of Magic'', authors Eric Evans and Nowlin Craver posit that magic is directly related to warfare, and relies on the same principles for success. They reference Sun Tzu's ''[[Art of War]]'' to show how deception is essential to any successful campaign. Craver goes on to illustrate, through the 36 strategies,<ref>The 36 Strategems</ref> how they form a blueprint for every known method of misdirection.  In [[World War II]], British military intelligence employed stage magician [[Jasper Maskelyne]] to help devise various forms of misdirection such as ruses, deception, and camouflage.

Magicians who have researched and evolved misdirection techniques include [[Max Malini]], [[John Ramsay (magic)|John Ramsay]], [[Tommy Wonder (magician)|Tommy Wonder]], [[Derren Brown]], [[Juan Tamariz]], [[Tony Slydini]],<ref>Ganson, Lewis. The Magic of Slydini, Harry Stanly Publishing, London, 1968.</ref> and [[Dai Vernon]].