Alex Stone
Magician & Author
Alex Stone has seldom left home without a deck of cards and three Kennedy half dollars..
Categories :
Full Bio
Ever since his father bought him a magic kit at the venerable age of five, Alex Stone has seldom left home without a deck of cards and three Kennedy half dollars. Plunging headfirst into New York’s underground magic scene, he discovered a fascinating cast of characters—from his gruff mentor, who held court in the back of a rundown pizza shop, to one of the world’s greatest card cheats, who also happened to be blind—and perfected his craft.
Stone recounts his quest to join the ranks of master magicians in Fooling Houdini: Magicians, Mentalists, Math Geeks, and the Hidden Powers of the Mind, a book about the underground world of magic and its ties to psychology, neuroscience, physics, mathematics, gambling, and crime. As he navigates this quirky and occasionally hilarious subculture, he pulls back the curtain on a community shrouded in secrecy, fueled by obsession and brilliance, and organized around a single overriding need: to prove one’s worth by deceiving others.
In his keynotes, Stone shares his unique insights into human nature, garnered from years of watching magicians manipulate our minds to create astonishing illusions. He uncovers startling revelations on the nature of perception and on how the mind works—and why, sometimes, it doesn’t.
Alex Stone has written for The New York Times, Harper’s, Discover, Science, The Wall Street Journal, and The Huffington Post. He graduated from Harvard University with a degree in English and has a master’s in physics from Columbia University.
Testimonials
Ernie was perfect for our Elders Conference at Little River Casino Resort in Manistee, Michigan. We will definitely be using PDA again!
LITTLE RIVER BAND OF OTTAWA INDIANS
Our speaker was great and the crowd enjoyed her! She was very engaging. Thank you again PDA for the great list of suggestions!
MEDTRONIC
Everything went great! and our speaker was wonderful! Thank you so much for all your help PDA! Looking forward to the next one.
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI – KANSAS CITY
I hope that this message finds you well. We had a phenomenal time with Atsuko this past Thursday. We wanted to just let you know how amazing she was. All those that were in attendance thoroughly enjoyed her and had nothing but amazing things to say about her. Thank you for working with us to make sure this happened!
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY CAMPUS
We had a fantastic day with Inge! She was very engaging with all those that attended. Her personal stories about the holocaust were very special and we were moved that she was willing to share them with everyone. Thank you again, PDA for all your hard work and dedication to make this program such a success!
SALT LAKE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Dear PDA Group, Thank you so much for your hard work in scheduling our speaker! From the moment we reached out to you the first time, you worked with us on all details and logistics and kept us up-to-date on the progress. Thank you for all your hard work on making our event such a success! We couldn't have done it without you and your team!
SAP COMPANY
Thank you again, Dr. Kimbrough, for a great presentation, our attendees are still talking about it!
CAMPUS LABS
Dr. Henry Lee's presentation was entertaining, insightful and wise. I, and everyone at Pfizer, especially appreciate the remarks you directed about following your passion and preparing yourself to excel. Thank you, everyone, at PDA for helping to make this happen!
PFIZER
The event was successful! I received many messages expressing how awesome, outstanding and inspiring Ms. Webb-Christburg's speech was."
DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. MEMORIAL BREAKFAST, BOSTON, MLK SPEAKER
Everything went well. Atsuko was very easy to work with and the students enjoyed her performance! Thank you again for your recommendation and I hope to work with you again in the future!
CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
Dr. Novello left this morning after a very successful event on our campus! Thank you PDA Group for your help from the first phone to the last you were with us every step of the way.
GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY
Jordan Carlos was very very entertaining! A majority of students who answered the event survey indicated they really enjoyed Jordan and definitely will bring him back!
WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY
On behalf of myself and my organization Entertainment Unlimited the Campus Programming Board of Ferris State University, we thank you PDA and Dan for a successful event!! Dan was magnificent! Students really enjoyed the presentation. I know I did. Can't wait to bring in more programs with PDA Group.
FERRIS STATE UNIVERSITY
It was a great pleasure to work with PDA Group! The communication was always prompt, friendly and helpful. We loved the speakers and events we booked through Mr. Peter Walker (PDA Group).
WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
Thank you, Peter, for all your help, you'll be happy to know that the event went incredibly well! Aneesa Ferreira was by far one of the best speakers we've ever had!
FURMAN UNIVERSITY
Topics
Fooling Houdini: The Hidden Powers of the Mind
Videos
Alex Stone on NPR- the amazing Richard Turner.
Fooling Houdini - Alex Stone
News
Testimonials
GET IDEAS
1 HOUR OR LESS
