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About the Author

James Randi first achieved international recognition as a professional stage magician, beginning as a mentalist and later identified as one of the best escape artists in the history of magic. During his long and successful career, he performed as "The Amazing Randi" to international audiences in theaters, cabaret, and on TV.

Today, James Randi is best known as a tireless investigator of paranormal, supernatural, and pseudoscientific claims. His devotion to the rigorous examination of such claims has led to the exposure of faith healers, psychics, medical frauds, and cult leaders. He is considered by many to be the most important figure in modern skepticism for these contributions, as well as for his work in raising public awareness about the dangers of uncritical belief.

He lectures regularly at leading colleges and universities, academic meetings and events like The Amaz!ng Meeting, the world’s largest critical thinking conference, which he helped to found in 2003. He is the author of hundreds of articles and numerous books, including, The Truth About Uri Geller, The Faith Healers, and An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural.

Randi has received many prestigious awards and recognitions, including a Fellowship from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in 1986.

He currently lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he works to advance the mission of the James Randi Educational Foundation.

About the JREF

The James Randi Educational Foundation was founded in 1996 to expose charlatans and help people defend themselves from paranormal and pseudoscientific claims. The JREF offers a still-unclaimed million-dollar reward for anyone who can produce evidence of paranormal abilities under controlled conditions. Through scholarships, workshops, and innovative resources for educators, the JREF works to inspire this investigative spirit in a new generation of critical thinkers.

We need your help to create a world where charlatans can’t get rich by deceiving people. You can make a difference by donating to the JREF, taking action with us to stop paranormal and pseudoscientific frauds, or joining us at the Amaz!ng Meeting, the world’s premier gathering of skeptical thinkers. Learn more at Randi.org.

Support the JREF

Help us create a world where everyone has access to the tools of science and critical thinking, and charlatans can’t get rich by deceiving people. Your contribution will help us to:

• Expose paranormal and pseudoscientific frauds in the media, and hold media organizations accountable for promoting dangerous nonsense

• Provide grants and free teaching modules to educators, to help them inspire an investigative spirit in the next generation of critical thinkers

• Award scholarships that encourage scientific skepticism among students

• Support grassroots skeptics groups with tools to help them organize and promote skepticism and critical thinking

• Digitally publish the important works of skepticism for distribution on the iPad, Kindle and other e-readers

• Organize major conferences and other gatherings that bring the entire skeptical community together.

Donate or become a member today.www.randi.org

Table of Contents

Author’s Note

Preface to the Original Edition

Preface to the Current Edition

Acknowledgements for the Digital Edition

Introduction

1 Flim-Flam!

2 Fairies at the Foot of the Garden

3 All at Sea...

4 Into the Air, Junior Birdmen!

5 The Giggling Guru: A Matter of Levity

6 Chariots in Flames

7 The Laureland Hardy of Psi

8 The Great Fliess Fleece

9 The Medical Humbugs

10 The Will to Believe

11 Off the Deep End

12 Gods with Feats of Clay

13 Put Up or Shut Up

Epilogue

Appendix

Selected Bibliography

The One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge

About the Author

About the JREF

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