On November 23rd, 1973, the landscape of mentalism changed forever when a young Israeli man seemingly bent a borrowed spoon with his mind on national television. His name was Uri Geller and he’d soon become one of the most infamous and influential performers to ever live.
Bend It Like Geller is part history, part technique, and part review of why we should all be bending metal. This one-of-a-kind book was written by Ben Harris, who has followed Geller’s story and has been one of his closest confidants for 50 years. Besides Geller himself, there is nobody more qualified to help us understand how this phenomenon captured the attention of the entire world.
Every time Uri Geller stepped in front of a camera, it fanned the flames fueling the war between the believers and non-believers. Did he really have superhuman powers? Or was it a simple magic trick? These conversations transformed the simple effect into a global sensation that completely revolutionized the art of mentalism as we know it.
Included in Bend It Like Geller are explanations for original bending techniques used in the 70s, as well as several new techniques for bending forks, spoons, coins, and keys. Ben also shares conversations with mentalism legends such as David Berglas, Richard Osterland, Alain Nu, Peter Turner, Richard Busch, and more discussing Uri Geller, his presentations, and how you can improve your own spoon bending.
Both mentalists and magicians will enjoy this veritable treasure trove of metal bending history, psychology, and technique from an all-star lineup of mentalists, sharing some of their best work, exclusively in this stunning book. Bend It Like Geller is an absolutely stunning book filled with fascinating insights you will return to often.
"Decades ago, Australian magician Ben Harris tried to debunk me. Now, all these years later, he's written this amazing book, Bend It Like Geller!" Uri Geller
"The book is brilliant, absolutely amazing and an important part of Magic and
Mentalism history." Banachek
"What! 50 years of Geller for onoy $50? That makes Bend It Like Geller one of the greatest psychic entertainment bargains of our lifetime."Richard Busch
"This is a powerful source full with essential history, techniques, ideas and reflections for all MysteryPerformers interested in metal bending. Not just that, it's a truly beautiful book" Pablo Amira
"This is a remarkable resource, worthy of study for anyone interested in the mystery arts and required reading for anyone looking to bend metal with the mind. Highly Recommended." Nathan Coe Marsh, Genii Magazine, August 2023
Contents of Bend it Like Geller
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
1. Enter Starman
Who was the first to perform the “psychically bending spoon,” and why does the imagery have such emotive power and longevity? To answer these questions, we’ll join scientists, skeptics and magicians who observed, reacted, responded—and together, in a complex dance—created both the great “psychic/skeptic war,” and one of magic’s most-popular performance pieces.
2. Look & Learn
- Structure Of A Metal Bending Effect
- The Early Methods
- Keys
- Inflicting The Secret Bend
- Concealing The Secret Bend
- Revealing The Secret Bend
- Additional Techniques
- Spoons
- Inflicting The Secret Bend
- Concealing The Secret Bend
- Revealing The Secret Bend
- The Melting Spoon
3. Deep Thought
4. Evolution
What do The Shriek of Araby, a Japanese dentist, and a young performer in a New York City magic shop have in common? They each changed the face of metal-bending forever and, what’s more, they did this in differing ways. A look at Ali Bongo, Dr. Hiroshi Sawa and Geoffrey Latta's impact on the genre.
5. Reflections
- Pablo Amira: Transcending The Phenomena
- David Berglas: Berglas V. Geller: The Real Story
- Richard Busch: The Geller Effect Meets The Busch Effect
- Drew McAdam: Coming Full Circle
- Alain Nu: Bending Spoons Was A Manifestation
- Richard Osterlind: Something Special
- Steve Shufton: Walking Around The Bend
- Peter Turner: Is This The Real Secret?
6. New Visuals
- The Twisted Spoon
- The Tine Bend
- Pace & Tempo
7. Parallel Paths
- Raised Temperatures
- Tubular Bends
- Coin Bending
- Novel Mutations
8. Looking Ahead
- Eco-Friendly Bends
- A Genre In Good Hands
9. Genre Map
Hardcover | 230 Pages | Full color
Want to learn more about metal bending? Check out this fascinating article on The Controversial History of Spoon Bending. You can also read a free sample of Bend it Like Geller here.