Mentioned in Podcasts

Episode · Stuff They Don't Want You To Know · 2025-02-21

Books mentioned on Yes, The CIA Hired Magicians, Chapter Two: The Hidden Hands

5 books · Listen · Watch on YouTube

While it might sound weird to think of the CIA conspiring to hire magicians, tradecraft and stage magic actually have a lot in common: sleight-of-hand, misdirection, performance -- you name it.

Mentioned: The Magician by William Somerset Maugham, Lord of Illusions by Clive Barker, The Satanic Mill by Otfried Preussler, The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception by H. Keith Melton and others, and Kim by Rudyard Kipling.

Books mentioned, in the order they came up

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  1. The Magician

    William Somerset Maugham · at 3:22

    Discussed
    “if you look at the this is a spoiler but uh the primary biography written about this guy is the magician with uh CIA a magician capitalized the magician”
    Speaker Yes, The CIA Hired Magicians, Chapter Two: The Hidden Hands 2025-02-21 Listen at 3:22
    Where to get it
    Listen free with an Audible trialAmazon

  2. Lord of Illusions

    Clive Barker · at 5:31

    Discussed
    “and there's a a Clive Barker movie from the 90s called lord of illusions that you guys may have seen it's not great doesn't super hold up you you read the book it's got some I have yeah it's it's it's I think part of one of his collections it's like a short story within cabal if I'm not mistaken”
    Speaker Yes, The CIA Hired Magicians, Chapter Two: The Hidden Hands 2025-02-21 Listen at 5:31
    Where to get it
    Listen free with an Audible trialAmazon

  3. The Satanic Mill

    Otfried Preussler · at 7:22

    The Satanic Mill by Otfried Preussler is a classic dark fantasy young adult novel that draws upon traditional German folklore to tell the story of a young boy who becomes an apprentice at a sinister watermill where black magic is practiced.

    Recommended
    “just like in that wonderful uh fairy tale the satanic Mill check it out it's also about magic uh and it's appropriate for all audiences I would say it's a great young adult book”
    Speaker Yes, The CIA Hired Magicians, Chapter Two: The Hidden Hands 2025-02-21 Listen at 7:22
    Where to get it
    Listen free with an Audible trialAmazon

  4. The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception

    H. Keith Melton; Robert Wallace · at 23:07

    Discussed
    “he is the perfect guy to write the forward for the official CIA Manual of trickery and deception by Melton and Wallace and here he says he kind of sums up you know what you referring to there”
    Speaker Yes, The CIA Hired Magicians, Chapter Two: The Hidden Hands 2025-02-21 Listen at 23:07
    Where to get it
    Listen free with an Audible trialAmazon

  5. Kim

    Rudyard Kipling · at 27:40

    Kim by Rudyard Kipling is a classic novel that follows an orphaned street boy who becomes involved in the espionage and political intrigue of the Great Game in colonial India.

    Discussed
    “yes he's kind of an [ __ ] he's definitely a racist dude uh but he mentions a lot of this in his novel Kim uh which is entirely About a Boy Child spy uh I don't know if it holds up it's been a while since I read it”
    Speaker Yes, The CIA Hired Magicians, Chapter Two: The Hidden Hands 2025-02-21 Listen at 27:40
    Where to get it
    Listen free with an Audible trialAmazon
Link to this list from the episode’s show notes

For the whole show, see the Stuff They Don't Want You To Know page.