Person
Every book David Blaine recommended on podcasts
Across 3 podcasts. Every show David Blaine appears on, in one place — not just one.
David Blaine’s most recommended books
- Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
- DON QUIXOTE by Miguel de Cervantes
- Breath by James Nestor
- Learned Pigs & Fireproof Women by Ricky Jay
- Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women by Outlet
- Miracle Mongers and Their Methods by Harry Houdini
- The Discovery of Witchcraft by Reginald Scot
- The Expert at the Card Table by S. W. Erdnase
- The Miracle Mongers, an Exposé by Harry Houdini
David Blaine is an American magician, mentalist, and endurance performer. He is best known for starring in high-profile television specials that feature death-defying stunts and street magic. On various podcast appearances, Blaine has discussed and recommended several influential books. He praised Miguel de Cervantes's Don Quixote as one of the most important books ever written, noting that Cervantes wrote it while in prison and crafted a story about a character striving to improve the world. Blaine also recommended James Nestor's Breath after reading it and hosting the author on his podcast. Additionally, he discussed Ricky Jay's Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women as a guidebook detailing performers who use their bodies to accomplish extreme feats, and mentioned reading Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha at a young age, noting how the fasting character inspired him. Finally, he referenced Reginald Scot's The Discovery of Witchcraft as one of the earliest magic texts detailing methods used by people historically accused of witchcraft.
Books recommended by David Blaine
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Siddhartha
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse is a philosophical novel that follows a young man's spiritual journey of self-discovery in ancient India.
Discussed“actually I read Sid artha by home H when I was young I think like 11 12 1 around around that time and and his character fasts”
Where to get it
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DON QUIXOTE
Miguel de Cervantes's Don Quixote is an early modern masterpiece following an idealistic nobleman who loses his sanity and sets out on chivalric quests to fix a flawed world.
Discussed“just you know I think like what books do to the mind is identical to what exercis and does for the body that's the main problem with the phones is it's really taken away”
Where to get it
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Breath
Breath by James Nestor is a compelling science and health book that explores the lost art of breathing and how modern human habits have negatively impacted physical well-being, respiration, and facial structure.
Recommended“yeah breath is the one that i read and i had him on the podcast he's amazing”
Where to get it
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Learned Pigs & Fireproof Women
Discussed“And The Magicians I like the most like Harry Houdini Ricky Jay Ricky J wrote a book called learned pigs and fireproof women which is that kind of guide book to all these people that were using their bodies to do crazy thing”
Where to get it
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Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women
Discussed“The Magicians I like the most like Harry Houdini Ricky Jay Ricky J wrote a book called learned pigs and fireproof women which is that kind of guide book to all these people that were using their bodies to do crazy thing”
Where to get it
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Miracle Mongers and Their Methods
Discussed“some of that came from houdini writing and miracle mongers all about his act so it's like you look into the history of things that have been done like [ __ ] ali the human fire hydrant and you find these there's a great book that ricky j wrote who is an amazing magician where he discusses and explains everything”
Where to get it
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The Discovery of Witchcraft
The Discovery of Witchcraft by Reginald Scot is a landmark 1584 publication that historically sought to expose fraudulent magical practices while defending people wrongly accused of witchcraft.
Discussed“well the first one was like uh I think it was called discovery of Witchcraft from like 1584 or something like that and a guy wrote all these secrets of methods that like witches were using and they were being burned alive”
Where to get it
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The Expert at the Card Table
The Expert at the Card Table by S.W.
Discussed“I would assume like there there's a book written by a guy that called himself erdes the expert the card table and he had so many secrets in this book that are so relevant to all of the magic that any card magician does to this day and he was using it mostly for cheating or to explain how people”
Where to get it
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The Miracle Mongers, an Exposé
Discussed“some of that came from houdini writing and miracle mongers all about his act so it's like you look into the history of things that have been done like [ __ ] ali the human fire hydrant and you find these there's a great book that ricky j wrote who is an amazing magician where he discusses and explains everything”
Where to get it
Appearances
Other mentions (2: passing, ad reads, own books)
“but yeah it is seeing little performances seeing a book of Harry Houdini and seeing him chained to the side of a building watching him dangle over the edge of a building”
“i was always into fasting i read sid artha as a kid and i had done like uh a week with just water and you know knew all that knew the body is really good with that”