AMORALMAN
Book by Derek DelGaudio
Truth and lies are two sides of the same coin. But who’s flipping it?
A thought-provoking and brilliantly entertaining work of nonfiction from one of the world’s leading deceivers, the creator and star of the astonishing theater show and forthcoming film In & Of Itself.
Derek DelGaudio believed he was a decent, honest man. But when irrefutable evidence to the contrary is found in an old journal, his memories are reawakened and Derek is forced to confront–and try to understand–his role in a significant act of deception from his past.
Using his youthful notebook entries as a road map, Derek embarks on a soulful, often funny, sometimes dark journey, retracing the path that led him to a world populated by charlatans, card cheats, and con artists. As stories are peeled away and artifices are revealed, Derek examines the mystery behind his father’s vanishing act, the secret he inherited from his mother, the obsession he developed with sleight-of-hand that shaped his future, and the affinity he felt for the professional swindlers who taught him how to deceive others. And once he finds himself working as a crooked dealer in a big-money Hollywood card game, Derek begins to question his own sense of morality, and discovers that even a master of deception can find himself trapped inside an illusion.
A M O R A L M A N is a wildly engaging exploration of the fictions we live as truths. It is ultimately a book about the lies we tell ourselves and the realities we manufacture in others.
256 Pages
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Customer reviews for AMORALMAN
Jason
This is a more biographical book than anything, but it is very well written and if you have seen him perform, you are probably aware what a tremendous storyteller Derek is. He showcases that here in spades - both my wife and I read the book and loved it. It is a short, fast read but really good. I think I appreciated the first half growing up with his mother more, but was hooked on the second half with the gambling if that makes sense. Great book!!
Masterclassmember
Skyler
Such a good book! I read it twice in a week. It's not a "magic book" in the sense that there aren't any routines in it, but the stories are definitely magical. It's more of a more in-depth biography than his Derek's show "In and of itself". If you enjoyed the show, you'll love this book.
Terry
I wish I had had this read before watching Derek's show on HULU. The background info would have added context to an already excellent show. The book has zero trick/explanations (thank God) but it does give the reader a greater insight to who Derek is and his development as a sleight of hand artist and magician. Highly recommended read.
Thomas
I just finished reading AMORALMAN and have to say that I am seriously annoyed. I follow Delgaudio for a number of years now. I missed his New York run by a couple of months banking on another extension for "In & Off Itself", which did not happen. I was seriously frustrated, because a number of friends convinced me that this is the future of magic as an art. I was happy to find out that they came out with a TV adaption of the show. I got myself Hulu for that. This is quite a complicated endeavor as I am based in Germany and Hulu is not available here. I finally figured it out and was a bit tense, because my expectation of "In & Off Itself" were so high that there was literally no way to meet it. I mean NO WAY. Boy was I wrong. Not only was the show as good as I hoped for, it was way better than I could have even imagined. And more than this: the video adaption was the best I have ever experienced of any show of this kind. Absolutely mind blowing! I was completely drawn in - several times. Andy yes I agree, he points the way to the future of our art. Or at least one way.
And now this: I read the book and it is brilliant as well. Again, I was completely drawn in. No surprise that Neil Gaiman gave his endorsement for it. If you have seen the show, you will recognize parts of the story. I don't think there is a specific order here. If you read it before you see the show, I would expect that it adds to the experience. It certainly does the other way round.
Derek Delgaudio is seriously over-talented. I applaud him for what he does for the art, but I also find it annoying somehow...;-)
And now this: I read the book and it is brilliant as well. Again, I was completely drawn in. No surprise that Neil Gaiman gave his endorsement for it. If you have seen the show, you will recognize parts of the story. I don't think there is a specific order here. If you read it before you see the show, I would expect that it adds to the experience. It certainly does the other way round.
Derek Delgaudio is seriously over-talented. I applaud him for what he does for the art, but I also find it annoying somehow...;-)
Kevin
Derek Delgaudio is an extraordinary talent! Insightful, serious, uninhibited. And, dare I say, borderline brilliant? Yes. I can say that. And I will. His approach to the art of magic (or any art, for that matter) is concise and compelling. I could here the pain in his words and feel the passion he has for communication with his brand of art. AMORALMAN was unlike anything I ever expected. But it was, and still is, welcome in my mind with the utmost of gratitude to him for writing it. It takes courage to write as he has. Now I look forward to seeing his show IN & OF ITSELF.
Oliver
Great book from a great magician! I really enjoyed it, and you can understand a lot of the story if you previously watched his show called "In & Of Itself". The pages are cut in a weird way on the edge but it is intended, so don't worry about it. Great piece for you book collection.
Francesco
A must read book, for muggles and magicians!
Community questions about AMORALMAN
Have a question about this product? It's possible others do too. Ask here and other Vanishing Inc. Magic customers will be able to respond with assistance! Alternatively, email us and we can help too.
Timothy asks: Is this book hardcover or softcover. Assuming hardcover, given the high price, but would like to be certain.
- 1. David responds:Hardcover.
Tim asks: So ... what exactly is the true description or the book? Is it a "magic" book. Is it a mainstream book????
- 1. Ted responds:Did you read the description? It appears to be an artist's thoughtful memoir.
- 2. Adam responds:It's a fair question. It's in a section called 'magic books', and it's priced like a 'magic book', so it would be good if it was a 'magic book' but it seems like it may not be a 'magic book' but it's in the 'magic book' section and priced like a 'magic book'.
- 3. Tim responds:Honestly. It's priced like a regular book.
- 4. Jason responds:It is NOT a magic book. There are no routines or effects described. It is essentially a biographical chapter (not a full biography) from Derek's life. It's also fantastic - I read an advance copy. Card magicians and gambling experts will enjoy it, but it's aimed at the general public.
- 5. Adam responds:This is not priced like a regular book... Also it's in the 'magic books' section. Majority of the major online book shop's best sellers are under £10.
- 6. Adam responds:Look at the difference in Derren Brown's books, you want Pure Effect? Sure you have to pay! You want 'Happy' or his other ones? Under £10.
- 7. Tony responds:For those who seem to be lamenting that this "magic book" isn't really a "magic book" even though it's priced like a "magic book" despite being non-instructional...let me offer some context. Firstly, someone mentioned the price of books on "major online retailers" websites. As it happens, the price of the book on the largest online retailer website is within $3 of what it costs here at VanishingInc. Personally, I think it's worth $3 to support the work that VI is doing. Secondly, the price of other books is irrelevant. Those books are not this book. It's up to you to decide if you want the book more than your $27. Or not. Thirdly, you're paying for ideas. Not paper and ink. If you want to buy paper and ink -- which seems to be the goal of some people -- let me recommend Office Depot. Ideas cost more than office supplies.
- 8. Adam responds:I'm not comparing Vinc with another retailer... it's a normal book. Normal books are under £10. It's weird that it says 'non-fiction' too, as though normal magic instructions are fiction. Derren Brown is the best comparison here, his 'magic books' are priced like 'magic books' and are 'magic books', his non-'magic books' are priced like non-'magic books'. This appears to be a very expensive book about some random guy. We buy secrets here, and information, methods etc. and we pay a price. We can buy the very best 'magic books' in the world here, the best ones ever written. We can buy some of the best normal books ever written for 99p on Kindle. This seems to be like reading Wikipedia or something.
- 9. Jason responds:It is a hardcover book. A quick search of Amazon for "hardcover biography" (the section AMORALMAN is listed under on Amazon) and "Last 90 days" shows that its price is right in the middle of the other selections in that category. Some are cheaper, some are more expensive. Although there were 75 pages of results returned, I looked at all of the ones on the first 3 pages of Amazon and NONE of them are under $14.00 (£10). It's priced appropriately for its intended audience.
- 10. Adam responds:No it isn't.
- 11. Adam responds:I just did the same search, £13.59, £10.99, £11.19... but yeah this random guy...
- 12. Jason responds: I ran a search for "hardcover biography" on amazon.co.uk just now, ranked by "English" as language and "last 90 days" as publication date, 7 of the books on the first page of results were more expensive than Amoralman. You seem to be looking to find books that are cheaper. I'm just trying to find books that are in the same category (and marketed to the same types of audience) and then comparing prices. And Derek's book compares favorably. Were some cheaper, as you pointed out? Sure. But many were equally priced or more expensive. The average price of the books in that section? £16.98 Amoralman is £15.99.
- 13. Adam responds:I took the top answers, number 1, 2 and 3. Those are most popular, and by actual people. If Derren Brown's general consumer books are under £10, and he's literally Derren Brown, then why on flat-earth would I pay twice as much for some random guy?
- 14. Chadwick responds:Adam, you're an idiot. If you don't want the book, then don't buy it.
- 15. chris responds:Nobody is making anybody buy this book. Nobody is asking ‘this one guy here’ to confirm whether they think the book is priced appropriately. The product description is quite clear. Buy it or don’t.
- 16. Johnson responds:Turn the lights out when you are done here.
- 17. Adam responds:Tim didn't think it was clear.
- 18. Jason responds:Adam, are you intentionally choosing to cite Derren's softcover prices rather than his hardcover prices? "Tricks of the Mind" and "Confessions of a Conjuror" in their original hardcover had release prices higher than Amoralman. Today, on Amazon.co.uk, they're still available in HC, and both are STILL priced higher than Amoralman. Only in softcover are they cheaper. When or if Amoralman is published in softcover, I strongly suspect that the price will be much closer to what you seem to think it should be.
- 19. Jonathan responds:wow....so much moaning over a book?.....if you dont want in then do try and get a hardcover from amazon.....oh you cant!! what a shame,,,,,,,I ordered this from Amazon as a PRE - order for ~£15 which is standard price these days for a normal general public hardback.....then I got a message from Amazon saying they couldn't fulfil the order and struggled to get a copy, I could either cancel my order or wait....... well being as its unavailable on amazon I noticed its here for £19.....mmm brilliant as a book collector VI have made my day...boom order now placed.....yes its £4 more BUT at least they HAD a copy!......(drops mike)
- 20. Gary responds:If you believe Derek is "some random guy", the book is not for you.
- 21. Adam responds:I see they've dropped the price by 1/3. You could pay more if you wanted I'm sure, maybe just send the money directly. He is just some guy. Some tremendously pretentious guy.
- 22. Adam responds:Derren's hardcover books are currently cheaper than the paperback on the UK A to Z site.
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