Want to know what books Richard Wiseman recommends on their reading list? We've researched interviews, social media posts, podcasts, and articles to build a comprehensive list of Richard Wiseman's favorite book recommendations of all time.
1
James Randi is internationally known as a magician and escape artist. But for the past thirty-five years of his professional life, he has also been active as an investigator of the paranormal, occult, and supernatural claims that have impressed the thinking of the public for a generation: ESP, psychokinesis, psychic detectives, levitation, psychic surgery, UFOs, dowsing, astrology, and many others. Those of us unable to discriminate between geniune scientific research and the pseudoscientific nonsense that has resulted in fantastic theories and fancies have long needed James Randi and... more James Randi is internationally known as a magician and escape artist. But for the past thirty-five years of his professional life, he has also been active as an investigator of the paranormal, occult, and supernatural claims that have impressed the thinking of the public for a generation: ESP, psychokinesis, psychic detectives, levitation, psychic surgery, UFOs, dowsing, astrology, and many others. Those of us unable to discriminate between geniune scientific research and the pseudoscientific nonsense that has resulted in fantastic theories and fancies have long needed James Randi and Flim-Flam!
In this book, Randi explores and exposes what he believes to be the outrageous deception that has been promoted widely in the media. Unafraid to call researchers to account for their failures and impostures, Randi tells us that we have been badly served by scientists who have failed to follow the procedures required by their training and traditions. Here he shows us how what he views as sloppy research has been followed by rationalizations of evident failures, and we see these errors and misrepresentations clearly pointed out. Mr. Randi provides us with a compelling and convincing document that will certainly startle and enlighten all who read it. less 
Richard WisemanThis book had a huge impact on me when I first came across it, because it was the first time I’d seen a whole volume which wasn’t taking any nonsense. (Source)
2
Gustav Jahoda, Judd Marmor | 4.31
Richard WisemanJahoda looks at our own everyday psychology. Why is it that we touch wood and cross our fingers? Why are we superstitious thinkers? It’s a very early but very important treatise on that topic. (Source)
3
David F. Marks, Richard Kammann | 4.17
The X Files, The Haunting, The Sixth Sense, and The Blair Witch Project clearly show that the public has a tremendous fascination with the paranormal and the occult, and the media is all too eager to cater to people's wildest fantasies and fears. At a time when there is growing acceptance of pseudoscience and claims of psychic phenomena, this penetrating analysis of so-called psychic abilities is a long overdue and thorough refutation of the whole psi craze. In regard to ESP, the Ganzfeld research, and the extraordinary claims of "mentalists," psychologist David Marks uncovers a long trail of... more The X Files, The Haunting, The Sixth Sense, and The Blair Witch Project clearly show that the public has a tremendous fascination with the paranormal and the occult, and the media is all too eager to cater to people's wildest fantasies and fears. At a time when there is growing acceptance of pseudoscience and claims of psychic phenomena, this penetrating analysis of so-called psychic abilities is a long overdue and thorough refutation of the whole psi craze. In regard to ESP, the Ganzfeld research, and the extraordinary claims of "mentalists," psychologist David Marks uncovers a long trail of deception, conjuring tricks, and scientific bungling. He also goes to great pains to examine the claims of serious parapsychologists such as Russell Targ, Harold Puthoff, Edwin C. May, the late Charles Honorton, Rupert Sheldrake, Jessica Utts, and Nobel Prize winner Brian D. Josephson. Not only does he provide an interesting account of what these leading figures think they have discovered, but he also offers lucid explanations of why they are mistaken.
Included along with these fascinating investigations is a discussion of why so many people today are prone to believe in the reality of psi phenomena. In the final chapter, titled "The Art of Doubt," the author explores the positive role of skepticism in the progress of genuine science.
For all those who value science's ability to separate sense from nonsense, The Psychology of the Psychic will come as welcome relief. The devastating conclusions will shock those who believe that psi is a proven reality. This book gives psi the knockout blow! less Richard WisemanMarks focuses on parapsychological research – laboratory based research into extra-sensory percetion – and really dismantles some of those experiments. (Source)
4
Michael Shermer, Stephen Jay Gould | 3.99
Richard WisemanA wider perspective on the paranormal, looking at UFOs and conspiracies – where people link up ideas which aren’t necessarily connected to one another. (Source)
5
"What happens when we die? Does the light just go out and that's that—the million-year nap? Or will some part of my personality, my me-ness persist? What will that feel like? What will I do all day? Is there a place to plug in my lap-top?" In an attempt to find out, Mary Roach brings her tireless curiosity to bear on an array of contemporary and historical soul-searchers: scientists, schemers, engineers, mediums, all trying to prove (or disprove) that life goes on after we die. more "What happens when we die? Does the light just go out and that's that—the million-year nap? Or will some part of my personality, my me-ness persist? What will that feel like? What will I do all day? Is there a place to plug in my lap-top?" In an attempt to find out, Mary Roach brings her tireless curiosity to bear on an array of contemporary and historical soul-searchers: scientists, schemers, engineers, mediums, all trying to prove (or disprove) that life goes on after we die. less Richard WisemanA rather fun, light-hearted tour through all the weirdness that researchers have tried to examine. (Source)
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