pIn this collection of twenty-eight essays, D. Michael Smith, a retired pastoralfamily psychotherapist and life-long magician, explores the meanings and implications of make-belief, imagination, creativity, play, wonder and the theatrical arts for magical performances. The essays, divided into three sections, explore the life enriching and entertaining psychologies, philosophies, and presentations involved in the make-believing art of performance magic.ppIn addition, the author fully describes and presents the scripts for his own close-up and stand-up presentations of three classics of magic 1 A Fantasy Vacation Scotch and Soda 2 Deeper Mystery Egg Bag Egg Bag and 3 A Whole Ball of Wax Gypsy Floss.ppThe book also includes a detailed reading list, as well as an appendix comparing and contrasting the world of imaginative make-believe with the autistic and realistic worlds, and an online link to a twenty-one page index of thirteen primaryl themes found in the major publications of magic p