A wooden board, letters, numbers, a yes and a no, and a small pointer that glides under the fingers of whoever questions it. A few seconds of silence in a dimly lit room is all it takes for the audience to stop watching you and start watching the board.

You know this well, bizarrist: certain objects carry a history that works on your behalf. The Ouija board has passed through spiritualism and divination, bringing along prohibitions, fears and legends, and every era has left it one more whisper. When it arrives on the table, the audience is already ready to believe, to fear, to wonder what will happen.

Francesco Busani, illusionist and Ouija board collector, has gathered this legacy in 212 pages illustrated: the origins, the controversies, the scientific explanation of how it works, tips for creating the right atmosphere for a séance, and the story of how the board came to life in his shows. Busani has used the Ouija board for ten consecutive years in Italy's longest-running show on the religious paranormal, held at the Rocca di Fontanellato. To close, two effects from his professional repertoire.

Place your hands on the table. At the next question, someone will answer.

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