As Ian Woodward demonstrates in this well-researched biography, she was every bit as charming and delightful off screen as on

I adore Mary Helen Bowers: she knows how to make ordinary women look like ballerinas. She's the real deal.

Mary Helen Bowers is wonderful!

Nothing – or no one – has transformed my body the way Mary Helen Bowers’ Ballet Beautiful program has.

Shows off a celebrity fitness trend that could just be the next Pilates.

I can see a marked improvement in my posture and tone.

A thoroughly enjoyable read

fascinating … As an American science journalist, Stone is certainly interested in what magic reveals about our mental make-up – and very good indeed at writing comprehensibly about it. But as a magician himself, he’s a huge and infectious fan of the whole business. As a result, he plunges us deep in the history, traditions and lore of a world that, by its very nature, is normally kept secret from the layman. He exposes the techniques used by people who pretend not to be magicians – including psychics of all kinds. He also introduces us to an enormous cast of colourful characters, past and present.

The book is not a how-to guide, but it delves into the psychology and cognitive science behind magic…Aspiring pick-pockets will enjoy his explanation of how to misdirect someone’s attention while removing their watch.

The real pleasure of his beguiling, meandering narrative is not the destination but the rococo scenery en route. ****