Nadis (American studies, Doshisha U., Japan) creates a wonder show of his own with his vivid portraits of mesmerists, magicians, electrical wizards, mind readers and their spectacles. He also presents a convincing argument for his thesis that the performances of miracle science promoted a romantic worldview that led the audience to base its utopian dreams and religious hopes on the progress of science. Nadis traces the wonder show from the antebellum period to the present day where we witness the arts of corporate publicists, advertisers and popular science lecturers. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)