Teller, writing for The Smithsonian Magazine, on scientists' interest in magic:

I have my doubts. Neuroscientists are novices at deception. Magicians have done controlled testing in human perception for thousands of years.

Teller talks more about science and magic in his recent interview on Talk of the Nation. In it he mentions three books¹ for learning magic:

• Royal Road to Card Magic, Jean Hugard. ("Almost a programmed course," Teller calls it.)
• Modern Coin Magic, J.B. Bobo.
• Amateur Magician's Handbook, Henry Hay.

The last one is what I learned from as a teenager.

1. If you buy from Amazon through these links, I get a small kickback. ↩