The Rise of the Indian Rope Trick: How a Spectacular Hoax Became History to give the book its full title, explains how one of the most famous tricks on earth has actually never existed yet has continued to develop a life of its own.
Let me direct you to a great review from a last year from Teller – the silent half of Penn and Teller. This does the book far more justice than I could ever.
The book is written in an enormously chatty style and is excedingly accessible. Author, Peter Lamont, has plenty to say about lots of other things along the way too.