talkmagic.co.uk

The Book: Hiding the Elephant - How Magicians Invented the Impossible and Learned to Disappear by Jim Steinmeyer

Cost: Variable - US$12 through Amazon (paperback)

Review: As a relative novice to the art of magic (and I haven't posted on this board for about two years!), I was not familiar with Mr Steinmeyer. I now know that he has designed and created illusions for many of today's best known performers.

The book is essentially a history of stage magic from the mid 1800s to the first half of the twentieth century with particular focus on many of the magicians from those times (including Robert-Houdin, the Davenport brothers, Harry Kellar, Devant, Charles Morritt, Howard Thurston, the Maskelynes and of course Houdini), the illusions they performed.

While Mr Steinmeyer reveals many of the secrets of these great illusions, I do not regard the book as a tell all type affair. Indeed, in the case of the disappearing elephant of the title and the disappearing donkey illusion created by Morritt, Mr Steinmeyer proposes his own theories on how these illusions worked.

There is a very strong focus on the development of the use of mirrors and opticals - the technical aspects of the illusion - as well the art of presenting magic and illusions effectively and convincingly. I was not familiar with Robert-Houdin's quote to the effect that a conjuror is not a juggler but an actor playing a magician - how true that is and it has made me re-evaluate how I perform my ham fisted efforts! He makes the very telling point that when Houdini performed the disappearing elephant illusion, audiences were non-plussed becaused his presentation was so poor (Mr Steinmeyer notes that Houdini was not a very good magician!).

Mr Steinmeyer is also very good at documenting the rivalry between many of these classic magicians and paints very vivid pictures of their characters, personalities as well what they were like in performance.

There are no doubt many better reviews available on the 'net but I would highly recommend this book to all magicians. The technical aspects are very interesting but to me the strength of this book is in the pure history of the developments of the illusions, the magicians involved as well the power behind those thrones, so to speak - for example, illusion creators like Guy Jarrett.

Although I mess around with cards, sponge balls etc and close up stuff, I found that reading this book helped me to rethink the way I approach and perform the magic that I enjoy doing.

Highly recommended!

Thanks for the Review and welcome back! There are some other comments about this excellent book from a while back at http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic2242.php which might be worth checking out.

ah yes, ive read it twice since writing that review.
Ive also read the chung ling soo book with just as much enthusiasm, and steinmyers Art and Artifice, also available from Amazon.
In fact if you get Elephant, you must get Art and Artifice, because it fills in the gaps in the story's that Hiding the elephant told.

as an example,the book goes into absolute intimate details of the recreations of Mascot Moth. he takes you through, step by step , each part of the planning stage, and carrys on to tell you what it's like to be the trapman underneath the thing as it goes off.
this is the only record of this, since so much secrecy surrounded its short working life at maskelyne and devants.

its an utter, utter masterpiece.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Art-Artifice-Ot ... pd_sim_b_1

Have to agree with everything already said about this book... it's simply brilliant. Was only going to read a few pages or so last night in bed.... couldn't put it down till 02.30 and then had to drag myself off to work a few hours later... Well worth it!!

Will track down Art and Artifice at amazon tonight, cheers for the tip Dale...

Totally agree. A brilliant book which I got last Christmas. I think I might get the other one this year!

Great review. I've just snatched this book up on email for a very low price, thought it would be an interesting browse. However, after reading the responses from you guys I'm very excited to begin reading it. I'm especially interested in the rivalry between magicians -- is this wrong?

Thanks!

Also very well worth a read is The Magic of Alan Wakeling by the same author. Alan Wakeling was an unfamiliar name to me before I read the book but the fact that he's been singled out by Steinmeyer for sole treatment should tell you enough...

'Art and Artifice' really is very good, in my opinion. I especially enjoyed Mr Steinmeyer's own stories of working with Doug Henning and the like.

Does anyone have his Annotated Jarrett book? Is it recommended? Should I ask that question in another section of the site? Pardon my ignorance - I'm new here.

Cheers,

Max.

Max Pritchard wrote:'Art and Artifice' really is very good, in my opinion. I especially enjoyed Mr Steinmeyer's own stories of working with Doug Henning and the like.

Does anyone have his Annotated Jarrett book? Is it recommended? Should I ask that question in another section of the site? Pardon my ignorance - I'm new here.

Cheers,

Max.

the Jarret book is one of my top ten all time favorites. Jarret was quite a character, and a plain speaking one at that.