talkmagic.co.uk

Hey again,

this is a question I have had in the back of my head for a while. have become interested in the history of magic.

I know a little about people such as Al Goshman, Tony Slydini, Dai Vernon, T Nelson Downs etc. I get bits and peices from the books I have, and I looked in the review section and found a few biographies, But what I really want is a comprehensive, basic, almost textbook history of magic as a whole.

I book of some kind is the most logical solution in my mind, are there any that you would recommend or is there a better source of information?

Im sorry if this has already been covered somewhere else, I searched a little but its a little too late in the night for me to search as extensively as I normally do.

Thanks in advance,

Ab

I was in a non magic bookshop a couple of days ago and saw a lovely book about the history of magic and the Magic Circle by ex-president of the Magic Circle, Michael Bailey.
It retailed at just under £20.

A couple of books that spring to mind are Hiding the Elephant by Jim Steinmeyer and Phantoms of the Card Table by David Britland. Both will give you an insight into two eras of magic.

Take care, Ian

Another book that you might be interested in is The Glorious Deceptions - the double life of Chung Ling Soo, also by Jim Steinmeyer.

Most are biographical... Hiding the Elephant is a good source, the Melbourne Christopher ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF MAGIC is another... you'll also get a huge deal of insight from the Dai Vernon and Ed Fowler bios and of course the new Harbin book and most anything dealing with Blackstone (both of them) and the Thurston legacy (entails Harry Kellar, P. T. Sielbit, Dante, HARRY Thurston, Will Rock, Kirk Kirkham, Lee Grabel, Lance Burton and some other schmuck I've heard of by the last name of Browning...)

You may want to find a copy of the old coffee table book THE WORLD'S GREATEST MAGIC... I just saw one on Amazon for $3.00...

And if you buy Illustrated History Of Magic by Milbourne Christopher go to Amazon UK. The new reprint ( £11:88)is cheaper than the magic dealers.
Also try his earlier book , Panorama of Magic which has been republished under a new title; Magic- A Picture History( £15-98) Again, Amazon.

To see what some of the greats looked like and what they performed, check out Great Magic Shows by Arnold Furst. This deals with Houdini, The Great Carter, Rooklyn, Jack Gwynne, Milbourne Christopher, John Calvert, Bill Neff, Jim Conley, Richardi, and The Great Levante. The book is reviews from Genii magazine, of their shows listing all the magic and with many pics. It is still around.
Furst's earlier book of reviews( my favourite) deals with Dante, Ormond McGill, Lee Grabel, (I've just bought the 4 dvds of his shows and work) Kalanag, Sorcar, Fu Manchu, Blackstone, Richiardi Junior, Chang, & The Great Virgil. Again with lots of pics.
ALSO check out who have a video of the 6 programmes The History Of Magic that the BBC put out.
There are more specialised books like David Price's Pictorial History Of Conjurers In The Theatre; but it's out of print.
For earlier magic you can't beat Edwin Dawes, The Great Illusionists. and a simpler read is Victorian Magic by Geoffrey Lamb.( Routledge & Kegan -Paul)
An even simpler book to start with, is The Best Ever Book Of Magic by Peter Eldin ( Kingfisher) in local bookshops.
Allen Tipton

Sorry for the late reply (I just started a new quarter).

I think Im going to look into the Illustrated History of Magic and the BBC's special.

Do any of these touch on the early history/beginnings of the art?

Ab,
Illust. History gives you 29 pages on the early Magic's
Beginnings/Origins.
Panorama of Magic has about 9/10 pages on it.
The Great Illusionists has about 14 pages

and what I didn't mention;

There are 2 videos probably now dvds put out by Jeff Busby specifically on magic history.
Volume 1 The Story Of Magic;Centuries Of Deception.
Volume 2. The Story Of Magic; Mystery in America.
Issued by A & E Home Video, 1996. /1997.
Marketed & distributed in the U.S. by New Video Group, 126, Fifth Ave.,
New York NY 10011

These would give you a great background.They are filled with pictures, posters and extracts from Great Magician's performances.

PM me if you have specific questions.
Allen Tipton