talkmagic.co.uk

Any recommendations? I don't mind if the book also contains some tricks (this is probably inevitable, anyway, given the subject matter). I've been searching around and found these ones so far:

Annemann: The Life and Times of a Legend
Dai Vernon: A Biography
The Glorious Deception (Robinson AKA Chung Ling Soo)
Mysteries of My Life (Rene Lavand)
The Secret Life of Houdini

The war magician by David Fisher about Jasper Maskelyne. Jim Steinmeyer has a new one out on Charles Fort as well.

My 2 favorite biographies are
Goodnight Mr Dante By Val Andrews & A Gift From The God (Chung Ling Soo) Also by Val Andrews.
Both very indepth story about the lives and hardship they had to face.

I also found this thread...

http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic24578-15.php

There is a list about half way down the page on this thread with some great books on it.

I have read the Illustrated History of magic by Millbourne Christopher which is very interesting.

I f i think of any more i'll post them.

Darren @ The Magic Attic

Just remembered another

Peter Lamont's The Rise Of The Indian Rope Trick

Very nice story.

Darren @ The Magic Attic

Not necessarily easy to get but a cracking read if you can

The Man who was Erdnase

by Bart Whaley with Martin Gardner and Jeff Busby. 430+ pages of fascinating research into the enigmatic author of The Expert at the Card Table.

Hiding The Elephant (Jim Steinmeyer)

World's Greatest Magic (Hyla Clark)

The Encyclopedia of Magic (Edwin Dawes & Arthur Setterington)

Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women (Ricky Jay)

Illusion Show, by Bamberg

Germain the Wizard by Stuart Cramer

Thank you, gentlemen. I will be looking those books up.

If interested, a few years ago I wrote three biogs/memoirs:

1) Edward G. Brown; A Magical Life (great cardman)

2) Percy Naldrett; Conjuror & Poet

3) Victor Farelli; A Magical Memoir

All three still available from me.

Paul Gordon

The Fogel book is excellent:

http://www.mauricefogel.com/html/the_book.html

Barry

The greatest book of all is coming out. I know the author personally and can confirm he is an utter genius. The book is entitled "Lives of a showman" by Mark Lewis and it will released in the spring or thereabouts of next year. It is a memoir of the adventures of this wondrous scoundrel. It talks about showbusiness, svengali pitching and the world of the psychic along with various shenanigans and nonsense.

It will be published by David Ben of Magicana who will be quivering with embarrassment over at the Genii Forum now that the secret is out. Eyebrows will be raised since David is known more for publishing books about respectable and revered people like Herb Zarrow, Steward James and Dai Vernon (he is the biographer of Vernon).

If any of you would like an extract of the book to be posted here just let me know.

'The Life And Times of Alexander, The Man Who Knows" by Darryl Beckman. although it is stupidly expensive.

Sorry. You can't have an extract of the book after all. David is waxing irritable on the Genii forum about my generosity in these matters.

I read The Secret Life Of Houdini recently & although it covers much unknown aspects of his life it also goes over what magicians probably already know about him, his friends, enemies etc. It did reveal much more than I knew regarding his various 'other jobs' though.

Hiding The Elephant covers many magicians, illusions & inventors in a very interesting journey through magic history.

The Rise & Fall Of The Indian Rope Trick is also a good historical look at this well known effect from the origins, to different variations to whether it actually existed at all.

Russ
www.smartmagic.co.uk

Thanks to everyone who has posted; I appreciate it. There should be enough reading material there to keep me out of trouble for good while.