Biographies & History in Magic & Conjuring: page 4

A unique documentary containing photos accompanied by autobiographical and anecdotal texts, featuring 250 magicians from 28 nations.

The photos were taken by the author from 1980 to 2015 during performances of the magicians in Europe. The texts were contributed by the artists. Foreword by Eberhard Riese.

"A Special Book. An extraordinary book. A history of magic of a different kind." - Eberhard Riese

"These large, beautiful volumes provide an opportunity to spend time with hundreds of magicians who share - in their own words - anecdotes, philosophy, and a bit of themselves. This is...

During the settlement of the Wild West, entertainers followed along the trails to provide the very much needed distraction from the grueling voyage. This ebook describes their circumstances and stories.

Originally this work was published as miniature book.

1st edition 1999; digital version 22 pages

Bob Gill has succeeded in producing a practical guide to the literature of magic for performers, students and librarians. This was, and still is, the only bibliography of performing magic in the English language to contain fully annotated entries evaluating the literature. It includes many rare and difficult to find publications, excluding material only of doubtful merit. It lists and describes over 1000 books and pamphlets on conjuring published up to 1975. Each book listed contains a description of contents and an assessment of value to performers, as well as bibliographical details.

The...

Ben Robinson is a popular scholar showman. He has entertained at such opposite extremes as 21 shows in one week at Hollywood's Magic Castle, and at the Base Camp of Mt. Everest (17,800 ft.). Hartford Courant drama critic Malcolm Johnson wrote of his first one-man show Out Of Order: "Ben Robinson's performance of silent, surreal illusions is MUST SEE entertainment."

In Magic and the Silent Clowns Ben Robinson conjures with his passion of many years - silent clowns and magic. Focusing on Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd and Harpo Marx, Robinson details Buster Keaton's jumping into...

Eddie Joseph who was born in India and lived there for most of his life. He wanted to write a detailed, true and unbiased description of the Indian magician and his methods. He penetrated deeply into the subject rather than give it superficial treatment. This ebook will give you a clear perspective of India's Mystery Mongers and their mysterious creations.

1st edition 1940; PDF 73 pages.

3. Introduction
9. Chapter One - Mystery Abounding
16. Chapter Two - Peering Beyond the Horizon
23. Chapter Three - The Gypsy Told Me So
24. Chapter Four - The Magicians of East India
28. Chapter Five - East Indian Mysteries ...

For the first time explains and demonstrates the great secret of her marvelous power.

In this autobiography, Lulu Hurst tells her rise to fame and fortune by performing acts of incredible strength on stage. She does this with personal recollections as well as quoting from various newspaper reports. At the time she performed many attributed her strength to some as of yet unknown or unexplainable force. But she had no unusual strength or the aid of any special force. She cleverly used mechanical principles as well as showmanship to make it appear she had super-human strength. In the second...

A docu-drama (dramatized documentary) on the identity of the mystery author of a classic book on sleight-of-hand with cards.

The best magicians of the 21st century set out on a journey to search for the lost author of the most legendary book about the art of sleight of hand. S.W. Erdnase is the pseudonym of the man thought to be the most notorious card shark of the 19th century. His book The Expert at the Card Table is now considered the card conjurer's bible, making it compulsory reading for any magician. It took more than 30 years after its publication for the true value of the book to be appreciated. His true identity remains...

• CARDINI He seemed bewildered by his own magic
• BLACKSTONE "The Last of the Great Magicians"
• LEON MANDRAKE He wore a turban or a top hat - depending on the gig
• DUNNINGER Was it true that the renowned mindreader couldn't read the mind of a gnat?
• DAVENPORT BROTHERS Their spirit cabinet brought them fame. But were they mediums or magicians?
• PROFESSOR NEUMAN He had misread a mind - and the police hauled him away
• THE GREAT LESTER Did he have the exclusive rights to that name?
• GEORGES MÉLIÈS A magician who transformed himself into a filmmaker
• CHARLIER No one knew where he came from - or where he finally went ...

• HENRY SLADE Was he a medium or a magician?
• CAGLIOSTRO The Mystery Man of Europe
• KATTERFELTO Lecturer, conjurer, and quack
• SERVAIS LE ROY He levitated a pianist and her piano
• C. W. STARR His vanishing act was for sheriffs
• TORRINI His greatest illusion was himself
• SIGNOR BLITZ What he pulled from a hat one night kept a family together
• CHARLES MORRITT His masterpiece was the Disappearing Donkey
• THE BOTTLE CONJURER How was he going to jump into a bottle?
• MAELZEL There was more to his Chess-playing Automaton than met the eye
• ROBERT HELLER His mindreading act mystified audiences
• THE BANGS...

"Mark is one of the truly interesting characters in the world of showbusiness. He has a brilliant yet wicked sense of humour, and is often misunderstood by his peers. As someone who has known him for much of his life, I consider him to be a man of incredible talent as both a performer and grafter [demonstrator]. He is extremely resourceful, and is a walking encyclopedia when it comes to magic and other branches of entertainment. His life is truly one of mystery and intrigue, and he is a wonderful raconteur as will be seen in the pages of this masterpiece. I would consider Mark to be a true showman, and...

A sketch of the life of Henry Meyer a converted gambler.

Henry Meyer was by his own account a very successful gambler who would play predominantly in Europe. One day he played against a young man and won all his money. Subsequently, that young man took his own life. At that point, Meyer realized that the young man was his younger brother. This charring experience made him give up gambling completely.

While I don't doubt that Meyer was a professional gambler who would later reform and give up gambling, the story with his brother rings a bit too fantastic. It is hard to believe that he and...

For a lifetime, Kodell traveled the world with his unique creativity, and a flight of birds. Headlining long running shows around the world in five-star venues from the Moulin Rouge and the Lido in Paris, the London Hippodrome, The Savoy Hotel, and the London Palladium in the United Kingdom, and the Ed Sullivan Show, New York’s Copacabana, and The Latin Quarter in the United States. He also accomplished a number of firsts in his career including being the first magician to perform in Las Vegas. Kodell always strived to be different with his magic and his life, from flying an airplane at the...

Once again Goodliffe provides a stimulating introduction to another archive series recording. This time the subject is Kalanag - Master Illusionist.

The live recordings from Sim Sala Bim have been drawn from various sources. Without the marvelous introduction by Goodliffe this recording would simply be a record of the past but now, Kalanag lives again. Goodliffe was the first British magician who was allowed to see Kalanag's show from backstage.

Goodliffe starts with a short introduction on Helmut Schreiber, aka Kalanag, including some of his Nazi background, accusations, and counterpoints....

The fascinating true story of the Lancashire mill girl, Mrs Edward Howarth who became a music hall artiste as Josephine Langley, an accomplished ventriloquist. She was particularly popular during the First World War with her patriotic 'Soldier Act'. The family emigrated to America but returned to England after many adventures during the Prohibition era.

1st edition 2008, 1st digital edition 2013, 34 pages.

This is a wonderful opportunity to experience the life and times of one of the UK's major performance artistes, whose illustrious career started in the 1960's and spanned over 40 years. Not only does this ebook provide a carefully researched and fascinating look at Johnny himself, it also shines a light on the general showbiz scene of the same period, as Johnny rubbed shoulders with many of the greats from the entertainment and TV world.

The ebook runs to over 200 pages and is profusely illustrated with playbills and photographs that really help to conjure up a clear vision of showbiz in...

This is the second volume of John Calvert's Story. Sit back, relax, and listen to a life full of magic. Learn from one of the greatest and most successful magicians of all time.

(See here for Volume 1.)

This is a licensed reproduction of the famous Magicassette and MagiCD series created by Martin Breese - now owned by Lybrary.com.

Here is one of magic's most fascinating personalities giving the secrets of how he achieved everything that every young magician would wish to achieve. How magic earned him a luxury cruise ship, a luxury private airplane and stardom on TV, the theater and many movies.

John takes us back to his early days and tells how his career actually started when he produced an egg from the pocket of a young friend whilst at Sunday School. You'll hear how a little bit of magical-style misdirection got him his first big break teaching Clark Gable card moves for a film; Clarke fluffed it all and Calvert...

Joe Karson, of course, invented the famous "Zombie" floating ball, but there was quite a bit more to Karson than just that.

The ebook is divided into two main sections; Karson's biography and Karson's creations (books, tricks and commentary). It has 29 photos, most not seen in many years. Besides extensive research in New England public records, several people who knew Karson were also interviewed, both magicians and laymen. Some of the well known magic personalities interviewed were; John Calvert, Jim Cellini, Ray & Ann Goulet, Jay Marshall, Sidney Radner, Nick Ruggiero, Les Smith, Tony Spina, Ben Stone, Parker...

This is a collection of wonderful poker stories, some obviously pure fiction, some based on true facts, at least some of the actors are historical figures that did indeed exist. It reveals a good amount of how card sharps plied their trade, and illustrates many of the local differences in playing draw poker.

The book has been illustrated by Ike Morgan of Frank Baum and Wizard of Oz fame.

• CHAPTER I
  • What Is Poker
  • Its Origin, And Why We Like It
• CHAPTER II
  • The Early Days Of Poker
  • Steamboat Games
  • A Mammoth Raise
  • Bowie's Good Deed
• CHAPTER III
  • Poker In Washington
  • A Story Of...

Ken Brooke was known throughout the world of magic. He was a magic dealer who achieved such a reputation for reliability and quality that there are thousands of magicians throughout the world, amateur, and professional who bought almost every trick he produced. Visitors from every country in the world made a beeline for his studio within minutes of arriving in London because just to visit Ken Brooke was an experience not to be missed. In partnership with Frank Farrow, he built the Ken Brooke Magic Place into a magical institution second to none. Considered by many to be the greatest magical...

This is not your typical magic video. While Tony Shiels demonstrates a few bizarre magic effects, it is for the most part a human interest piece. Tony invites us into his home as well as into the woods where we see him talking, walking, pointing at leaves and stones, giving performance advice and pondering the past - all done in his weird and unique way.

If you want to learn more about the personality behind Tony Shiels you will love this video. If you are after the next best effect you will certainly be disappointed.

Includes a five minute intro with Martin Breese talking about his foray...

A history of magic interwoven with Charles Bertram's recollections.

From the introduction:

This is the story of an Austrian inventor, his patent, and his appliance to make objects and people invisible on demand.

In the 1930s the Austrian press was excited about the invention of "invisibility rays" by an Austrian inventor. The invention was licensed by the company Semperit (the largest car and bicycle tire manufacturer in Austria) and exhibited at a trade show where it became a sensation and was viewed by hundreds of thousands of visitors. During that trade show, the inventor made for the first time also people invisible. He applied and received a patent in Great Britain for his...

In this ebook, George Boston, old time magician, takes his readers behind the scenes of the magic shows. Associate and confidant of the great men of magic, he recalls the greatest "tricks" in his memory and in many cases tells "how it was done." The great names of magic - Thurston, Blackstone, Houdini, Kellar, Carter and Nicola - appear in these pages. The book is liberally illustrated with many photographs, and is written in the highly readable style that has made Robert Parrish's For Magicians Only and New Ways to Mystify such popular favorites.

• About the Authors
• Introduction
• 1 How I Became a Magician
• 2 The Illusion Show
• 3 Thurston's Mysteries of India ...