Max Maven
(Ithaca, New York: 21st December 1950 – 1st November 2022)
Philip Thorner Goldstein, aka "Max Maven". Interest triggered by being taught his cousin's 2 tricks. Learned around age 8 from gift magic set. Top-line pro mentalist since 1974, performing in over 20 countries. Consultant to Blackstone Jr, Lance Burton, David Copperfield, Doug Henning, Jeff McBride, The Pendragons, Mark Wilson, and Penn & Teller. Also produced and directed magic shows (with partner David Belenzon). 1980 AMA Best Lecturer. 1988 Tenkai Prize, its first non-Japanese recipient.
Wrote The Blue Book of Mentalism (1976, 28pp); Verbal Control (1976, 8pp), The Red Book of Mentalism [1977, 20pp], Scattershot (1977), The Green Book of Mentalism (1977, 24pp), Masque (1980), New Magic of Japan (1988, with Richard Kaufman), a Japanese-English issue of his Tenkai Prize book (1989), Focus (1990, 150pp), Thavant (1991, 47pp), Max Maven's Book of Fortunetelling (1992, 256pp), Thabbatical (1994, 130pp), etc. Prolific contributor of tricks (over 1,000 since 1965), essays, articles, and reviews to most major international magic magazines, including Swami & Mantra. For all-Goldstein issues see Linking Ring (10 "Parades" since 1975), New Jinx, Magick, Richard's Almanac, Pabular, Genii, Mad Magic #27, etc. See also Richard Vollmer (compiler-translator), The Very Best of Phil Goldstein (1988, in French). Columns in Magigram since 1990 and Magic since 1991. Many TV bits plus hosting 8 specials in Japan. Video (1985).
Test your knowledge with Max Maven's Inquisition.
