The Art of Magic (PBS) by Carl Waldman, Joe Layden, Jamy Ian Swiss

Details: Issued in conjunction with the 1998 PBS series of the same name, The Art of Magic takes an eclectic look at the history and development of stage magic. Like the series, the book is more inspirational than informational — laden with gorgeous, full-color reproductions of rare magic posters, photographs and prints, leafing through his volume is a joy.

Unfortunately, the book is a little light on content, and suffers from remarkable flaws, including the absence of an index and some staggeringly bad historical errors. The most obvious error is the illustration of a chapter devoted to Alexander Herrmann — a magician noted for pioneering the top-hat and tails image of a magician — with posters depicting Claude “The Man Who Knows” Alexander, a turbaned vaudeville mentalist.

Notwithstanding these problems, given the outstanding production values of this book, The Art of Magic remains a worthwhile investment. In recommending The Art of Magic, we’ve obviously opted for form over substance — but isn’t that what magic is all about?

Contents:

6 Foreword (Siegfried & Roy)
8 Preface (Lance Burton)
12 Introduction – You Do Believe in Magic
20 Chapter 1 – Magic of the Shamans
28 Chapter 2 – Magic of the Temple Priests
40 Chapter 3 – Conjuring in the Dark Ages
50 Chapter 4 – Mysteries of the East
58 Chapter 5 – Pioneers of Theatrical Magic
70 Chapter 6 – Fathers of Modern Magic
80 Chapter 7 – The Rise of Spiritualism
96 Chapter 8 – Ghostbusting
108 Chapter 9 – Masters of Illusion
122 Chapter 10 – Ultimate Showmen
138 Chapter 11- Conjurers One and All
156 Chapter 12 – Master of Escapology
172 Chapter 13 – Masters of Mentalism
182 Chapter 14 – Masters of Manipulation
198 Chapter 15 – Movie Magic
204 Chapter 16 – State of the Art
248 The Power of Words: A Glossary of Magical Terms
251 Magical Societies
251 Periodicals on Magic
252 Bibliography
254 Index

• Publisher: General Publishing Group Inc.
• Pages: 256
• Location: Los Angeles, CA, USA
• Edited by: Steve Baeck
• Dimensions: 10″x8″
• Date: 1997
• Binding: hardbound

Text Source: Gary R. Brown – (c) 1998-2001
Contents: magicref.net – click for details

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