Magic 1400-1950s

Steinmeyer, Jim; Caveney, Mike; Jay, Ricky; Daniel, Noel [Editor]

ISBN 10: 3836509776 / ISBN 13: 9783836509770

Published by Taschen America Llc, 2009

About this Item

A nice clean oversized hardcover with a tight binding and an unmarked text.''18 ''12 ''3The pages are full of beautiful photographs and illustrations. 2009 1st edition From a private smoke free collection. No overseas shipping due size and weight. Additional shipping may be necessary. Shipping within 24 hours, tracking number and delivery confirmation.

Seller Inventory # PTEC10C-63a

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Magic 1400-1950s
• Publisher: Taschen America Llc
• Publication Date: 2009
• Language: German
• ISBN 10: 3836509776
• ISBN 13: 9783836509770
• Binding: hardcover
• Edition: First Edition.
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good

About this title

Synopsis

The art of magic

Magic has enchanted humankind for millennia, evoking terror, laughter, shock, and amazement. Once persecuted as heretics and sorcerers, magicians have always been conduits to a parallel universe of limitless possibility – whether invoking spirits, reading minds, or inverting the laws of nature by sleight of hand. Long before science fiction, virtual realities, video games and the internet, the craft of magic was the most powerful fantasy world man had ever known. As the pioneers of special effects throughout history, magicians have never ceased to mystify us by making the impossible possible.
This book celebrates more than 500 years of the dazzling visual culture of the world’s greatest magicians. Featuring over 1,000 rarely seen vintage posters, photographs, handbills, and engravings in one 650-page volume, it traces the history of magic as a performing art from the 1400s to the 1950s. Combining sensational images with lucid and incisive text, Magic explores the evolution of the magician’s craft, from medieval street performers to the brilliant stage magicians who gave rise to cinematic special effects; from the 19th century's Golden Age of Magic to groundbreaking daredevils like Houdini and the early 20th century's vaudevillians.

About the Author

TASCHEN editor Noel Daniel's most recent book is Circus 1870-1950 (2008). After graduating from Princeton University, she studied in Berlin on a Fulbright Scholarship. She received a master's in London and was the director of a photography art gallery before becoming a book editor. She lives in Los Angeles. Mike Caveney is a writer, publisher, collector, and professional magician who has published over 50 books on magic history. He has also written the biographies Carter the Great (1995) and Kellar's Wonders (2003). Caveney has performed in more than 20 countries and appeared on the NBC series World's Greatest Magic. He has been an avid collector and performer for more than three decades. Jim Steinmeyer is the author of many books on magic history and practice, including Los Angeles Times bestseller Hiding the Elephant (2004) and The Glorious Deception (2006). He has created deceptions featured by leading magicians such as Doug Henning, David Copperfield, and Siegfried and Roy, and critically acclaimed illusions for the Broadway hits Mary Poppins, Beauty and the Beast, and Into the Woods. Ricky Jay is considered one of the world's great sleight-of-hand artists. He is also distinguished as an actor, historian, and best-selling author. His Learned Pigs & Fireproof Women and Jay's Journal of Anomalies were both named New York Times "Notable Books of the Year," and he defined the terms of his art for the Cambridge Guide to American Theatre and the Encyclopedia Britannica.