- Hardcover: 362 pages
- Publisher: William Heinemann Ltd; First British Edition edition (4 Nov 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0434013250
- ISBN-13: 978-0434013258
- Product Dimensions: 21.8 x 13.6 x 4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 620,604 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Review
Queen Victoria may not have been amused to know it, but it seems that all the time she thought she was conversing with Prince Albert from the other side she was actually being taken for a ride by a couple of tricksters. That is just one of the amazing facts to emerge from this book written by master illusionist Steinmeyer. We also learn how some of the most amazing conjuring tricks in history have been brought to life, and about the cut-throat world of showbusiness. In presenting a cultural history of conjuring, Steinmeyer looks at the most famous trick of all - the time Harry Houdini made an elephant disappear on stage. The reader is taken on a backstage tour to see how engineering, artistry and optical illusion have all been used to trick audiences that include everyone from sitters at seances to the well-heeled at lavish theatres. There's only one word to describe this book - magic. (Kirkus UK)
Metro
Steinmeyer's entertaining overview of the subject promises much - examining history's countless famous illusions and most vibrant characters...
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A superb evocation of turn of the century magic,
By
This review is from: Hiding The Elephant: How Magicians Invented the Impossible (Paperback)
In this excellent book Jim Steinmeyer transports the reader back to the times where magic shows were the biggest draws in town. He leads us backstage to witness the scheming and stealing, and professional jealousies that drove the leading magicians of the age in their quest to find the next big trick. Considering the American background of the author he gives a surprisingly large part of the book over to the British magicians Maskelyne, Devant and Morrit.Mr Steinmeyer knows his subject very well - he is currently the world's leading designer of stage illusions (he's the guy who designed Copperfield's Disappearance of the Statue of Liberty). He is able to describe the technical aspects of the tricks well, giving just enough information to understand the mechanics without ruining the flow of the story. He clearly revels in the innovation of Devant, Morrit and Jarrett and is capable of passing that enthusiasm to the reader. Highly recommended.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Utterly fascinating,
By
This review is from: Hiding The Elephant: How Magicians Invented the Impossible (Paperback)
Arguably the finest history of the magical illusion ever written, this book is a riveting read from start to finish. Not only do you learn about the personalities, the egos and the vanities of the magicians themselves, the intense competitive rivalries that fuelled the development of their illusions, and precise technical details of the illusions themselves, how they arose, the issues they posed and how the showmen presented their technical wizardry. We learn for example that Houdini was a great escapologist but a lousy magician, how David Devant's act was "all done by kindness", in fact the entire history of the golden age of magic. Utterly fascinating and a must read book :D
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Remarkably pacy,
By Rhys "rhys56n" (England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Hiding The Elephant: How Magicians Invented the Impossible (Paperback)
I originally bought this as it had a similar cover to "Carter Beats the Devil" and its theme looked similar. It is about late 19th and early 20th century magic but is a non fictionalised account of all the great conjurors of them time. As expected there is double crossing and subterfuge and u get a real feel for the particular shows and characters. Depsite not following a strict chronological narrative it is a surprisngly pacy piece of work and recommended to anyone who likes human interest stories. It doesn't often tell you how tricks are done but when it does it is fascinating.
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