The Master Magicians

• The Master Magicians

Their Lives and Most Famous Tricks/ ca. 15 x 23 cm, 221 S., Citadel Press, Secausus, N.J., broschiert Robert-Houdin, Houdini, Thurston, Hermann the Great, Kellar and Hardeen: these are only some of the great magicians whose feats of legerdemain have astouned audiences around the world. Walter Gibson knew many of them and others who appear in this fascinating account of the lives and times of the master magicians. Gibson has written a history of modern wizardry from Robert-Houdin, who freed magic from the trappings of the charlatan, to Harry Houdini, perhaps the most skillful escape artist ever. Here are clear and detailed explanations of how these men performed tricks that baffled hundreds of thousands of observers.