Modern Magic - Professor Hoffman
Professor Hoffmann was the pen name of a 19th Century journalist and amateur magician Angelo John Lewis. His three masterpieces "Modern Magic", "More Magic", and "Later Magic", and his translations of the works of French Magician Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin could be said to constitue the bible of Magicians. No magician, amateur or professional, is truly a magician if they have not read Modern Magic. Within its pages are not only, from our point of view in 2003, a historical account of 19th Century magic but also pearls of wisdom on performance and the understanding of an audience that is still relevant today. This book covers everything from sleight of hand with cards and coins to magic performed with the use of stage props - props which are still used today but with modern decoration on them.
Modern Magic is a stunning and easy to read text. It is profusely illustrated with 19th century engravings of sleights and equipment that are far clearer as to their meaning than the photographs in modern day books.
There are two delightful gems in this this edition. One is Hoffmann's chapter describing a complete evening of a magical performace of a 19th Century parlour magic show. The other is that Dover books included an extra section, by a fellow magician of Hoffman's, that exposes the tricks of fraudulent mediums and spiritualists of that time.
If you consider yourself to be a magician then read this book and finally understand what are the best and most imaginative qualities of magical performance.
Professor Hoffmann was the pen name of a 19th Century journalist and amateur magician Angelo John Lewis. His three masterpieces "Modern Magic", "More Magic", and "Later Magic", and his translations of the works of French Magician Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin could be said to constitue the bible of Magicians. No magician, amateur or professional, is truly a magician if they have not read Modern Magic. Within its pages are not only, from our point of view in 2003, a historical account of 19th Century magic but also pearls of wisdom on performance and the understanding of an audience that is still relevant today. This book covers everything from sleight of hand with cards and coins to magic performed with the use of stage props - props which are still used today but with modern decoration on them.
Modern Magic is a stunning and easy to read text. It is profusely illustrated with 19th century engravings of sleights and equipment that are far clearer as to their meaning than the photographs in modern day books.
There are two delightful gems in this this edition. One is Hoffmann's chapter describing a complete evening of a magical performace of a 19th Century parlour magic show. The other is that Dover books included an extra section, by a fellow magician of Hoffman's, that exposes the tricks of fraudulent mediums and spiritualists of that time.
If you consider yourself to be a magician then read this book and finally understand what are the best and most imaginative qualities of magical performance.
Professor Hoffmann was the pen name of a 19th Century journalist and amateur magician Angelo John Lewis. His three masterpieces "Modern Magic", "More Magic", and "Later Magic", and his translations of the works of French Magician Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin could be said to constitue the bible of Magicians. No magician, amateur or professional, is truly a magician if they have not read Modern Magic. Within its pages are not only, from our point of view in 2003, a historical account of 19th Century magic but also pearls of wisdom on performance and the understanding of an audience that is still relevant today. This book covers everything from sleight of hand with cards and coins to magic performed with the use of stage props - props which are still used today but with modern decoration on them.
Modern Magic is a stunning and easy to read text. It is profusely illustrated with 19th century engravings of sleights and equipment that are far clearer as to their meaning than the photographs in modern day books.
There are two delightful gems in this this edition. One is Hoffmann's chapter describing a complete evening of a magical performace of a 19th Century parlour magic show. The other is that Dover books included an extra section, by a fellow magician of Hoffman's, that exposes the tricks of fraudulent mediums and spiritualists of that time.
If you consider yourself to be a magician then read this book and finally understand what are the best and most imaginative qualities of magical performance.