Abracadabra

Jim Steinmeyer's Hiding the Elephant is a history of illusion running from the mid 19th century to the early 20th. It's a rare non-fiction book that gets my attention - luckily, Steinmeyer is not only an accomplished illusion designer, he's a hell of a writer and historian.

Witness the Davenport brothers, who hoodwink half of New England during the inspired Spiritualism craze with a simple wooden cabinet. They are outdone when a couple of enterprising Londoners discover the haunting power of sheet glass, and soon begin to hatch ghosts onstage to rapt audiences. Ghosts are good for a while, until levitation takes off. All the while, escape artist Houdini is chomping at the bit, trying to get known as a magician. He soon steals from the best.

Magicians are conniving bastards who hoard their secrets. They bribe stage hands and pay high dollar for another's devices. There's no honor among these thieves, and as the New York/London rivalry heats up, the true showmen like Devant and Kellar rise to the top. Magic was a huge draw, with bums and swells eager to pay to be fooled. Magicians ran touring companies and broke new talent, and the collective enterprise was enormous.

I've ordered a couple more Steinmeyer books and will report findings asap. Meanwhile, I can make beer disappear at Barc's.