Magic: 1400s-1950s

Magic has enchanted humankind for thousands of years, evoking terror, laughter, shock, and amazement in its audiences. 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. Before science fiction, virtual realities, video games, and the Internet, magicians were the pioneers of special effects in history. This book celebrates more than 500 years of the stunning visual culture of the world's greatest magicians from the 1400s to the 1950s. Featuring more than 850 rarely seen vintage posters, photographs, handbills, and engravings in one volume, it traces the history of magic as a performing art. Through arresting images and insightful accompanying text, Magic 1400s-1950s brings together for the first time the full scope of the craft's brilliant imagery, from that of it's early street performers to the masters of the golden age and 20th century greats like Houdini.