David Copperfield's History of Magic

David Copperfield, Richard Wiseman, David Britland

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN:
  9781982112912
• eBook ISBN:
  9781982112936
• Topic: Art
• Subtopic: History of Photography

An illustrated, illuminating insight into the world of illusion from the world’s greatest and most successful magician, capturing its audacious and inventive practitioners, and showcasing the art form’s most famous artifacts housed at David Copperfield’s secret museum.

In this personal journey through a unique and remarkable performing art, David Copperfield profiles twenty-eight of the world’s most groundbreaking magicians. From the 16th-century magistrate who wrote the first book on conjuring to the roaring twenties and the man who fooled Houdini, to the woman who levitated, vanished, and caught bullets in her teeth, David Copperfield’s History of Magic takes you on a wild journey through the remarkable feats of the greatest magicians in history.

These magicians were all outsiders in their own way, many of them determined to use magic to escape the strictures of class and convention. But they all transformed popular culture, adapted to social change, discovered the inner workings of the human mind, embraced the latest technological and scientific discoveries, and took the art of magic to unprecedented heights.

The incredible stories are complimented by over 100 never-before-seen photographs of artifacts from Copperfield’s exclusive Museum of Magic, including a 16th-century manual on sleight of hand, Houdini’s straightjackets, handcuffs, and water torture chamber, Dante’s famous sawing-in-half apparatus, Alexander’s high-tech turban that allowed him to read people’s minds, and even some coins that may have magically passed through the hands of Abraham Lincoln.

By the end of the book, you’ll be sure to share Copperfield’s passion for the power of magic.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Secrets of the Conjurors Revealed
• Chapter 2: The Pastry Chef
• Chapter 3: Prestidigitation and the Presidency
• Chapter 4: Will, the Witch, and the Watchman
• Chapter 5: The Man Who Knows
• Chapter 6: “P” Is for Private
• Chapter 7: This Is My Wife
• Chapter 8: We’re Off to See the Wizard
• Chapter 9: The Queen of Magic
• Chapter 10: The Palace of Magic
• Chapter 11: Author Unknown
• Chapter 12: Notes on Steam Engines, Pumps, Boilers Hydraulic, and Other Machinery
• Chapter 13: Condemned to Death by the Boxers
• Chapter 14: Escaping Mortality
• Chapter 15: The Magician Who Made Himself Disappear
• Chapter 16: Lighter Than Air
• Chapter 17: Divided
• Chapter 18: Free Rabbits
• Chapter 19: The Suave Deceiver
• Chapter 20: The Human Index
• Chapter 21: If They Don’t Know You, They Can’t Book You
• Chapter 22: In Pursuit of Perfection
• Chapter 23: Blood on the Curtain
• Chapter 24: The Man Who Fooled Houdini
• Chapter 25: The Mystery Box
• Chapter 26: The Magic in Your Mind
• Chapter 27: The Magician Who Believed in Real Magic
• Chapter 28: On the Shoulders of Giants
• Acknowledgments
• About the Authors
• Sources and Further Reading
• Index
• Image Credits
• Copyright