Conjuring is a book by James Randi

James Randi

James Randi is a Canadian-American stage magician and scientific skeptic best known as a challenger of paranormal claims and pseudoscience. Randi is the founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation...

. Randi gives a detailed history of conjuring, more commonly known as magic

Magic (illusion)

Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...

. Said to be the world's second oldest profession, Randi's illustrated volume tells the story of magic and its bizarre history. Using detailed portraits of the conjurers themselves, including the Harry Blackstone, Sr.

Harry Blackstone, Sr.

Harry Blackstone was a famed stage magician and illusionist of the 20th century. Blackstone was born Harry Bouton in Chicago, Illinois, he began his career as a magician in his teens and was popular through World War II as a USO entertainer. He was often billed as The Great Blackstone. His son...

, Harry Blackstone, Jr.

Harry Blackstone, Jr.

Harry Blackstone, Jr. was an American stage magician, author, and television performer.-Career and life:Blackstone was born in Three Rivers, Michigan, the son of noted stage magician Harry Blackstone, Sr. .As an infant, he was used as a prop in his father's act...

, Harry Houdini

Harry Houdini

Harry Houdini was a Hungarian-born American magician and escapologist, stunt performer, actor and film producer noted for his sensational escape acts...

 and his entourage, Howard Thurston

Howard Thurston

Howard Thurston was a stage magician from Columbus, Ohio.-Life:Thurston had the largest traveling magic show for the time, requiring more than eight entire train cars to transport his props across the country...

, Robert Heller

Robert Heller

Robert Heller, also Joseph Heller, was an English magician, mentalist, and musician. The year of his birth is the subject of some speculation; some sources list it as 1829 while others claim 1830....

, Joe Berg

Joe Berg

Joe Berg was a professional magician and magic dealer who lived and worked in Chicago, Illinois and Hollywood, CA. He was born in Pinsk, Russian Empire and immigrated to the U.S. with his parents in 1914....

, and others.

Randi also explains the history of the more famous magic tricks like the Rabbit from a hat, Bullet catch

Bullet catch

The bullet catch is a conjuring illusion in which a magician appears to catch a bullet fired directly at him—often in his mouth, sometimes in his hand or caught with other items such as a dinner plate...

, and the Indian rope trick

Indian rope trick

The Indian rope trick is stage magic said to have been performed in and around India during the 19th century. Sometimes described as "the world’s greatest illusion", it reputedly involved a magician, a length of rope, and one or more boy assistants....

.

External links

• As Life's Questions Get Harder, Magic Casts a Wider Spell New York Times, June 13, 1994.