David Copperfield's History of Magic

Considerable scholarship underlies the historical presentation here, despite the absence of in-text footnotes, as you can see at the end of the book from the suggested readings, and chapter-by-chapter discussions of the documentary origins of the material presented within each chapter. But what the book actually is, rather than a history, is a look at some of the holdings of David Copperfield's museum of magic. It incorporates two large private collections, of Dr. Robert Albo and magician John Mulholland, plus innumerable props, costumes and posters associated with famous magicians over the years, assembled by David Copperfield. A close duplicate of the showroom of the clothing store once owned by David's father serves as the entrance to the museum, which is not open to the public. Inside is a full-scale replica of the show room of Tannen's magic shop in NYC, and of the famous theater connected with Martinka's magic store. The photographs are by the long-time associate director of David's TV specials, and they do an excellent job of using the available lighting of the exhibits within the museum. Co-authors are Richard Wiseman, a famous British psychologist and magician, and David Britland. The book might not be selling well, as Amazon has already sharply discounted it. However, if you are a magician, or are interested in the art of magic, this volume is a must for your library!

I'M A COLLECTOR OF MANY THINGS BUT MY MOST PRIZED IS MY MODEST COLLECTION OF MAGIC PROPS, BOOKS, COSTUMES & POSTERS - I HAD A MAGIC ACT WITH MY WIFE (DECEASED) - I GOT INTERESTED IN MAGIC OVER 65 YEARS AGO - I KNOW DAVID BUT I'VE NEVER VISITED HIS MUSEUM WITH THE WORLDS LARGEST COLLECTION OF MAGIC. I'M UNABLE TO TRAVEL BUT I'D VISIT IT IF POSSIBLE. THE STORIES TOLD ABOUT THE PERFORMERS & THEIR CORRELATION WITH EACH ITEM ON DISPLAY ARE IN THEMSELVES "MAGICAL" - BUY THIS BOOK IT'S A THINK OF ABSOLUTE BEAUTY

I was expecting a history of Magic not one devoted to magicians, good and bad. Virtually no explanation is given of any magic tricks nor how they evolved. The pictures also are not especially illuminating. Most collections look like purchases from a seedy yard sale. Overall a disappointing book for me at least.

David Copperfield's History of Magic is a journey into David's World of Magic. His enormous collection of historical magic is lovingly shared in breathtaking photos and informative text throughout the book. The photos taken by a magical artist in his own right Homer Liwag. Every single photo is a work of art.

The book begins with what I believe are the two most perfect words for a book of this nature. Two simple words, "Magic Matters." As historians we know it. As performers we know it. As fans of magic we know it. And in this crazy world we live in, it's time we let others know and remind those of us who have forgotten, Magic Matters!

There are 28 Chapters in this book and they are basically in chronological order. The first being a chapter about the first english language magic book, Reginald Scot's Discovery of Witchcraft of 1584.

Next we have a chapter on Robert-Houdin the Father of Modern Magic. The images included in that chapter show the Pastry Chef of the Palais Royale, numerous posters, cornucopias used to produce items in the show, and numerous Houdin Mystery Clocks. The chapter covers a brief history of Robert Houdin and it wonderfully illustrates the importance of Houdin in the history of our art.

Chapter 9 focuses on the Queen of Magic, Adelaide Herrmann. She was one of the first female magicians and she was quite famous in her day. Adelaide was the wife of the Great Herrmann, who died while on tour. She took over the show and proved to be an artist in her own right. On Sept 7th, 1926, the warehouse where Adelaide Herrmann was storing her show, burned to the ground. All was lost. So the fact that there are still items of hers to view is astonishing!

Chapter 14-HOUDINI. The most famous magician of all time. Here we find many of the props and illusions that Houdini used in his career.
As David Copperfield has said in numerous interviews, "If Houdini were alive today, he would see his whole show right here."  That's pretty accurate. At least, the main pieces. Much of the Houdini show has been lost to time. Yet, there are items here that have never been in a collection until now. Houdini's bathtub, straight out of his home in NYC, and his bookshelf also from his home in NYC. The way the bookshelf has been set up allows a visiter to get a photo recreation of one that Houdini himself took oh so many years ago. 

I could go on and on about each chapter of the book, but I am going to stop here. Let me just say that each chapter contains several photos and a fine overview of the life of the performer being discussed. As a magic historian, I would have preferred longer chapters, but this is a book for the public and I believe those chapters are exactly the right length. Also, thankfully, this IS a book for the general public, because of that, it means we are not paying hundreds of dollars for the book. It is worth hundreds of dollars easily. 

Every category of magic is covered in this book: The Manipulators, The Close-up Performer, The Mentalist, The Stage Performer, the Comedy Performer, the Illusionist, the Escape Artist and more. If this were just a history of magic, it would be great to have these various images and stories in one place. But knowing that this is all together in one collection, that makes it all even more special. 

Let me end with this. If you have not ordered a copy of the book, please do so. Do yourself a favor and get this book. Use it to learn about the history of our cherished art. Use it for inspiration. Use it to understand that, as David Copperfield said at the beginning of the book, Magic Matters!

This book is gorgeous. The photos and artwork are stunning. Highly recommended.

Beautifully produced and excellently written book that features photos of exhibits at David Copperfield’s “International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts.” Truly a great coffee table book for those that love magic, magicians and their mysterious craft.

He has an incredible collection. I don't know if a lot of people not connected to magic will appreciate it nearly as much as those of us who are. But, for us, it's FANTASTIC!! It's like taking a walk through the Smithsonian, if there were a magic wing there. The photograpy is wonderful, as well. The text is, I'm sure, very helpful for those who are not magic nuts like us, making it an excellent book for anyone interested in history or showbiz. And the Tannen's recreation is, for me, like a trip back in time and MAY be my favorite part of the book. I hope that someday I will be able to see the museum. It's GOTTA be breathtaking!

This could have been a terrific book. Instead, because of the way it was laid out, it is only a good book. David Copperfield is a legend. This book was very much needed to expose the general public to the beautiful history of magic. However, because of the simplicity of this books layout, the information and stories do not pop out of the page. The pictures by Homer Liwag are BEAUTIFUL- but the presentation of them is not. Copperfield‘s museum is a treasure trove of magical history, but this book does not do it justice. I doubt a 10-year-old would get very excited by what they see, even though they should be.

Was a gift somcan’t provide a review

I've had the pleasure of meeting David Copperfield in person, and it was so cool readind about this!