Hiding the Elephant
by Jim Steinmeyer · first published 2003
3mentions
2recommended by
3HN commenters
2012–2021first – last mentioned
67% recommend33% neutral
Traces more than fifty years of illusionary innovation, backstage antics, elevated showmanship, and fierce competition within the world of magicians, revealing how magicians have developed their most intriguing techniques and slights of hand.
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Another book about Houdini (and a whole host of other fascinating characters) with a rather different focus to this one (by the sound of it) is 'Hiding the Elephant' by Jim Steinmeyer and I really can't recommend it enough.
on “Unchained Melody: The dark side of Harry Houdini” ↗…respected positions. Jim is one of the very topmost people with the first job (Teller does both). In addition to his career as an illusion engineer, Jim also is a major scholar on magic history. His book, "Hiding the Elephant", is an awesome read. Interesting, and particularly relevant to this discussion, is the fact that "Hiding the Elephant" spends a fair bit of time going over probably the single most famous theft of magic…
on “Teller on theft in magic” ↗…forgotten, or dismissed. Publishing a secret takes away its cachet and causes it to be overlooked. Every illusion that I’ve discussed in this book has already been explained in books. – Jim Steinmeyer, Hiding the Elephant Human life is so far a game of cross-purposes. If we wish a thing to be kept secret, it is sure to be transpire: if we wish it to be known, not a syllable is breathed about it. This is not meant; but…
on “Dry Water” ↗