Synopses & Reviews
Follow the fascinating stories of the world's greatest necromancers, from sorcerer-priests in ancient Egypt to such modern miracle workers as Houdini and David Copperfield!
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 467-471) and index.
About the Author
MILBOURNE CHRISTOPHER played a crucial role in reviving magic with audiences in America and Europe by convincing television bookers and network programmers that magicians could hold their own in primetime on the major networks. "Festival of Magic" on NBC placed number six in the ratings in America in 1957 and drew large audiences in Europe as well. For Christopher there would never be enough time. He staged his own shows and guested on TV. He lectured at colleges and brought magic back to Broadway theatre. He invented new illusions and modernized the classics. He wrote books on magic, extra sensory perception, and the hereafter. In the 1980s, declining health drained his strength. Still, he continued to tour in a one-man play. Milbourne Christopher died at the age of seventy in June 1984.
Table of Contents
Foreword, David Copperfield
Myth or Magic
The First Wonder-Workers
The Automaton Chess Player
Magic in the Colonies
American Indian Conjuring
Professor Pinetti
Signor Blitz
The Great Wizard of the North
Robert-Houdin--Innovator
England's Home of Mystery
The Great Herrmanns
Around the World with Kellar
Thurston--The Wonder Show of the Universe
Ching Ling Foo, Chung Ling Soo, and The Great Lafayette
The Selbit Sensations
The Great Vaudeville Specialists
Le Roy and Goldin--Trendsetters
Carter, Nicola, and Raymond
Houdini
Blackstone Versus Dante
Dunninger--Master Mentalist
Big Shows and Small Screens
Magic Superstars Poised for the Twenty-first Century