Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Tarcher (2011), Edition: First Edition, 384 pages
Description
A biography of magician Howard Thurston that explores the stage and psychological rivalry between Thurston and Harry Houdini during the first decades of the twentieth century.
User reviews
LibraryThing member retropelocin
Out now in paperback is the story of Howard Thurston, a contemporary of Harry Houdini and arguably the most successful magician of his day. Unfortunately, he was not the best at budgeting his fortunes. Or, maybe, not “unfortunately.” Thurston used every dime he earned, and quite a few borrowed
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dimes, to construct increasingly more elaborate illusions. The illusions created by Thurston and built by his engineers are still enjoyed today by audiences everywhere. Steinmeyer’s book is satisfyingly full of the rivalries between magicians of the early 20th century and the risks of not retaining their trusted staff, who could eventually become someone else’s right hand. If you are a fan of Christopher Priest’s Prestige, you will truly enjoy the reality that fills the pages of The Last Greatest Magician in the World. Show Less
LibraryThing member magicians_nephew
The Last Greatest Magician in the World is a BIG book about a man you probably never heard of -- Howard Thurston -- who started out as a penniless street hustler and wound up an international star of a hugely popular magic show that was an evening of top-drawer entertainment all across America in
The image everyone has of the stage magician with the black dress suit and the top hat is really Thurston though other copied the look after him.
The Thurston show traveled on its own train with cars full of equipment and people and lions and other animals too. He more or less invented - with some help - the changing the lady into a lion trick.
If you wonder why magicians used to say "There's nothing up my sleeve" well it was Thurston who perfected the "back-palm" and got conjurers once and for all out of the business of tucking cards and coins and other props up inside their (baggy) dress suits.
For someone like me who studied magic as a kid its fun to see that the principles of the big tricks haven't changed much in a century - fascinating. And the author gets points for not revealing how tricks are done even while discussing the fine points of Thurston's presentation.
The book is good about the gossip and petty jealousies of the magic community -- maybe more than you want to know but it's a fun read anyway.. The competition with Houdini - really wasn't such a big deal. They did very different kinds of shows and were in very different kinds of markets and were (more or less) friendly to each other anyway
The Last Magician stuff is kind of a tease - the end of vaudeville ended all the big touring shows including the big touring magic shows including Thurstons. But magic - thanks to Las Vegas and television is alive and well.
.
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the days before radio and the movies killed off vaudeville. The image everyone has of the stage magician with the black dress suit and the top hat is really Thurston though other copied the look after him.
The Thurston show traveled on its own train with cars full of equipment and people and lions and other animals too. He more or less invented - with some help - the changing the lady into a lion trick.
If you wonder why magicians used to say "There's nothing up my sleeve" well it was Thurston who perfected the "back-palm" and got conjurers once and for all out of the business of tucking cards and coins and other props up inside their (baggy) dress suits.
For someone like me who studied magic as a kid its fun to see that the principles of the big tricks haven't changed much in a century - fascinating. And the author gets points for not revealing how tricks are done even while discussing the fine points of Thurston's presentation.
The book is good about the gossip and petty jealousies of the magic community -- maybe more than you want to know but it's a fun read anyway.. The competition with Houdini - really wasn't such a big deal. They did very different kinds of shows and were in very different kinds of markets and were (more or less) friendly to each other anyway
The Last Magician stuff is kind of a tease - the end of vaudeville ended all the big touring shows including the big touring magic shows including Thurstons. But magic - thanks to Las Vegas and television is alive and well.
.
Show Less
LibraryThing member grandpahobo
This is a well documented and interesting biography. It provides a very comprehensive picture of the times and the evolution of magic as entertainment.
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2011-02
Physical description
384 p.; 10 inches
ISBN
1585428450 / 9781585428458
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