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ralphw's review against another edition
2.0
I found this started out quite well but then seemed to get bogged down with too much detail of petty in fighting and ‘he said this’ and ‘he did that to him’. Better to have a chronological history of the characters and evolution of some of the tricks.
thisotherbookaccount's review
3.0
This dense book about the Golden Age of magic is no doubt the result of author Jim Steinmeyer's years exhaustive research. Yet, it can at times read like a history textbook.
It is clear that Steinmeyer is not the greatest non-fiction writer out there. His chapters do not work like chapters should because they are not divided by topics of themes. For example, for the chapter titled Houdini, we get eight pages (I counted) on Charles Morritt and his mirror illusions before Houdini even makes an appearance in the chapter. You would think that a chapter titled Houdini would have a greater emphasis on the legendary escape artist -- but no. The structure of the book, after the first four chapters, takes a rather messy turn. Steinmeyer begins to jump around chronologically, bringing names into the narrative as and when he pleased. It made for a heavy read that was hard to follow.
Otherwise, this is the all-encompassing book about magic that fans should read. It does provide interesting nuggets of information throughout, with explanations behind some of magic's biggest secrets (hint: mirrors). Steinmeyer's explanations tend to go over my head sometimes, especially without the illustrations, but it works for the most part -- just a little tiresome towards the second half. Yes, Steinmeyer, we get that Houdini wasn't that great a magician, and that certain magicians hated each other. Let's move the story along.
I feel that someone like Erik Larson would have done a better job with the material. Yet, since Steinmeyer's background is in the magic arena, I can think of no better candidate to write it. Maybe he could have used a ghostwriter, or at least an editor, to smooth things out a bit.
A little disappointed, because I expected more from this book. Then again, I don't think you can find a better researched book out there about magic and magicians.
It is clear that Steinmeyer is not the greatest non-fiction writer out there. His chapters do not work like chapters should because they are not divided by topics of themes. For example, for the chapter titled Houdini, we get eight pages (I counted) on Charles Morritt and his mirror illusions before Houdini even makes an appearance in the chapter. You would think that a chapter titled Houdini would have a greater emphasis on the legendary escape artist -- but no. The structure of the book, after the first four chapters, takes a rather messy turn. Steinmeyer begins to jump around chronologically, bringing names into the narrative as and when he pleased. It made for a heavy read that was hard to follow.
Otherwise, this is the all-encompassing book about magic that fans should read. It does provide interesting nuggets of information throughout, with explanations behind some of magic's biggest secrets (hint: mirrors). Steinmeyer's explanations tend to go over my head sometimes, especially without the illustrations, but it works for the most part -- just a little tiresome towards the second half. Yes, Steinmeyer, we get that Houdini wasn't that great a magician, and that certain magicians hated each other. Let's move the story along.
I feel that someone like Erik Larson would have done a better job with the material. Yet, since Steinmeyer's background is in the magic arena, I can think of no better candidate to write it. Maybe he could have used a ghostwriter, or at least an editor, to smooth things out a bit.
A little disappointed, because I expected more from this book. Then again, I don't think you can find a better researched book out there about magic and magicians.
nocto's review
3.0
This is a delve into the history of magic shows and showmen in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. You learn along the way how various magic tricks are done but that's not the whole point of the book. The trick here (if you'll excuse the pun) is that unlike the kind of exposé you see on TV - the kind that leaves you thinking "is that all?" - this book goes into how the illusions were conceived, invented and perfected. So you're left thinking how neat, clever and complicated it all is and how much more there is to magic than "they do it with mirrors".
alicihonest's review against another edition
4.0
Psh no I'm not crying, I just have a lot of bygone magicians in my eyes.
pumpkinblossom's review
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
A fascinating deep dive into the history of stage magic, with a great sense of narrative. I particularly loved the final chapter which resolves the book in a very satisfying way.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Gore, and Violence
Minor: Murder, Rape, and War
Chapter 14 "Sensations" is about the trends in magic and theatre more generally after the first world war. It discusses various iterations of the "sawing a woman in half" trick, with some detailed descriptions of the performances which may be upsetting as they involve performed violence and sometimes gore. There are also mentions of the theatre company the Grand Guignol, the "theatre of horror", with some descriptions of the kind of performances they did. Elsewhere in the book some people suffer from alcoholism and this is mentioned in passing or briefly discussed, but not explored in depth. There are mentions of death as a result of alcoholism.kalinichta's review
4.0
This is a wonderful history of the high points of stage magic, centering around the early 1900s, within a framework of explaining how Houdini vanished an elephant on the stage of the Hippodrome. Woven throughout are real-life stories of intrique, espionage, jealousy, creativity and love (of magic) - along with the secrets of how some of the most memorable stage illusions actually work.
Very readable and edifying.
Very readable and edifying.
eleneariel's review
4.0
Read this if you have even the slightest bit of interest in magic! The extent of my interest was a sort of "whoa, how'd they do that?" reaction to the movie The Prestige, and I whipped through this book in about two days, so ...
It gives away just enough secrets to be interesting and keeps just enough secrets to remain mysterious. Excellently presented.
From the forward: "Hiding the Elephant is less like a history book than like an unforgettable all-night conversation with a fascinating stranger."
Very true.
It gives away just enough secrets to be interesting and keeps just enough secrets to remain mysterious. Excellently presented.
From the forward: "Hiding the Elephant is less like a history book than like an unforgettable all-night conversation with a fascinating stranger."
Very true.
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