Overview

From risqué cabaret performances to engrossing after-hours shop talk, Trade of the Tricks offers an unprecedented look inside the secretive subculture of modern magicians. Entering the flourishing Paris magic scene as an apprentice, Graham M. Jones gives a firsthand account of how magicians learn to perform their astonishing deceptions. He follows the day-to-day lives of some of France's most renowned performers, revealing not only how secrets are created and shared, but also how they are stolen and destroyed. In a book brimming with humor and surprise, Jones shows how today's magicians marshal creativity and passion in striving to elevate their amazing skill into high art. The book's lively cast of characters includes female and queer performers whose work is changing the face of a historically masculine genre.

Full Product Details

9780520270466

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Reviews

This book is a celebration and a revelation. Highly recommended. --Genii Magazine By following some of the world's leading magicians and fully participating in the scene as a kind of sorcerer's apprentice, [Jones] shines a light on [the] community. --The Independent Look beyond the birthday parties and 10-gallon top hats and magicians have a long history going for them. --Maxim Studded with humor, insights, revelations about deceptions being created and destroyed. --Magicana

By following some of the world's leading magicians and fully participating in the scene as a kind of sorcerer's apprentice, [Jones] shines a light on [the] community. --The Independent Look beyond the birthday parties and 10-gallon top hats and magicians have a long history going for them. --Maxim Studded with humor, insights, revelations about deceptions being created and destroyed. --Magicana

Author Information

Graham M. Jones is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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