''Conjuring'' is an illustrated book by

James Randi James Randi (born Randall James Hamilton Zwinge; August 7, 1928 – October 20, 2020) was a Canadian-American stage magician, author and scientific skeptic who extensively challenged paranormal and pseudoscientific claims. Rodrigues 2010p. ...

. Randi gives a detailed history of conjuring, more commonly known as

magic Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...

, said to be the world's second oldest profession. It includes detailed portraits of conjurors, including the

Harry Blackstone, Sr. Harry Bouton Blackstone (born Henry Boughton; September 27, 1885 – November 16, 1965) was a famed stage Magician (illusion), magician and illusionist of the 20th century. Blackstone was born Harry Bouton in Chicago, Illinois. He began his ...

, Harry Blackstone, Jr.,

Harry Houdini Harry Houdini (, born Erik Weisz; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-American escape artist, magic man, and stunt performer, noted for his escape acts. His pseudonym is a reference to his spiritual master, French magician ...

and his entourage,

Howard Thurston Howard Thurston (July 20, 1869 – April 13, 1936) was a stage magician from Columbus, Ohio, United States. His childhood was unhappy, and he ran away to join the circus, where his future partner Harry Kellar also performed. Thurston was deeply ...

Robert Heller Robert Heller, also Joseph Heller, (born William Henry Palmer; 1826–1878) was an English magician, mentalist, and musician. The year of his birth is the subject of some speculation; some sources list it as 1829 while others claim 1830. ...

Joe Berg Joe Berg (1903–1984) was a professional magician and magic dealer who lived and worked in Chicago, Illinois and Hollywood, California. Berg was born in Pinsk, Russian Empire (now Belarus) and immigrated to the United States with his parent ...

, and others. Randi explains the history of famous magic tricks like the Rabbit from a hat,

Bullet catch The bullet catch is a stage magic illusion in which a magician appears to catch a bullet fired directly at them ⁠— often in the mouth, sometimes in the hand or sometimes caught with other items such as a dinner plate. The bullet catch ma ...

, and the

Indian rope trick The Indian rope trick is a magic trick said to have been performed in and around India during the 19th century. Sometimes described as "the world’s greatest illusion", it reputedly involved a magician, a length of rope, and one or more boy ass ...

External links

As Life's Questions Get Harder, Magic Casts a Wider Spell
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', June 13, 1994. 1992 non-fiction books St. Martin's Press books Books by James Randi Magic books Canadian non-fiction books {{magic-stub