Michael Douglas Caveney (born June 17, 1950) is an American magician,

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

publisher Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

, magic historian and collector. He is a life-member of the

Magic Castle The Magic Castle is a clubhouse for magicians and magic enthusiasts, as well as the clubhouse for the Academy of Magical Arts. It is in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California and it bills itself as "the most unusual private club in t ...

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

and a member of The Magic Circle of

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. His work as a magician and publisher spans over four decades. He has appeared onstage or on TV in more than 20 countries worldwide and most of the 50 States.

Life and career

Caveney was raised in the San Gabriel Valley, San Gabriel Valley, California. He discovered magic at age nine and as a pre-teen worked for Owen Magic Supreme, where he was paid in magic apparatus. He was a member of the Long Beach Mystics, a club for young magicians, founded in 1955 in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

. The club met regularly in the backroom of Brownies Hobby and Magic Shop and produced a myriad of professional magicians including Michael Weber, Stan Allen,

Kevin James Kevin George Knipfing (born April 26, 1965), better known by his stage name Kevin James, is an American comedian and actor. In television, James played Doug Heffernan on ''The King of Queens'' from 1998 to 2007, and receieved a Primetime Emmy ...

and Dana Daniels. In 2005, a documentary about the Mystics was created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the organization. In 1995 he received the "John Nevil Maskelyne Award" for literature by the Magic Circle of London. Four years later he was awarded the "Literary Fellowship Award" by the Academy of Magical Arts at the Magic Castle. In 2006, he was voted "Stage Magician of the Year" and has been nominated as "Lecturer of the Year" several times by that same organization. In 2010, Caveney received a Special Award for History, Research and Scholarship from FISM. He is co-organizer and host of the Los Angeles Conference on Magic History, a biennial invitation-only conference to showcase historical magic. The conference is co-hosted by

Ricky Jay Richard Jay Potash (June 26, 1946 – November 24, 2018) was an American stage magician, actor and writer. In a profile for ''The New Yorker'', Mark Singer called Jay "perhaps the most gifted sleight of hand artist alive". In addition to sleight ...

John Gaughan John Gaughan (born 1940) is an American manufacturer of magic acts and equipment for magicians based in Los Angeles, California. His style of work is classic, not based heavily on machinery and technology. Great illusionists have noted his work, su ...

and

Jim Steinmeyer Jim Steinmeyer (born November 1, 1958) is an American author, inventor, and designer of magical illusions and theatrical special effects. He holds four US patents in the field of illusion apparatus, including a modern version of the Pepper's Gho ...

. As a magic historian, he was featured on A&E's 1997 "Story of Magic", hosted by

Author and publisher

Since 1979, Caveney has published over 50 titles on the theory, practice and history of magic. His biographical works include'' Kellar’s Wonders'' (2003) with Bill Miesel, and ''Carter the Great'' (1995). In 2010 he co-authored, ''Magic, 1400s-1950s'' for

Taschen Taschen is a luxury art book publisher founded in 1980 by Benedikt Taschen in Cologne, Germany. As of January 2017, Taschen is co-managed by Benedikt and his eldest daughter, Marlene Taschen. History The company began as Taschen Comics, pu ...

Books. He is also a contributing editor to ''MAGIC - The Independent Magazine for Magicians''. He recently published a book of his life's work titled ''Mike Caveney Wonders''.

Personal life

Caveney lives in

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. I ...

with his wife Tina Lenert, a magician, mime and harpist. The couple married on April 22, 1979.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Caveney, Mike 1950 births American magicians Historians of magic Living people People from the San Gabriel Valley People from Pasadena, California Academy of Magical Arts Literature & Media Fellowship winners Academy of Magical Arts Stage Magician of the Year winners