Dariel Fitzkee (1898–1977) was the pen name of Dariel Fitzroy. He was a
magician
Magician or The Magician may refer to:
Performers
* A practitioner of magic (supernatural)
* A practitioner of magic (illusion)
* Magician (fantasy), a character in a fictional fantasy context
Entertainment
Books
* ''The Magician'', an 18th-ce ...
and writer, born in
Annawan, Illinois
Annawan is an incorporated town in Henry County, Illinois, United States. The population was 878 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Annawan is located at (41.397094, -89.908893).
According to the 2010 census, Annawan has a total area of , all land. ...
. His trilogy, known as ''The Fitzkee Trilogy'' is considered by many to be an important contribution to the theory of magic.
In his memoir, ''Born Standing Up,'' comedian and one-time magician
Steve Martin
Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician. He has won five Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 2013. Additionally, he was nominated ...
describes Fitzkee's ''Showmanship for Magicians'' as "more important to me than ''The Catcher In The Rye''," adding that they were, coincidentally, distant relatives by marriage.Martin, Steve. (2007). ''
Born Standing Up
''Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life'' is a memoir, released November 20, 2007,''Linking Ring Manipulation'' (1930)
*''Misdirection for Magicians'' (1935) Contact ''Mind Reading Expanded'' (1935) ''The Strange Inventions of Doctor Ervin'' (1937)
*''Showmanship for Magicians'' (1943), Lee Jacobs, publisher
*''The Only Six Ways To Restore a Rope'' (1944) Reprinted as ''Rope Eternal'' in 1957.
*''The Trick Brain'' (1944), Lee Jacobs, publisher
*''Magic by Misdirection'' (1945), Lee Jacobs, publisher
*''Rings in your Fingers'' (1946)
*''The Card Expert Entertains'' (1948)
The current copyrights for Showmanship for Magicians, The Trick Brain and Magic by Misdirection are held by Fitzkee's daughter, Marcia Dobbs. The books have been reprinted, with permission, in late 2008 by Magic Box Productions.