本书颂扬了500多年来由世界上最伟大的魔术师创造的惊人视觉文化。《魔术之书》包含750张罕见的经典海报、照片、传单和版画以及Hieronymus Bosch和Bruegel等人的绘画，描述了魔术作为表演艺术从15世纪到20世纪50年代的发展历史。本书将精彩的图片与精辟的文字相结合，探讨了魔术师技艺的演变，从中世纪的街头表演者到带来电影特效的杰出舞台魔术师；从19世纪的魔术黄金时代到Houdini和20世纪早期的杂耍演员等开创性的不怕死的人。

This book celebrates more than 500 years of the stunning visual culture of the world’s greatest magicians. Featuring more than 750 rarely seen vintage posters, photographs, handbills, and engravings as well as paintings by Hieronymus Bosch and Bruegel among others, The Magic Book traces the history of magic as a performing art from the 1400s to the 1950s. Combining sensational images with incisive text, the book explores the evolution of the magicians’ craft, from medieval street performers to the brilliant stage magicians who gave rise to cinematic special effects; from the 19th century’s golden age of magic to groundbreaking daredevils like Houdini and the early 20th century’s vaudevillians.