Magic 

- often referred to as "stage magic" to distinguish it from

paranormal or ritual magic - is a performing
art that entertains an audience by staging tricks or creating illusions of
seemingly impossible[1] or supernatural[2] feats, using purely natural
means. These feats are called magic tricks, effects or illusions.
One who performs such illusions is called a magician or an illusionist.
Some performers may also be referred to by names reflecting the type of
magical effects they present, such
as prestidigitators, conjurors, mentalists, or escape artists.
Contents
 [hide]

1 History

2 Categories of effects

3 Secrecy

4 Learning magic

5 Types of magic

performance

6 Misuse of magic

7 Researching magic

8 See also

9 References

o 9.1 Bibliography

[edit]History

The term "magic" is etymologically derived from the Latin word magi, a

term that was used to refer to Zoroastrians. Performances we would now
recognize as conjuring have probably been practiced throughout history.
The same level of ingenuity that was used to produce famous ancient
deceptions such as the Trojan Horse would also have been used
for entertainment, or at least for cheating in money games, since time
immemorial. They were also used by the practitioners of various
religions and cults from ancient times onwards to frighten uneducated
people into obedience or turn them into adherents. However, the
profession of the illusionist gained strength only in the eighteenth
century, and has enjoyed several popular vogues since.
In 1584, Reginald Scot published The Discoverie of Witchcraft. It was
written in an attempt to show that witches did not exist, by exposing how
(apparently miraculous) feats of magic were done.[3] The book is often
deemed the first textbook about conjuring. All obtainable copies were
burned on the accession of James Iin 1603 and those remaining are now
rare. It began to reappear in print in 1651.

Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, the first modern magician

From 1756 to 1781, Jacob Philadelphia performed feats of magic,

sometimes under the guise of scientific exhibitions,
throughout Europe and in Russia. Modern entertainment magic owes
much to Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin (1805–1871), originally a
clockmaker, who opened a magic theatre in Paris in the 1840s. His
speciality was the construction of mechanical automata which appeared
to move and act as if they were alive. The British performer J N
Maskelyne and his partner Cooke established their own theatre, the
Egyptian Hall in London's Piccadilly, in 1873. They presented stage
magic, exploiting the potential of the stage for hidden mechanisms and
assistants, and the control it offers over the audience's point of view.
The model for the look of a 'typical' magician—a man with wavy hair,a
top hat,a goatee, and a tailcoat—was Alexander Herrmann (February
10, 1844 – December 17, 1896), also known as Herrmann the Great.
Herrmann was a French magician and was part of the Herrmann family
name that is the "first-family of magic". Those who witnessed Herrmann
the Great perform considered him the greatest magician they ever saw.

The Conjurer, 1475-1480, by Hieronymus Bosch. Note that the man in the back row is stealing another man's purse. He is
also applying misdirection by looking up at the sky to misdirect the audience from his actions. The artist has even
misdirected us from the thief, because we are drawn to the magician.

The escapologist and magician Harry Houdini took his stage name from

Robert-Houdin and developed a range of stage magic tricks, many of
them based on what became known after his death as escapology. The
son of a Hungarian rabbi, Houdini was genuinely skilled in techniques
such as lockpicking and escaping straitjackets, but also made full use of
the range of conjuring techniques, including fake equipment and
collusion with individuals in the audience. Houdini's show business savvy
was great as well as his performance skill. There is a Houdini
Museum dedicated to him in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
As a form of entertainment, magic easily moved from theatrical venues
to television specials, which opened up new opportunities for deceptions,
and brought stage magic to huge audiences. Famous magicians of the
20th century included Okito, Alexander, Harry Blackstone Sr., Harry
Blackstone Jr., Howard Thurston, Theodore Annemann, Cardini, Joseph
Dunninger, Dai Vernon, John Scarne, Tommy Wonder, Siegfried & Roy,
and Doug Henning. Popular 20th and 21st century magicians
include David Copperfield, Lance Burton, James Randi, Penn and
Teller, David Blaine, and Criss Angel. Most TV magicians perform before
a live audience, who provide the remote viewer with a reassurance that
the illusions are not obtained with post-production visual effects.
Many of the principles of stage magic are old. There is an expression,
"it's all done with smoke and mirrors", used to explain something baffling,
but effects seldom use mirrors today, due to the amount of installation
work and transport difficulties. For example, the famous Pepper's Ghost,
a stage illusion first used in 19th-century London, required a specially
built theatre. Modern performers have vanished objects as large as the
Taj Mahal, the Statue of Liberty, and a space shuttle, using other kinds
of optical deceptions.
[edit]Categories of effects
There is discussion among magicians as to how a given effect is to be
categorized, and disagreement as to what categories actually exist—for
instance, some magicians consider "penetrations" to be a separate
category, while others consider penetrations a form of restoration or
teleportation. Some magicians today, such as Guy
Hollingworth[4] and Tom Stone[5] have begun to challenge the notion that
all magic effects fit into a limited number of categories. Among
magicians who believe in a limited number of categories (such as Dariel
Fitzkee, Harlan Tarbell, S.H. Sharpe), there has been disagreement as
to how many different types of effects there are. Some of these are listed
below.

 Production: The magician produces something from nothing—a

rabbit from an empty hat, a fan of cards from thin air, a shower of
coins from an empty bucket, a dove from a pan, or the magician him
or herself, appearing in a puff of smoke on an empty stage—all of
these effects are productions.

 Vanish: The magician makes something disappear—a coin, a

cage of doves, milk from a newspaper, an assistant from a cabinet, or
even the Statue of Liberty. A vanish, being the reverse of a
production, may use a similar technique, in reverse.
 Transformation: The magician transforms something from one
state into another—a silk handkerchief changes colour, a lady turns
into a tiger, an indifferent card changes to the spectator's chosen
card. A transformation can be seen as a combination of a vanish and
a production.

 Restoration: The magician destroys an object, then restores it

back to its original state—a rope is cut, a newspaper is torn, a woman
is sawn in half, a borrowed watch is smashed to pieces—then they
are all restored to their original state.

 Teleportation: The magician causes something to move from one

place to another—a borrowed ring is found inside a ball of wool, a
canary inside a light bulb, an assistant from a cabinet to the back of
the theatre. When two objects exchange places, it is called a
transposition: a simultaneous, double teleportation.

 Escape: The magician (an assistant may participate, but the

magician himself is by far the most common) is placed in a restraining
device (i.e. handcuffs or a straitjacket) or a death trap, and escapes to
safety. Examples include being put in a straitjacket and into an
overflowing tank of water, and being tied up and placed in a car being
sent through a car crusher.

 Levitation: The magician defies gravity, either by making

something float in the air, or with the aid of another object
(suspension)—a silver ball floats around a cloth, an assistant floats in
mid-air, another is suspended from a broom, a scarf dances in a
sealed bottle, the magician hovers a few inches off the floor. There
are many popular ways to create this illusion, including Asrah
levitation,Balducci levitation, Looy's Sooperman, and King levitation.
Much more spectacular is the apparent free flight flying illusion that is
often performed by David Copperfield and more recently by Peter
Marvey (who may or may not be using a technique similar to that of
David Copperfield). Harry Blackstone's floating light bulb, in which the
light bulb floats over the heads of the public, is also spectacular.
 Penetration: The magician makes a solid object pass through
another—a set of steel rings link and unlink, a candle penetrates an
arm, swords pass through an assistant in a basket, a saltshaker
penetrates the table-top, a man walks through a mirror. Sometimes
referred to as "solid-through-solid".

 Prediction: The magician predicts the choice of a spectator, or the

outcome of an event under seemingly impossible circumstances—a
newspaper headline is predicted, the total amount of loose change in
the spectator's pocket, a picture drawn on a slate.
Many magical routines use combinations of effects. For example, in
"cups and balls" a magician may use vanishes, productions,
penetrations, teleportation and transformations as part of the one
presentation.
[edit]Secrecy

See also: Intellectual rights to magic methods and Exposure (magic)

Traditionally, magicians refuse to reveal the methods behind their tricks
to the audience. Reasons for secrecy include the following:

 Exposure is claimed to "kill" magic as an artform and transforms it

into mere intellectual puzzles and riddles.[citation needed] It is argued that
once the secret of a trick is revealed to a person, that one can no
longer fully enjoy subsequent performances of that magic, as the
amazement is missing.[citation needed] Sometimes the secret is so simple
that the audience feels let down, and feels disappointed it was taken
in so easily.[citation needed]
 Keeping the secrets preserves the mystery of professional
magicians.
Membership in professional magicians' organizations often requires a
solemn commitment to the Magician's Oath never to reveal the secrets
of magic to non-magicians. The Magician's Oath may vary, but typically
takes the following or similar form:
"As a magician I promise never to reveal the secret of any illusion
to a non-magician, unless that one swears to uphold the
 Magician's Oath in turn. I promise never to perform any illusion for
any non-magician without first practicing the effect until I can
perform it well enough to maintain the illusion of magic."
Once sworn to the Oath, one is considered a magician, and is
expected to live up to this promise. Magicians who reveal secrets,
either purposely or through insufficient practice, may find that other
magicians are unwilling to teach them any more secrets.
However, it is considered permissible to reveal secrets to individuals
who are determined to learn magic and become magicians. It is
typically a sequential process of increasingly valuable and lesser
known secrets. The secrets of almost all magical effects are
available to the public through numerous books and magazines
devoted to magic, available from the specialized magic trade. There
are also web sites which offer videos, DVDs and instructional
materials. In this sense, there are very few classical illusions left
unrevealed, but this does not appear to have diminished the appeal
of performances. In addition, magic is a living art, and new illusions
are devised with surprising regularity. Sometimes a 'new' illusion will
be built on an illusion that is old enough to have become unfamiliar.
Some magicians have taken the position that revealing the methods
used in certain works of magic can enhance the appreciation of the
audience for cleverness of magic. Penn and Teller frequently
perform tricks using transparent props to reveal how they are done,
for example, although they almost always include additional
unexplained effects at the end that are made even more astonishing
by the revealing props being used.
Often, what seems to be a revelation of a magical secret is merely
another form of misdirection. For instance, a magician may explain to
an audience member that the linking rings "have a hole in them" and
hand the volunteer two unlinked rings, which the volunteer finds to
have become linked as soon as he handles them. At this point the
magician may shove his arm through the ring ('the hole in the ring'),
proclaiming: "See? Once you know that every ring has a hole, it's
easy!"
[edit]Learning magic
See also: List of magic publications
Dedication to magic can teach confidence and creativity, as well as
the work ethic associated with regular practice and the responsibility
that comes with devotion to an art.[6] The teaching of performance
magic was once a secretive practice.[citation needed] Professional
magicians were unwilling to share knowledge with anyone outside
the profession[citation needed] to prevent the laity from learning their
secrets. This often made it difficult for an interested apprentice to
learn anything but the basics of magic. Some had strict rules against
members discussing magic secrets with anyone but established
magicians.
From the 1584 publication of Reginald Scot's Discoverie of
Witchcraft until the end of the 19th century, only a few books were
available for magicians to learn the craft, whereas today mass-
market books offer a myriad titles. Videos and DVDs are a newer
medium of tuition, but many of the methods found in this format are
readily found in previously published books. However, they can
serve as a visual demonstration.
Persons interested in learning to perform magic can join magic clubs.
Here magicians, both seasoned and novitiate, can work together and
help one another for mutual improvement, to learn new techniques,
to discuss all aspects of magic, to perform for each other — sharing
advice, encouragement, and criticism. Before a magician can join
one of these clubs, they usually have to audition. The purpose is to
show to the membership they are a magician and not just someone
off the street wanting to discover magical secrets.
The world's largest magic organization is the International
Brotherhood of Magicians; it publishes a monthly journal, The
Linking Ring. The oldest organization is the Society of American
Magicians, of which Houdini was a member and president for several
years. In London, England, there is The Magic Circle which houses
the largest magic library in Europe. Also PSYCRETS - The British
Society of Mystery Entertainers, which caters specifically to
mentalists, bizarrists, storytellers, readers, spiritualist performers,
and other mystery entertainers. The Magic Castle in Hollywood is
home to theAcademy of Magical Arts.
[edit]Types of magic performance
Magic performances tend to fall into a few specialties or genres.

A mentalist on stage in a mind-reading performance, 1900

Amateur magician performing "children's magic" for a birthday party audience

 Stage illusions are performed for large audiences, typically within
an auditorium. This type of magic is distinguished by large-scale
props, the use of assistants and often exotic animals such as
elephants and tigers. Some famous stage illusionists, past and
present, include Harry Blackstone, Sr.,Howard Thurston, Chung
Ling Soo, David Copperfield, Siegfried & Roy, and Harry
Blackstone, Jr..
 Platform magic (also known as cabaret magic or stand-up
magic) is performed for a medium to large audience. Nightclub
magic and comedy club magic are also examples of this form. The
use of illusionettes (small tabletop illusions) is common. The
term parlor magic is sometimes used but is considered by some
to be pejorative. This genre includes the skilled manipulation of
props such as billiard balls, card fans, doves, rabbits, silks, and
rope. Examples of such magicians include Jeff McBride, Penn &
Teller, David Abbott, Channing Pollock, Black Herman, and Fred
Kaps.
 Micromagic (also known as close-up magic or table magic) is
performed with the audience close to the magician, sometimes
even one-on-one. It usually makes use of everyday items as
props, such as cards (see Card manipulation), coins (see Coin
magic), and seemingly 'impromptu' effects. This may be called
"table magic", particularly when performed as dinner
entertainment. Ricky Jay and Lee Asher, following in the traditions
of Dai Vernon,Slydini, and Max Malini, are considered among the
foremost practitioners of close-up magic.
 Escapology is the branch of magic that deals with escapes from
confinment or restraints. Harry Houdini is a well-known example of
an escape artist orescapologist.
 Mentalism creates the impression in the minds of the audience
that the performer possesses special powers to read thoughts,
predict events, control other minds, and similar feats. It can be
presented on a stage, in a cabaret setting, before small close-up
groups, or even for one spectator. Well-known mentalists of the
past and present include Alexander, The Zancigs, Axel
 Hellstrom, Dunninger, Kreskin, Derren Brown, Guy
Bavli and Banachek.
 Theatrical séances simulate spiritualistic or mediumistic
phenomena for theatrical effect. This genre of stage magic has
been misused at times by charlatans pretending to actually be in
contact with spirits.
 Children's magic is performed for an audience primarily
composed of children. It is typically performed at birthday parties,
preschools, elementary schools, Sunday schools or libraries. This
type of magic is usually comedic in nature and involves audience
interaction as well as volunteer assistants.
 Online magic tricks were designed to function on a computer
screen. The computer essentially replaces the magician. Some
online magic tricks recreate traditional card tricks and require user
participation, while others, like Plato's Cursed Triangle, are based
on mathematical, geometrical and/or optical illusions. One such
online magic trick, called Esmeralda's Crystal Ball, became a viral
phenomenon that fooled so many computer users into believing
that their computer had supernatural powers,
that Snopes dedicated a page to debunking the trick.
 Mathemagic is a genre of stage magic that combines magic
and mathematics. It is commonly used by children's
magicians and mentalists.
 Corporate magic or trade show magic uses magic as a
communication and sales tool, as opposed to just straightforward
entertainment. Corporate magicians may come from a business
background and typically present at meetings, conferences and
product launches. They run workshops and can sometimes be
found at trade shows, where their patter and illusions enhance an
entertaining presentation of the products offered by their corporate
sponsors. Pioneer performers in this arena include Eddie
Tullock[7] and Guy Bavli.[8][9]
 Gospel magic uses magic to catechize and evangelize. Gospel
magic was first used by St. Don Bosco to interest children in 19th
 century Turin, Italy to come back to school, to accept assistance
and to attend church.
 Street magic is a form of street performing or busking that
employs a hybrid of stage magic, platform and close-up magic,
usually performed 'in the round' or surrounded by the audience.
Notable modern street magic performers include Jeff
Sheridan and Gazzo. Since the first David Blaine TV
special Street Magic aired in 1997, the term "street magic" has
also come to describe a style of 'guerilla' performance in which
magicians approach and perform for unsuspecting members of
the public on the street. Unlike traditional street magic, this style is
almost purely designed for TV and gains its impact from the wild
reactions of the public. Magicians of this type include David
Blaine and Cyril Takayama.
 Bizarre magic uses mystical, horror, fantasy and other similar
themes in performance. Bizarre magic is typically performed in a
close-up venue, although some performers have effectively
presented it in a stage setting. Charles Cameron has generally
been credited as the "godfather of bizarre magic." Others, such
as Tony Andruzzi, have contributed significantly to its
development.
 Shock magic is a genre of magic that shocks the audience.
Sometimes referred to as "geek magic," it takes its roots from
circus sideshows, in which 'freakish' performances were shown to
audiences. Common shock magic or geek magic effects include
eating razor blades, needle-through-arm, string through neck and
pen-through-tongue.
[edit]Misuse of magic

Some modern magicians say that it is unethical to give a

performance which claims to be anything other than a clever and
skillful deception; the performer Jamy Ian Swiss, for example, makes
this point by billing himself as an "honest liar."[10] On the other side of
the coin, many performers say that magical acts, as a form of
theater, need no more of a disclaimer than any play or film; this
viewpoint is reflected in the words of magician and mentalist Joseph
Dunninger, "For those who believe, no explanation is necessary; for
those who do not believe, no explanation will suffice."[11]
These apparently irreconcilable differences of opinion have led to
some conflicts among performers. For example, more than thirty
years after the hugely successful illusionist Uri Geller made his first
appearances on television in the 1970s to exhibit his apparently
psychic ability to bend spoons, his actions still provoke controversy
among some magical performers, because of his claim that he was
not using conjuring techniques. On the other hand, because Geller
bent—and continues to bend—spoons within a performance context,
the Dunninger quote may be said to apply.
Less fraught with controversy, however, may be the use of deceptive
practices by those who employ conjuring techniques for personal
gain outside the venue of a magical performance.
Fraudulent mediums have long capitalized on the popular belief
in paranormal phenomena to prey on the bereaved for financial gain.
From the 1840s to the 1920s, during the greatest popularity of
theSpiritualism religious movement as well as public interest
in séances, a number of fraudulent mediums used conjuring
methods to perform illusions such as table-knocking, slate-writing,
and telekineticeffects, which they attributed to the actions
of ghosts or other spirits. The great escapologist and illusionist Harry
Houdini devoted much of his time to exposing such fraudulent
operators.[12] MagicianJames Randi and the mentalist Derren
Brown have also devoted much time to investigating
paranormal, occult, and supernatural claims.[13][14]
Fraudulent faith healers have also been shown to employ sleight of
hand to give the appearance of removing chicken-giblet "tumors"
from patients' abdomens.[15]
Con men and grifters too may use techniques of conjuring for
fraudulent goals. Cheating at card games is an obvious example,
and not a surprising one: one of the most respected textbooks of
card techniques for magicians, The Expert at the Card Table by
Erdnase, was primarily written as an instruction manual for card
sharps. The card trick known as "Find the Lady" or "Three-card
Monte" is an old favourite of street hustlers, who lure the victim into
betting on what seems like a simple proposition: to identify, after a
seemingly easy-to-track mixing sequence, which one of three face-
down cards is the Queen. Another example is the shell game, in
which a pea is hidden under one of three walnut shells, then shuffled
around the table (or sidewalk) so slowly as to make the pea's
position seemingly obvious. Although these are well-known as
frauds, people still lose money on them; a shell-game ring was
broken up in Los Angeles as recently as December 2009.[16]
[edit]Researching magic
Because of the secretive nature of magic, research can sometimes
be a challenge.[17] Many magic resources are privately held and most
libraries only have small populist collections of magicana. However,
organizations exist to band together independent collectors, writers,
and researchers of magic history. These include: the Magic
Collectors' Association [1], which publishes a quarterly magazine and
hosts an annual convention; and The Conjuring Arts Research
Center [2], which publishes a monthly newsletter and biannual
magazine, and offers its members use of a searchable database of
rare books and periodicals.
The history of magic performance is particularly notable as a key
area of popular culture from the mid 19th to mid 20th centuries.
Many performances and performers can be followed
throughnewspapers of the time.
Many books have been written about magic tricks; so many are
written every year that at least one magic author [18] has suggested
that more books are written about magic than any other performing
art. Although the bulk of these books are not seen on the shelves of
libraries or public bookstores, the serious student can find many titles
through specialized stores catering to the needs of magical
performers.
Several notable public research collections on magic are the WG
Alma Conjuring Collection at the State Library of Victoria; the R. B.
 Robbins Collection of Stage Magic and Conjuring at the State Library
of NSW; the H. Adrian Smith Collection of Conjuring and
Magicana at Brown University; and the Carl W. Jones Magic
Collection, 1870s-1948 at Princeton University.
[edit]