Celebrations of Curious Characters [Hardcover]

Ricky Jay (Author), David Mamet (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 24, 2011

Celebrations of Curious Characters cracks open the personal vaults of Ricky Jay—raconteur, historian, and one of the world’s great sleight-of-hand artists—exposing a wonderful world of amusing and arcane knowledge. Adapted from his popular radio series “Jay’s Journal of the Air,” Celebrations of Curious Characters features one-page anecdotes of mind-bending performers (limbless jugglers, banjo-picking birds, Anglo-Texan saxophone-playing siamese twins) paired with engravings, mezzotints, and broadsheets from the author’s remarkable collection. You’ll find engaging vignettes on a daunting variety of topics: musical prodigies, cannon-ball catchers, conmen, card cheats, and performing politicians. Plus, a man who made a model of Lincoln Cathedral out of 1,000,800 bottle corks; a woman continuously pregnant for six-and-a-half years; a theatrical strong man who became the world’s leading Egyptologist; and a healthy number of digressions on time, money, and the argot of thieves.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Acknowledged as one of the world’s great sleight-of-hand artists, Ricky Jay has received accolades as a performer, actor, and author. His heralded one-man shows Ricky Jay & His 52 Assistants; Ricky Jay: On the Stem; and Ricky Jay: A Rogue’s Gallery were all directed by David Mamet. As an actor Mr. Jay has been seen in many films, including House of Games, Things Change, Heist, Red Belt, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Last Days, The Prestige, The Great Buck Howard, and Tomorrow Never Dies. He appeared regularly in the television series Deadwood, The Unit, and Flash Forward and has written and hosted his own specials for CBS, HBO, A&E, and the BBC. His consulting company, Deceptive Practices (with partner Michael Weber), has supplied “Arcane Knowledge on a Need to Know Basis” for theater, television, and more than a score of films, including Forrest Gump, The Illusionist, and Oceans 13. He is the former curator of the Mulholland Library of Conjuring and the Allied Arts and has defined the terms of his profession for the Encyclopedia Britannica and the Cambridge Guide to American Theater. More information is available at rickyjay.com.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: McSweeney's; First Edition edition (May 24, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1936365030
• ISBN-13: 978-1936365036
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 0.7 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #124,506 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #18 in Books > Arts & Photography > Other Media > Prints
  • #44 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Puzzles & Games > Magic

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Ricky Jay's Best May 12, 2011

By Bradley Bevers TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Amazon Verified Purchase

I have been a fan of Ricky Jay's work for a long time. He may be the most talented living close-up magician, but he is also the preeminent collector of all things odd and unusual. Every one of his books is a treat to read, no matter your interest in the subject matter. I pre-ordered this work as soon as it was available and have not been disappointed.

There are few authors who care about their work as much as Jay. Every word is carefully selected, each picture is one of a kind, and even the design of the book is top notch. It's the type of book that you will want to display on a table rather than hide on a shelf. It's the perfect size for the subject matter and, thankfully, this is the kind of book that is so well done that it will never work as an ebook.

Each chapter consists of one page of text and one full page print. Each picture is both interesting and beautiful. In fact, you may want to get two copies just so you can frame a few of the pictures from the book. Some of my favorite chapters include:

Tossing The Broads - Jay's thoughts on the 3 card monte

Twins - A Celebration of Siamese Twins (the print accompanying this chapter is one of the very best - twins sharing a mustache)

Coffee - A History of the first Coffee Shops/Museums of the Unusual

Taking It on The Chin - The Story of the best "musical face player"

Misconception - Women who have given birth to animals

Shot From A Cannon - The first woman to be shot from a cannon (one of my favorite prints)

Death By Misadventure - The story of Chung Ling Soo

There is not a clunker in the entire book. Each short essay and every picture are nearly perfect; in short, this is a collection not to be missed.... Whether you are fascinated with the unusual, curious about the odd, or just a lover of books, this is a must. Read more ›

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Curious Collection Indeed July 12, 2011

By R. Hardy HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWER

I would put Ricky Jay high on my list of people I would like to invite to tea. I would not want him to perform his card tricks for me; I have seen some of his slight-of-hand and there is no one who does it better, but I would be embarrassed to ask him to perform. I would certainly not want him to start throwing cards in our house, as he can do so at 90 mph and penetrate, for instance, the rind of a watermelon. I would not want to steer the conversation to his many roles in Hollywood movies, or his advice given to moviemakers about visual illusions. I would, however, like him to tell us about his own enthusiasms for collecting magic ephemera and strange books, and I would certainly want him to talk about the sorts of peculiar people and performers that he has, with easy scholarship, profiled in such books as _Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women_ or _Jay's Journal of Anomalies_. He isn't going to be doing that in our parlor, I guess, but he did talk about such things for an NPR station in Los Angeles some time ago, doing a series of four minute spots to talk about human and animal oddities, drawing on his vast collection of memorabilia. These talks have now been gathered and illustrated from items in his collection, and published in a handsome format by McSweeney's Books as _Celebrations of Curious Characters_. The four-minute format yields one page of prose, faced by one full page illustration, for forty-five entertaining and very peculiar episodes. Perhaps because of the radio format, too, he has in some asides made some remarks about himself that are revealing, and made me want to have tea with him all the more.

It is hard to review this funny and enlightening book except to list some of its contents. Jay's prose is witty and his selection of subjects is delightful and surprising.... Here you will find his remarks on a 1934 volume _The Art of Faking Exhibition Poultry_, a book which purports to alert judges about the ways that unsportsmanlike poultry fanciers might gussy up their birds to unfair advantage. He is withering about one particular famous con game: "Three card monte is not a game of chance. Three card monte is not a game of skill. Three card monte is not a game." He goes on to explain how the con was done, including how the skills of the man handling the cards (the broad-tosser) were supplemented by a shill. Jay takes obvious interest in James Anderton, who in the nineteenth century made a huge replica of the Lincoln Cathedral using over a million corks. He was the son of impoverished parents, and he took to displaying his model for donations. A wealthy uncle at first outfitted him with a good black suit in which he could play the role of showman; however, it made him look so prosperous that donations didn't come in. Once he donned his work clothes that he wore while carving, however, he secured his living. He was more fortunate than cork carver Richard Dubourg, who had impressive sculptures, but whose "model of Mt. Vesuvius, complete with flowing lava, however, was destroyed by its own special effects."

There are entertaining episodes here about performing fleas, bees, pigs, and rats. There is a chapter about twins, illustrated by two identical men who share one mustache. There are stories about the apparitions of religious images on tortillas, or about the guy who played melodies by hitting himself in the face. Every now and then Jay drops a little fact that tells about his private life, some personal detail that crept into these strange profiles via the radio airwaves. "My father once gave me a model airplane in a futile attempt to bond," he writes. "Had he purchased instead a book about model makers he might have laid the groundwork for some calculated camaraderie." He tells us, in a chapter about oddities of a seventeenth century coffee shop, "I've never had a cup of coffee in my life," which is amazing, and he pointedly does not tell us why. In a chapter on hands, which he explains are the tools of his trade as a conjurer, he admits, "I've never had a manicure." He has, however, been through a "martial arts phase" and broke boards and bricks with his hands without injury, "proving that I am both dumber and luckier than I usually acknowledge." When the conjurer starts telling you how dumb and lucky he is, you should suspect that something else is going on, but this good-looking collection is another dazzling performance. Read more ›

5.0 out of 5 stars Ricky Jay is always worth reading. May 27, 2013

By Louise B. Broecker

Amazon Verified Purchase

I have known Ricky Jay for years, and own almost all of his books which are always very good reading.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great March 8, 2013

By Lynne Beckett

Amazon Verified Purchase

Ricky Jay writes an informational, entertaining book celebrating curious characters. Pictures are quality. Paper & print are easy to read. I'm glad we purchased all the Ricky Jay books we have.

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting book to while away the afternoon April 14, 2012

By Sibelius

Ricky Jay puts a spotlight on 50 or so curiosities and oddities that strike his fancy. Most of the subjects of attention span the 18th through 19 century and range from carnival freaks, cons and other objects of Jay's fancy. While Jay's musings are for the most part well articulated and amusing the highlight is the period illustration used to accompany each selection. A good book to absorb in shorts busts.