Dai Vernon: A Biography--Artist - Magician - Muse (Vol. 1: 1894-1941) [Hardcover]

David Ben (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 2006

Dai Vernon: the last great undiscovered artist of the 20th century.

His medium was magic and with it, Vernon turned the clandestine world of conjuring on its ear with virtuoso sleight-of-hand and a dogged pursuit for perfection.

Born in 1894 in Ottawa, the son of a Canadian civil servant, Vernon moved to New York - Manhattan - in 1915, and never looked back. Miracles flowed from his fingertips - effortlessly. The source of his secrets? The underworld and the gamblers, husters and con-men that roamed back-room dens of iniquity, bunked in jail cells and walked the streets of America. Vernon sought them out, befriended them, and made their work, their covert methods, his. This book, the first in-depth examination of Vernon's life, traces the first half of his remarkable journey - through Ottawa, Coney Island, Chicago, Manhattan, Kansas City and Colorado Springs - and the celebrities - Houdini, Billy Rose, and Roosevelt, that Vernon encountered along the way.

Dai Vernon: A Biography also details the evolution of magic in the 20th century. From the stages of London and Paris to the back rooms of magic emporiums where secrets were bought and sold, Vernon's life and work escort the reader through vaudeville, Broadway theaters, grand magic spectaculars, New York nightspots and the dawn of television. Here, cornerstones of the craft have finally been laid bare for all to see.

Hardbound, 370 pages with over 40 rare photographs and a full-color dust jacket.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The joy of the book comes from the quixotic quest at the root of Vernon s life. In an age when mediocrity and acquiescence to the banal is the norm, Vernon s relentless pursuit of perfection is invigorating. David Ben --perhaps because he shares the inclination -- details every step and misstep in this regard. He admires Vernon, but makes no excuses for his poor performance as a husband and father. Instead, he makes us understand that there is a universe of ideas and ideals -- we refer to it as 'magic', here on our little planet -- that some people find endlessly enchanting." ---Paul Quarrington, Books in Canada, April, 2007

Product Details

• Hardcover: 366 pages
• Publisher: Squash Publishing (August 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974468150
• ISBN-13: 978-0974468150
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #186,537 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dai Vernon: Artist, Magician, Muse, March 9, 2007

By 

R. Mull (Berkeley, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dai Vernon: A Biography--Artist - Magician - Muse (Vol. 1: 1894-1941) (Hardcover)

This is the kind of book that invokes a keen nostalgia for a part of the American cultural/artistic past in which creative personalities like Vernon were nurtured. Those of us who, in our youths, followed magicians and hung around magic shops may catch a whiff of that haunted and bygone time in this well written and eventful biography. This is not, I think, a book for non-magicians however, since it is rife with descriptions of effects that Vernon worked on over the years and which would more likely appeal to those familiar with the "inner" history of close-up magic, gambling and the clash of magical inventors than to outsiders.

Nevertheless, it was exhilarating to once again re-imagine the electrical atmospheres of late-night trick talk, the old magic shops, the clubs and the almost forgotten magicians who formed that vivid world-within-the world of theater arts in the first half of the twentieth century. The material on Cardini and Houdini alone is worth the price of admission. I hope we may soon catch Vernon's second act, since we left him at the end of this first volume recovering from a six story fall, with broken arms and a failing marriage... This book is an important contribution to the history of magic and an homage to one of its greatest practitioners. Anyone who wishes to feel the thrill of pursuit of an art form taken to its highest level in the person of Dai Vernon should read this biography.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A glimpse into the creative mind and struggle., January 15, 2008

By 

E.S.M. "E.S.M." (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dai Vernon: A Biography--Artist - Magician - Muse (Vol. 1: 1894-1941) (Hardcover)

David Ben's autobiography of Dai Vernon gives us a unique glimpse into the mind, life and struggle of a man who was on a solitary path to a destination he could not quite see. In every age, there are a number of people - some known, others unknown - who put their passion and call before all else. For better or worse, Vernon was such a character. From his obsession with perfection to his general disconnectedness from business and life as usual, Ben paints the portrait of of an artist who carved a an alternative to the norm, and paid personal prices for doing so. While judgement is presumptuous, this chronology of Vernon's life may well inspire others to assess the direction of their own lives.

You get one life. What will you do with it?

Ben's writing is wonderfully readable and, at times, truly penetrating.

This book will not feed an insatiable need to know but, provided that the reader is prepared, may well illuminate a sublime aspect of honing skill.

E.S.M.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Professor Lives!, November 21, 2010

By 

M. Cowles (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dai Vernon: A Biography--Artist - Magician - Muse (Vol. 1: 1894-1941) (Hardcover)

This is a superlative book, comprehensive and exceedingly well written. Dai Vernon was without a doubt one of, if not the most, influential magicians of the twentieth century; indeed many of his contributions to the art of magic are the templates upon which modern close up magic has been built. Here was a man who was not only a gifted artist -- one of the best silhouette cutters to have ever lived, a fact made even more impressive considering he picked the craft up as a child by merely watching someone do it -- but a man of such singular dedication to magic that he was often teetering on the brink of financial disaster. And part of what made him so remarkable is that he seemed not to care a bit for money or fame. The work was apparently reward enough. Vernon believed that magic should be considered a fine art and strove all his life to elevate it where it belongs.

There's just so much here for a Dai Vernon fan -- I guarantee you will come across at least something you didn't know before. However, this isn't just a book for magicians or magic enthusiasts. Due to Mr.Ben's lucid and accessible style anyone can read this book and catch a glimpse of the genius the Professor was. And the best part: This is only the first installment. As Mr.Vernon lived almost a hundred years this is how it should be. I doubt even the much awaited second volume can list all the Professor's accomplishments in regard to magic. The fact that he instructed people like Ricky Jay and Doug Henning maybe gives some idea of the regard with which he's held. There will, sadly, never be another Dai Vernon. I so wish I could have met him. This book is the next best thing. Thank you David Ben for keeping the Professor's spirit alive. I can't recommend this book highly enough.