Hiding the Elephant [Hardcover]

Jim Steinmeyer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 7, 2005

In 1918 Harry Houdini performed a single illusion that has been hotly debated ever since: he made a live elephant disappear on stage. How did he do it? The answer lies in this dazzling tale of innovation, chicanery and keen competition that is the backstage story of the golden age of magic. Hiding the Elephant chronicles the race among history's most legendary conjurers to make things levitate and disappear. A master illusionist and captivating storyteller, Steinmeyer introduces us to the eccentric personalities behind floating ghosts, disembodied heads and vanishing ladies and takes us backstage to reveal the mechanics of their mysteries. He carries us to a time when Queen Victoria held private seances and all of England believed in magic.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"'A highly entertaining study of magic's Golden Age' (The Times). Simon Mayo and Independent Book of the Year and International Bestseller. The true story behind Jonathan Strange" --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Jim Steinmeyer has designed illusions for David Copperfield, Ricky Jay, Siegfried & Roy and Orson Welles, and for six broadway shows including The Beauty and the Beast. A consultant for a forthcoming BBC documentary on the history of magic and producer of a Channel 4 documentary, he is currently working on Richard Eyre's Mary Poppins and is a contributing editor of Magic magazine.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Heinemann (January 7, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0434013250
• ISBN-13: 978-0434013258
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,199,442 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Do you really want to know?, January 26, 2011

By 

Paul "Cosmic Dreamer" (Gilroy, CA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hiding the Elephant: How Magicians Invented the Impossible (Paperback)

Seriously, do you really want to know how magic tricks are done? Ponder that for a moment. If you wanted to make an elephant disappear, how would you do it? Would you hide the elephant behind something? Maybe you just want to make the elephant appear to be present, i.e. the magic part is what happens before "abracadabra".
Well, if you really want to know and have it explained to you as a story encompassing the development of magic in the 19th and 20th centuries then you must read this book. I do wish the book had a few more diagrams and maybe even photographs of magic equipment but perhaps that would be giving away too much information.
I'm not a magician, not even an amateur one, but I can do a few tricks (pick a card, any card) and I know what a Svengali deck is. If you are on the same level then I think you will like this book. But if always feel let down when the mechanics of a trick are revealed, that's probably what you will feel at the end of this book.
But I liked it a lot.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Magical Book, January 22, 2007

By 

C. McNair Wilson "big desk" (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hiding the Elephant (Hardcover)

Discovered this remarkable book in "Shakespeare & Co." the legendary bookshop in Paris. The title and cover art grabbed me and I jumped right in to the delightful stories, wonderfully recounted by (to my amazement) my old friend Jim Steinmeyer. He is the ingenious mind behind some of modern magic's grandest moments--the disappearance of the Statue of Liberty and many more. My traveling partner, MaxPaul, and I spent the balance of our European trip taking turns reading, and loving, "Elephants."

Jim Steinmeyer is a highly-respected and noted illusion designer, magic historian, and, best of all, a enthusiast for all things magic and magical.

Jim and I worked together at Walt Disney Imagineering and he is the real thing. He often introduced us to new and thrilling ways to make our "Disney magic" even more magical--in theme parks, resort night clubs, and Disney's Broadway productions.

Make "HIDING THE ELEPHANT" a visible presence in your library. I have mine on the living room coffee table for easy access--and to share with every visitor. As an unexpected bonus, the book also contains several deft illustrations of legendary magicians created by a living legend (also one-time Imagineer) William (my friend "Bill") Stout.

(WIlliam Stout's books on there own are as magical as anything in print!)