Hocus Pocus: A Tale of Magnificent Magicians [Hardcover]

Paul Kieve (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2008 | Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Magic tricks to amaze your friends and stupefy your family from the magic consultant on the Harry Potter movies, with an introduction by Daniel Radcliffe.

From the magic consultant on the HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN movie comes a book of astounding (and astoundingly easy!) magic tricks. Author Paul Kieve takes would-be wizards through a parade of the world's top magicians - Harry Houdini, the Great Lafayette - and unveils how easy it is to perform their most spell-binding magic tricks. An introduction by Daniel Radcliffe makes this the fall must-have for all budding magicians and Harry Potter fans.

As Daniel Radcliffe says, "Step into the pages of HOCUS POCUS and prepare to be astonished!"

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Paul's career began at the age of sixteen appearing in the video for Sade's hit 'Your Love is King'. More recently he was magic consultant to the film Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, in which he also appears. He privately tutors Daniel Radcliffe in magic. Paul creates innovative magical effects for theatre around the world, including West End productions of The Invisible Man, The Woman in White, Scrooge, Our House, The Witches, Theatre of Blood, and English National Ballet's Alice in Wonderland. His current work includes L'Heure Espagnol at the Royal Opera House and The Lord of the Rings. He has been consulted by magicians including David Copperfield and Derren Brown, and was an on-screen contributor to the BBC History of Magic series. He taught Pete Waterman how to saw Simon Cowell in half on Children in Need and has tutored numerous other personalities and actors as diverse as Ant & Dec, Graham Norton, Jim Broadbent and Ruby Wax. International performances have included The Magic Castle in Hollywood. In 2005 he became the first magician to perform in The Proms at the Royal Albert Hall accompanied by the BBC Philharmonic orchestra. He was part of the Olivier-award-winning cast of C'est Barbican. As magic consultant to Guinness World Records Paul researched and created magic sections for the 2005 and 2006 books. He is the recipient of the 2006 British Magical Society Award and is a Gold Star member of The Inner Magic Circle. Paul lives in Hackney, London. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Inc.; 1st US Edition edition (June 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0545071798
• ISBN-13: 978-0545071796
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,193,624 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Encourage a young magician, July 17, 2008

By 

Gordon Meyer (Chicago) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hocus Pocus: A Tale of Magnificent Magicians (Hardcover)

This books makes a great gift for a youngster who is interested in magic. The story is great and introduces the reader to magic history (which is rich and exciting) and the tricks are well-chosen and taught. I don't know how Scholastic manages to publish such a quality book at this price point, but I do know that the young girl I gave a copy to was thrilled with this book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A magic journey to the past., May 20, 2008

By 

Charles Greene III "Presentation Magician" (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hocus Pocus: A Tale of Magnificent Magicians (Hardcover)

Paul Kieve has given those interested in the performance and history of magic a fascinating read. The book, although written for a pre-teen audience, is packed with intimate factual information about the great magicians from magic's golden age, 1890 - 1930. Alexander, Chung Ling Soo, Lafayette, Talma, Ionia, and, of course, Houdini, leap from the pages to tell their stories and reveal a few performing secrets. Those just beginning their journey into the world of magic will learn enough basic magic tricks to create their own show with house-hold items. Those steeped in the knowledge of magic history will delight in the vintage magic posters that come alive to reveal the glory of each performer's show. For those in the know, imagine a lighter mix of the following classics in magic, Milbourne Christopher's Illustrated History of Magic, Charles and Regina Reynolds' One Hundred Years of Magic Posters, and Bruce Elliot's Classic Secrets of Magic. Paul has created a fresh classic at the start of the 21st century. Well done Paul! Hocus Pocus, Chung Ling Soo, The Man of Mystery, Hiding the Elephant: How Magicians Invented the Impossible and Learned to Disappear, The Illustrated History of Magic