Description

Published in 1891, Leaves from Conjurers’ Scrap Books paints a vivid picture of some of the biggest stars of late nineteenth-century magic and the routines they presented. H. J. Burlingame devotes ample space to describing the work of American performers, granting a whole chapter to Alexander Herrmann and Harry Kellar, but their European predecessors do not go neglected, as the author’s stories about such luminaries as Comte, Anderson and Robert-Houdin attest. Whether he’s discussing the Bambergs or William Robinson prior to his Ching Ling Soo days, whether he’s explaining stage hypnosis or two-person codes, Burlingame frequently quotes magicians directly and cites numerous contemporary newspaper reports, bringing a fascinating period in magic history to life.