Wednesday, October 20, 2021

Book Review - David Copperfield's History of Magic;David Copperfield, Richard Wiseman, David Britland and Homer Liwag (photos)

 

David Copperfield's History of Magic

David Copperfield, Richard Wiseman, David Britland and Homer Liwag (photos)

(Simon & Schuster Audio - Release date 10/26/2021 - (4 hours 31 min)

I was lucky enough to see David Copperfield's Las Vegas magic extravaganza about twenty years ago, it was such a fantastic show.  So when I saw this new book I knew I'd want to listen to it.  Somehow I thought this was a memoir and in a small part it is but, the book is so much more.

David Copperfield, a New Jersey native, was a shy kid who at the age of ten asked his mother for a ventriloquist dummy -- so began his fascination with magic and illusion.  He was the youngest person ever to be accepted into the Society of Magicians.  

In this well researched book Copperfield along with fellow magicians Richard Wiseman and David Britland share the stories of some 28 magicians and illusionists, some dating back to the 16th century. The book is full of background on the early tricksters, magicians and illusionists and what they became famous for.  It was fascinating to learn how each of the magicians and illusionists seemed to inspire others to become passionate of their craft.

Anyone who has had an interest or curiosity about magic should check this book out. I loved it.  The audio was read by David Copperfield and Fedor Chin who were both excellent and highly recommended. However, now I want to get a copy of the print version as I understand there are some 100+ photographs and objects from Copperfield's Museum of Magic.

Rating - 5/5 stars


Audio download was provided to me by Simon & Schuster Audio in exchange for my unbiased review.

20 comments:

  1. Oh, I'd like that one. I've seen him live too, many years ago at Wolftrap, I was in the 4th row and he was amazing!

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    1. Great that you got to see him perform as well. It was so amazing the feats he performed and impossible to figure out how he did any of it.

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  2. He has certainly had a long and storied career. No doubt he has a lot to tell us about that and the history of magic. I'm glad you enjoyed this one so much.

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    1. The book was very well done, I loved how far back it went to the very beginning of magic.

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  3. I've seen him on the TV and was amazed so this might be a fun read for me.

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    1. I think you might enjoy it Cath and I can't wait to see the print version for the photos.

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    1. It was so nicely done, quite interesting, my husband liked it as well.

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  5. I am not a huge magic person, but to have Copperfield himself read the book and tell the stories is really cool. I also like that it's a collaboration with other magicians telling the stories of their inspiration and community.

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  6. I've never been a huge fan of magicians although I do enjoy watching them from time to time. I do think I'd enjoy this book though.

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    1. Yes, it would be cool to pick it up and enjoy some of the photos which I imagine are spectacular.

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  7. I'm really curious about this one! I love the fact that the book goes back to the 16th century and the historical aspect of magic, magicians, and well, con artists. :)

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  8. I love the sound of this one! All that magic through history.

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    1. Yes, the curiosity of it all has always intrigued me trying to figure out how they pulled off those stunts.

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  9. How fun to have seen David Copperfield in person! This sounds like an interesting and entertaining listen especially since I know virtually nothing about this world/industry.

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  10. How interesting! Yes, this sounds like it would be great as a physical book to have an opportunity to check out the photos. Did you ever see the film The Illusionist? I loved it for all the magic and historical goodness.

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  11. I think I did she The Illusionist when it was first released but, now that you mentioned it I want to see it again.

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