Synopses & Reviews
From risquand#233; cabaret performances to engrossing after-hours shop talk, Trade of the Tricks offers an unprecedented look inside the secretive subculture of modern magicians. Entering the flourishing Paris magic scene as an apprentice, Graham M. Jones gives a firsthand account of how magicians learn to perform their astonishing deceptions. He follows the day-to-day lives of some of Franceand#8217;s most renowned performers, revealing not only how secrets are created and shared, but also how they are stolen and destroyed. In a book brimming with humor and surprise, Jones shows how todayand#8217;s magicians marshal creativity and passion in striving to elevate their amazing skill into high art. The bookand#8217;s lively cast of characters includes female and queer performers whose work is changing the face of a historically masculine genre.
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and#8220;This book is a celebration and a revelation. Highly recommended.and#8221;
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and#8220;By following some of the world's leading magicians and fully participating in the scene as a kind of sorcerer's apprentice, [Jones] shines a light on [the] community.and#8221;
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and#8220;Look beyond the birthday parties and 10-gallon top hats and magicians have a long history going for them.and#8221;
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and#8220;Studded with humor, insights, revelations about deceptions being created and destroyed.and#8221;
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"There is a lot to appreciate in this book. . . . The shrewd magician will read it."
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and#8220;Readable, scholarly . . . and personal. . . . A fascinating account of an anthropologist visiting another world.and#8221;
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and#8220;Fascinatingly lays bare the craft, mores, sociology, anthropology and tendencies of magic. . . . Itand#8217;s also quite funny.and#8221;
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“Fascinating. . . . [Joness] writing is lively and engaging; Trade of the tricks will fascinate specialist and non-specialist readers alike.” Brian Reffin Smith, U.K. - Leonardo Reviews
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"There is a lot to appreciate in this book. . . . The shrewd magician will read it." Matthew Solomon, University of Michigan - Journal Royal Anthro Inst (Jrai)
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"Compelling and original. . . . A learned and witty excursion through the rituals of an ancient craft with a fascinating history." Genii Magazine
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and#8220;Fascinating. . . . [Jonesand#8217;s] writing is lively and engaging; Trade of the tricks will fascinate specialist and non-specialist readers alike.and#8221;
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"Compellingand#160;and original. . . . Aand#160;learned and wittyand#160;excursion through the rituals of an ancient craft with a fascinatingand#160;history."
Synopsis
and#147;Anthropology has always traded on a cachet of romance and exoticism in attracting students, but even Iand#151;grizzled veteran that I amand#151;found myself thinking and#145;how very cool to be hanging out with magicians in Paris!and#8217;. There is certainly nothing like this book in the anthropological literature. It is fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable.and#8221; and#151;Richard Bauman, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Indiana University, Bloomington
and#147;A witty, learned, engaging trip through the world of French magic, Trade of the Tricks builds intriguing ideas on the deep knowledge that comes from prolonged, intensive observation.and#8221; and#151;Howard Becker, author of Art Worlds and Outsiders
About the Author
Graham M. Jones is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.