A review by pumpkinblossom
Hiding the Elephant: How Magicians Invented the Impossible and Learned to Disappear by Jim Steinmeyer

informative inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

4.5

A fascinating deep dive into the history of stage magic, with a great sense of narrative. I particularly loved the final chapter which  resolves the book in a very satisfying way.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Gore, and Violence

Minor: Murder, Rape, and War

Chapter 14 "Sensations" is about the trends in magic and theatre more generally after the first world war. It discusses various iterations of the "sawing a woman in half" trick, with some detailed descriptions of the performances which may be upsetting as they involve performed violence and sometimes gore. There are also mentions of the theatre company the Grand Guignol, the "theatre of horror", with some descriptions of the kind of performances they did. Elsewhere in the book some people suffer from alcoholism and this is mentioned in passing or briefly discussed, but not explored in depth. There are mentions of death as a result of alcoholism.