Magic is dead : my journey into the world's most secretive society of magicians

Magic is dead My journey into the world's most secretive society of magicians

Ian Frisch, 1989-

Book - 2019

"Accomplished young journalist Ian Frisch, whose writing has appeared in The New Yorker, Vice, Playboy and The New York Times, threads together a personal story of the sudden death of his father, his mother's escape to the poker tables, and how his fascination with the modern magicians and their swift resurgence in popular culture led him to discover The 52, magic's most brilliant young minds who are gathering in secret and revolutionizing the art form, under the mantle MAGIC IS DEAD. Full of fascinating characters, many of whom came to magic after tragic childhoods, drug addiction or lives of crime, and peppered throughout with cameos from marquee names like David Blaine and Penn Jillette, The 52 takes readers on a journey f...rom the dark alleys of London and Blackpool, England to Las Vegas to Los Angeles to Ian's childhood in a camper going up and down the East Coast. Written with a keen eye for detail, The 52 is an engrossing tale that will keep you guessing until the very end, when Ian himself is invited to join"--

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Subjects
Frisch, Ian, > 1989-
52 (Society)
Magic tricks.
Magicians.
Magicians > Societies, etc.
Secret societies.
Published
New York, NY : Dey St., an imprint of William Morrow [2019]
Language
English
Main Author
Ian Frisch, 1989- (author)
Edition
First edition
Physical Description
319 pages ; 24 cm
ISBN
9780062839282
  • Author's Note
  • Prologue: This Is Me Now
  • Part I. Welcome To The Underground
  • 1. A Way of Life
  • 2. Blackpool Problems
  • 3. Magic Is Dead
  • 4. Locked In
  • 5. A Break from Reality
  • 6. A Vessel for Something Bigger
  • 7. Cheat
  • 8. Happy Pilgrims
  • 9. An Actor Playing the Part of a Magician
  • 10. The Rules of the Game
  • 11. Cardsharps
  • 12. At the Table
  • 13. The Two of Clubs
  • Part II. Every Once In A While, The Lion Has To Show The Jackal Who He Is
  • 14. Young Bloods
  • 15. Just a Simple Plan
  • 16. Spies, Snitches, Skullduggery, and Scheming
  • 17. By Any Means Necessary
  • 18. Origins
  • 19. Not Just a Female Magician
  • 20. Fooling Bourdain
  • 21. Behind the Scenes
  • 22. Flipside
  • 23. Kill the Architect
  • Acknowledgments
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Journalist Frisch is led down the rabbit hole of magic and toward a greater appreciation of life's wonderment in this highly entertaining and deeply felt look into the world of magicians. Frisch regales readers with accounts of his deepening friendship with the 52, a cabal of young magicians looking to "shake things up" and move magic past the "loud, brash, fastpaced, flamboyant" style of David Copperfield. The group, named for the number of cards in a deck, was founded in 2013 by magicians Laura London, Daniel Madison, and Chris Ramsay, though the "World's Most Secretive Society" of the subtitle is a bit of a stretch on Frisch's part, as many of the members are present on Instagram and YouTube (like Laura London and Chris Ramsay). Nevertheless, he ably captures the transcendent allure of their magic, not just describing the tricks he learns (such as the Diagonal Palm Shift, a simple sleightofhand), but imparting the awe such deceptions can deliver. Soon, Frisch is performing magic with his new comrades at conventions and carousing with them in Las Vegas and Barcelona. Frisch's enthusiastic deep dive into the world of magic is infectious enough that it just might send readers to the stores for their own magic sets. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

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