2013 527pp Taschen oversize hardback. Illustrated in colour throughout. Near fine in near fine dustwrapper, housed in card slipcase (some marks and tiny split to bottom corner, VG).
 
A ridiculously large (5.3KG) tome presenting visual material from the 1400s to 1950s. Text in French, German and English.
 
This book celebrates more than 500 years of the stunning visual culture of the world’s greatest magicians. Featuring more than 850 rarely seen vintage posters, photographs, handbills, and engravings as well as paintings by Hieronymus Bosch and Caravaggio among others, The Big Book of Magic traces the history of magic as a performing art from the 1400s to the 1950s. Combining sensational images with incisive text, the book explores the evolution of the magician’s craft, from medieval street performers to the brilliant stage magicians who gave rise to cinematic special effects; from the 19th century’s Golden Age of Magic to groundbreaking daredevils like Houdini and the early 20th century’s vaudevillians.