<DIV><DIV><p> </p> The art of magic <p>Magic has enchanted humankind for millennia, evoking terror, laughter, shock, and amazement. Once persecuted as heretics and sorcerers, <B>magicians have always been conduits to a parallel universe of limitless possibility</B> &ndash; whether invoking spirits, reading minds, or inverting the laws of nature by sleight of hand. Long before science fiction, virtual realities, video games and the internet,<B> </B>the craft of magic was<B> the most powerful fantasy world man had ever known</B>. As<B> the pioneers of special effects</B> throughout history, magicians have never ceased to mystify us by making the impossible possible. <br> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This book celebrates<B> more than 500 years of the dazzling visual culture of the world&rsquo;s greatest magicians</B>. Featuring over <B>1,000 rarely seen vintage posters, photographs, handbills, and engravings</B> in one 650-page volume, it traces <B>the history of magic as a performing art</B> from the 1400s to the 1950s. Combining sensational images with lucid and incisive text, <I>Magic </I>explores the evolution of the magician&rsquo;s craft, from medieval street performers to the brilliant stage magicians who gave rise to cinematic special effects; from the 19th century's <I>Golden Age of Magic</I> to groundbreaking daredevils like Houdini and the early 20th century's vaudevillians.<br> &nbsp;</p></DIV>