Magic 1400s-1950s: Taschen's Colossal Compendium of Prestidigitation

Taschen has published 'Magic 1400s-1950s', a massive 650-page volume edited by Noel Daniel, exploring the art of magic through centuries. The book features texts by Ricky Jay, Mike Caveney, and Jim Steinmeyer—historians and practitioners—covering topics from Renaissance street conjurers to 20th-century global superstar Harry Houdini. It includes an extraordinary iconography of artworks, posters, and photographs depicting magicians, devils, levitation, and decapitation, drawn from artists like Jérôme Bosch and Georges de La Tour. The volume also highlights lesser-known magicians who contributed striking visual imagery. The book was reviewed by Richard Leydier for artpress.