Trade of the Tricks: Inside the Magician's Craft

From provocative cabaret efficiencies to absorbing after-hours store talk, Field of the Tricks deals an unmatched look inside the deceptive subculture of contemporary magicians. Going into the thriving Paris magic scene as a student, Graham M. Jones gives a firsthand account of exactly how magicians learn to perform their astonishing deceptions. He adheres to the daily lives of several of France's many distinguished performers, exposing not just exactly how secrets are developed and shared, yet also exactly how they are swiped and destroyed. In a book teeming with humor and shock, Jones shows how today's magicians marshal creativity and enthusiasm in trying to raise their remarkable skill into classicism. The book's vibrant cast of personalities includes lady and queer performers whose job is transforming the face of a historically manly genre.