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 There are two basic types of magic. Magicians entertain by sleight of hand and visual deception. This is entertainment by illusion and is acknowledged as such by both magician and audience. The mystery is trying to figure out how the magician does it. The second type of magic is sorcery in which the magician employs supernatural powers to work his spells. Historical records indicate that there has always been a distinction between the two. Most primitive societies practice magic at some point in their history. Witchcraft, alchemy, and superstition all employ supernatural magic in their methods. Magical beliefs have survived into modern society in such practices as fortune telling, the belief in lucky numbers, and charms. Conjuring, or magic as entertainment, also has ancient roots. Egypt had its own version of David Copperfield in the person of Dedi (about 2700 BC) whose performances included decapitating two birds and an ox. He would then restore their heads, to the immense relief of the animals involved. Egyptian magicians also excelled at the renowned cup and ball trick in which balls seem to pass invisibly from one cup to another. Magician acts were also popular entertainment for the Greeks and later with the Romans. Medieval magicians added tricks with coins, dice, and playing cards to their repertoire of entertainment at the royal courts of the day. The kings and their court marveled at the skill of these magicians. Of course, their was ample inducement to be good. Woe to the inept magician who failed to entertain the king. He probably would not be as lucky as the birds and ox in Dedi's act. Magic evolved through the ages to ever more complex tricks and sleight of hand. The first magician to treat magic scientifically was a French clockmaker named Jean Robert-Houdin (1805-1871). At age forty he became a professional magician. He was the first to use electricity in his tricks. He used his mechanical knowledge to devise intricate devices to perform some wonderful tricks. The most famous magician of modern times is the great Harry Houdini. Born in Budapest, Hungary as Ehrich Weiss, his parents emigrated to America while he was still a small child. Taking his professional surname from the famous French magician Houdin, his many tricks and escapes are legendary. He and other magicians of his time also worked extensively to expose fraudulent spirit mediums by duplicating their feats. Magic has a rich history dating back thousands of years. It has been used to entertain and delight people of many ages from the ancient Egyptians, Romans, Medieval kings, and modern audiences. Magic as a hobby is a fascinating pursuit. Children and adults alike will find it fun to learn with the large number of magic kits available. Learning the basic tricks, and how they are done can lead to the amateaur magician inventing tricks of their own to amaze friends and family. Magic kits contain the specialized props and instructions needed by aspiring magicians to learn the secrets. There are card trick kits, balloon sculpture kits, coin tricks among many others. Some kits contain excellent videos, making the learning experience much easier. |