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Magic, Stage Illusions and Scientific Diversions, Including Trick Photography (Annotated)

Enriched Edition. Victorian Stage Magic, Scientific Amusements, and Early Trick PhotographyBy Albert A. Hopkins

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About this audiobook

Magic, Stage Illusions and Scientific Diversions, Including Trick Photography is an encyclopedic treasury of late nineteenth-century wonder: conjuring apparatus, theatrical illusions, automata, optical effects, electrical marvels, and photographic deceptions are described with the precision of popular science. Its style is expository, richly practical, and occasionally theatrical, translating mysteries of the stage into mechanisms, diagrams, and experiments. Situated at the intersection of Victorian scientific recreation, mechanical ingenuity, and popular entertainment, the book demystifies illusion without diminishing its imaginative force. Albert A. Hopkins was an American editor, inventor, and prolific writer associated with the culture of practical science, especially through Scientific American circles. His interest in technology, experiment, and public instruction shaped a work that treats magic not as supernatural display but as applied physics, optics, chemistry, mechanics, and stagecraft. Hopkins's editorial temperament is evident in the volume's breadth: it gathers diverse techniques into an ordered survey of modern marvels. This book is highly recommended for readers interested in magic history, theatre technology, photography, and the popularization of science. Scholars, magicians, and historically minded general readers will find it invaluable as a document of how an age of invention transformed wonder into knowledge while preserving the pleasures of astonishment. This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience. - Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance. - Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.