Karl Johnson

The Magician and the Cardsharp

The Search for America's Greatest Sleight-Of-Hand Artist

• Broschiertes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

"Johnson details exciting anecdotes of scams, hoaxes, and instances of conjuring . . . His stories unfold like magic." -David Blaine, Entertainment Weekly In the 1920s, during an era when Americans were crazy for magic, Dai Vernon earned a reputation as a genius of the magical arts. When hard times descended after the crash of '29, the lights of New York faded, audiences dwindled, and Vernon headed west. Little did he realize that his life was about to change. In Wichita, Kansas, while swapping secrets with a Mexican gambler, Vernon was told a story he didn't quite believe, the tale of a legendary cardsharp who could pull off the impossible-dealing perfectly from the center of the deck. Vernon set out to find the reclusive cardsharp, discovering a fascinating and dangerous kingdom of games and tricksters along the way. Did he finally get his man or did the greatest cardsharp who ever lived just vanish into thin air? A story with the nostalgic quality of an old-fashioned fable, The Magician and the Cardsharp is a unique and endlessly entertaining piece of history.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Holt, N.Y.
• Seitenzahl: 364
• Erscheinungstermin: 1. Juli 2006
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 229mm x 152mm x 21mm
• Gewicht: 510g
• ISBN-13: 9780805080599
• ISBN-10: 0805080597
• Artikelnr.: 20896373

Autorenporträt

Karl Johnson's family moved to an old New Hampshire farm when he was nine years old. It hadn't been a working farm for decades, but its nineteenth-century barn and outbuildings were still intact. The barn quickly became his favorite place to climb and play. He loved the dark, cathedral-like interior with its rough plank floor, hand-hewn beams, and built-in ladders up to the haylofts. Narrow stairs led down to the stable with its six wooden stanchions and mangers. Six wooden chutes, worn smooth from years of hay being dropped down from the main floor, were just the right size for a young boy to slide down. After graduating from design school, Karl worked as a graphic designer and copywriter. He later started and ran an advertising agency in suburban Boston for many years. When he took up photography in the 1970s, old barns became his favorite subjects. He has shot more than 10,000 photographs of barns in the northeastern US and Quebec. Karl is now retired and living in northern New Hampshire. His photography is available on his storefront, https://9-karl-johnson.pixels.com