The art of illusion -- It's show time! -- Automatons -- The chess player -- Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin -- Richard Potter -- Harry Kellar -- Long Tack Sam -- A magician's toolbox -- Adelaide Herrmann -- Harry Houdini -- Howard Thurston -- More marvellous magicians -- Dante -- The art of the magician's assistant -- Guarding magical secrets -- Magic today -- Becoming a magician -- The eight effects of magic.

A great magician never reveals their secrets, but Marvelous Magicians reveals the names of eight groundbreaking illusionists, both famous and lesser-known, who shaped modern magic. Through a magical blend of biography, history, and illustration, this book spotlights an array of magicians, including one of the first female magicians, Adelaide Herrmann; African American illusionist Richard Potter, "The Handcuff King" Harry Houdini, and Houdin, Houdini's namesake and inspiration. With two spectacular fold-out pages revealing the secret workings of the Automaton Chess Player and Howard Thurston's dramatic transformation of an empty box into a world of wonders, this book examines the early history of magic, the eight magic effects on which all tricks are based, the necessary components of a magician's toolbox, and the underrated role of the magician's assistant. The book's grand finale features advice on becoming a magician, an introduction to contemporary magicians from around the world, and an exploration of the hidden societies who have kept the secrets of illusions closely guarded for decades.