FOR KYLE AND LAUREN WHO KNOW A THING OR TWO ABOUT BRINGING MAGIC TO THE STAGE
Acknowledgments ITH GREAT appreciation I tip my hat to those who helped me transform an idea into a book Lisa and Rich Gensheimer documentary filmmakers of Main Street Media who opened the curtain and introduced me to Harry Kellar They directed my attention toward the best resources provided thoughtful feedback on the manuscript and lent a hand whenever I asked Mike Caveney magician and historian who shared his time considerable knowledge and amazing Kellar images I'm grateful for Mike's careful reading of the manuscript and excellent suggestions Without his generous assistance I could not have pulled off this trick Harry Kellar Ted Blakely Kellar's great great nephew who was born on the magician s birthday Ted's family stories captured the spirit of his remarkable relative Bill Miesel magician and author whose years of detective work revealed forgotten details of Kellar's life His comments on my manuscript were
Clark Evans and the staff at the Library of Congress Rare Books and Special Collections Reading Room who helped me uncover a few secrets myself Bill Anton Service Station Juanita Galuska Jeryl Genschow Robbin Gourley and Joan Hyman who worked their magic behind the scenes And Carolyn P Yoder who deserves an extra nod Her editorial skills combine the eye of a critic and the encouragement of a friendly audience
EL LAR READING THE BOOK OF MAGIC 1894 Kellar gets help with his magic from the devil and two imps See a similar poster on pages 88
