Blackstone: A Magician's Life

Unlike many magical biographies, this one has texture. That's probably because much of its content is derived from actual interviews with a great many members of Blackstone's travelling troupe, key among them being Blackstone's brother Pete and first wife Inez. For this reason, the perspective of Blackstone rendered here isn't from the vantage point of an audience member who watched him in the theatre, but rather a view from those who accompanied him on the road -- and that's refreshing. Vaudeville comes suprisingly alive with small details here, and Waldron does an unusually fine job of historical contextualization. Probably the best magical biography since Bamberg's Illusion Show.