Magic Networks: What is it like to be a magician?

This chapter peeks into the secret world of magicians. The question is not how do magicians do their tricks, but how do magicians learn their tricks? What special language do they use? Why are there so few female magicians? These are some of the questions social scientists have provided answers to.

Magicians join clubs where they can openly share secrets and use their own language. When a magician says he is loaded, it does not mean he is drunk, but rather that an object is hidden somewhere on his person. The word gimmick was originally used by magicians to be able to denote secret tools. It has now become a commonplace word used to talk about something that is fake.

Make Believe

Make Believe is a documentary about magic. A coming of age journey set in the quirky subculture of magic, this film follows six of the world’s best young magicians as they battle for the title of Teen World Champion.

Our Magic: A Documentary Film by the Magic Community

Our Magic is a new documentary revealing the secret world of magic & magicians as told by the finest thinkers, creators and performers of the art.

Magic Libraries

One of the things magicians love to do is to collect of books and paraphernalia related to their craft. Some are quite fanatical and amass thousands of volumes on the art of deception, like the Conjuring Arts Research Centre in New York shown in this video. Several such libraries exist in the world, including some academic libraries have also created collections on conjuring.

  • University of Texas: McManus-Young Collection and Houdini Collection.
  • Brown University: H. Adrian Smith Collection of Conjuring and Magicana.
  • State Library of New South Wales: Robbins Stage Magic Collection.
  • State Library of Victoria: WG Alma Conjuring Collection.

If you are interested in finding out more about the social world of magicians, buy a copy of Perspectives on Magic from the bookshop or read some of the works in the bibliography.