Matthias Buchinger never grew taller than 74 centimeters. He was born without legs or arms, with only two hip stumps and two flipper-like limbs. Nevertheless, the dwarf became the most famous show star of his time. He could shoot the heart out of an ace from a great distance, he threw knives and sabers, played musical instruments, and performed the most astonishing magic tricks.
Wherever Buchinger appeared in Europe, audiences crowded into his performances and women courted his favor - which manifested itself in his numerous offspring.
This approximately 1 kg work takes us into the bizarre world of the oddities, jugglers, deceivers, and charlatans of bygone times. Most of the names featured in this magnificent collection are now forgotten.
But in their time, their attractions attracted public attention and were sometimes the subject of fantastic speculation or even scientific research.
Some of the oddities shown at that time still haunt parapsychological literature today as “unexplained phenomena”!
You'll meet Clarence E. Willard, the man who, in 1925, completely astounded all medical and scientific experts with his ability to grow considerably in minutes. You'll meet pig-headed ladies, poison-, saber-, fire-, and reptile-eaters, sleight-of-hand and illusionists, animal prophets, learned pigs and singing mice, artificial farters, gargoyles, firewalkers, and so on...
It is impossible to even begin to list here the many curiosities, absurdities and the like that Ricky Jay vividly brings to life in his magnificent, gigantic volume.
A 14-page illustrated chapter is dedicated to Max Malini. A 45-page chapter, also richly illustrated, is devoted to Irving Bishop, J. Randall Brown, and the origins of "modern mindreading" (see also the next page, "Mindreading...").
> Do you know the term enterology?
Read 15 pages about this science of slipping into sealed containers...
With all the great stories, there's almost always a fair bit of twists and turns involved. - A captivating book, as exciting as a crime novel from the first word to the last!
Ricky Jay's WILD SMART AND FIREFIGHTING is a must-read! A must!!!
392 pages DIN A4, 16 of which are in color, 200 illustrations .
A magnificent illustrated book - fascinating content!
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