Francis Menotti

With some lovely choice words, a pack of cards, a magic wand, a wine glass, and a glass bell jar, Luke Jermay has brought to life a piece of art in The Hummingbirds.

Looking at the cover and the title, you would think this was a theory monograph. It’s actually a card trick. And while most magic releases are engineered to be as easy as possible, this card trick is complicated, hard, and will absolutely not go “right into your show.”

The Magic of Hope is a humble, paperback collection of story- infused tricks, routines, and thoughts that mean to bring hope and inspiration to their viewers and performers alike.

This “expert” biography assumes that the pillars of 20th-century stage magic are known to you: Kellar, Thurston, Blackstone, Dante. But it tells the story of 20th-century magic from the less famous side—the Great Depression, World War II, live performance giving way to film and television.