You won’t be shocked to hear that most conjuring history written by European and American writers focuses heavily on the magic of… well, Europe and the U.S. And in a narrow time range. Writers like Evans, Burlingame, Frost, Clarke, Volkmann, Dif, Christopher, Price, and Dawes visit the pre-Enlightenment world, but they abide in what I’ll call the long Golden Age—from around 1750 to 1950. The rewards of those studies have been rich, and for scholars, that era keeps on giving. It’s the best documented period of conjuring in theaters, and there is still plenty to say about it.
But 20 years ago, Bill Kalush and Stephen Minch believed that vast regions of magic—geographically and chronologically—deserved more in-depth attention. They envisioned an academic, peer-reviewed journal that would dig deeper into the roots of conjuring worldwide, bringing in international voices and uncovering previously little-known texts that predate Hoffmann.
Be sure to read Michael Claxton’s review of Gibecière Volume 20, No.2.
Extensive sourcing would be the norm—the most recent issue has 520 total footnotes—and large-scale metanarratives would have space to unfold. All in a journal named after the pouch worn by early street performers that served as suitcase, servante, and Topit.