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First edition (2025) Through the centuries-old history of performance magic, animals have often been at the center of magicians’ tricks and illusions. They are as diverse as rabbits from hats, snakes in baskets, appearing birds and fish, mindreading dogs, and vanishing donkeys. Often the stories are entertaining; sometimes they are distressing. From Houdini to your local birthday party magician, their animals have had enduring connections with audiences. And the animals themselves have had to endure. The study of animals in magical entertainment in the 19th and early 20th centuries coincides with the evolution of societal attitudes about animals as amusement, as companions, as sources of labor and food, in science, and in emerging thought about animal welfare, law and policy. Whether your interest is amusing animals, or animal rights, there are stories for you in Animal Wizards: A Critical History of Magicians’ Most Trusting Assistants.
