Illusionist

MY LIFE OF MAGIC--Howard Thurston --Dorrance ($2.50).

For 40 years Thurston, successor to the late great Kellar, has been extracting rabbits from the collars of old gentlemen's overcoats, smashing expensive watches, bisecting young girls, making them disappear, float in the air. He has had three challenges (in foreign countries) from young men whom he humiliated in public by demonstrating that they concealed a duck on their persons. He began with $00.25, and now has a home on Long Island. In this book he tells his adventures as a showman.

At ten, he ran away from Columbus, Ohio, hovered about racetracks, sold papers, learned how to bum. Then he was converted, went to a seminary in Northfield, Mass. Prepared for the ministry, he was on his way to Philadelphia when he saw the Great Herrmann, master magician, and followed him to Syracuse. He joined a roadshow, a circus, organized a show of his own, toured the country, toured the world, joined Kellar as junior partner, succeeded him. Now he is 60, successful, reminiscent.

Thurston is now Houdini. He describes his tricks, but never explains them. His most sensational "illusion" was chopping off a friend's head. Because women fainted he never repeated it. He is contemptuous of Oriental "magic." Out of three thousand fakirs he examined in India, not one had even heard of the rope trick. (A rope is thrown into the air, is mysteriously suspended while a boy climbs up it, disappears.) The easiest people to fool, says Thurston, are scientists, men-of-letters, psychologists. The hardest are lawyers and preachers because "they do not lose their poise" when invited on the stage.

Thurston was a great success in China. He likes the Chinese. Once he gave a performance at the White House, borrowed Calvin Coolidge's watch, seemingly smashed it to bits. Mr. Coolidge was imperturable, said nothing. Thurston returned the watch unharmed, congratulated the President on "setting the standard of discretion for the world."