The Glorious Deception: The Double Life of William Robinson, aka Chung Ling Soo for Sale

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The Glorious Deception: The Double Life of William Robinson, aka Chung Ling Soo For Sale

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The Glorious Deception: The Double Life of William Robinson, aka Chung Ling Soo:
$37.79

Make sure you click on our store icon. Thousands of rare and vintage items up for sale in our store. Make an offer available on all items. Many out of production and no longer available. Check it out!PLEASE NOTE: WE SELL VINTAGE COLLECTIONS FROM AROUND THE WORLD. WE ARE NOT DEALERS OF NEW ITEMS. IF YOU WANT OUT OF PRODUCTION, OUT OF STOCK, DISCOUNTED ITEMS, RARE, SCARCE, WE ARE FOR YOU. OUR DESCRIPTIONS ARE THE BEST WE KNOW. IF IT'S NOT PHOTOGRAPHED IT'S NOT INCLUDED. ASK QUESTIONS BEFORE BUYING PLEASE. WE DO NOT WANT ANY MISUNDERSTANDING ON DESCRIPTIONS. AN ADDITIONAL $2.00 FOR INSURANCE IS ADDED TO THE S/H FEE FOR ITEMS OVER $150.1st Edition HardcoverDust JacketJim’s 2005 book is a full biography of the remarkable American performer, William Robinson, who became famous by creating the illusion that he was a Chinese magician, Chung Ling Soo. The biography is a fascinating backstage view of magic: the personalities, intrigues, illusions and daring challenges that brought magic to the public in the early years of the Twentieth Century. The story ends with an explosive climax, with Chung Ling Soo’s dramatic death onstage, during his performance of the Bullet Catching Trick. The hardcover edition is now almost impossible to find, but we have some available. 430 pages.This book has been on my "to read" list for a couple years and was able to finally read it. It's an amazing historical record from a time long past in the world of magic and live entertainment. Chung Ling Soo was an intriguing figure I remember reading about as a kid. But, in my opinion at that the time, he was one of those "not as famous as Houdini" magicians. He was in fact a major draw, innovator, and showman earning a fat living and touring the world.All of these illusionists were thieves and liars to some degree...but Chung Ling Soo carried out the ruse on and OFF the stage. A quick check of his Facebook page would have blown the lid off all his nonsense!But alas...Yes, Steinmeyer shares several secrets of these century old magicians, but not for revelation's sake. The secrets are part of the story and the era. Audiences in the 1900's really wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a live tiger and a man wearing a tiger skin?? Well..I guess not. They also couldn't tell the difference between a white dude wearing yellow grease paint and a real 'Chinaman'! This was a time before magicians had to remind an audience that there's "nothing up my sleeve" because that level of exposure hadn't occurred yet.As the story unfolds, it seems as though ALL of these magicians took turns being 'the Masked Magician' of their era. Hire their rival's assistant so they could steal his tricks or...sell his secrets to magic magazines and book publishers.4 stars because once he gets shot in the first chapter, it takes a while to get going. Over the next few chapters, there are so many names and stories thrown at the reader, it gets overwhelming and hard to follow. But, the pieces fall into place making this a fascinating read!
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