JARRETT, Guy (1881 – 1972). Jarrett. Magic and Stage Craft Technical. [New York]: Author, 1931. Blue cloth lettered in black. Photographic plates. 8vo. Ex-libris Roland Winder. Minor rubbed spots to spine, two rounded corners; very good overall.
Jim Steinmeyer’s annotated edition of Jarrett’s book makes many important points about what has become, perhaps unexpectedly, one of the most important works on the subject of stage illusions and magic published in the twentieth century:
“Jarrett Magic was part secrets, part opinions and gossip. It clearly benefited from Jarrett’s back-room associations, and he could write with authority about the producers he had impressed and the magicians he had bested. Similarly he could tell the truth about his work in the world of magic – the tricks, the shows and the world-renowned performers who had disappointed him. Slightly less obvious, less sensationalistic, were the lessons of ingenuity and philosophy, the principles of size and design which were unmatched in the field of stage illusion.
“Whatever his motivations – an appeal for business, a mark of his frustrations, or simply an opportunity to record his achievements – Jarrett collected it all within pages that were alternately hilarious, insightful, and incomprehensible.
“He clearly expected to set the magic world on fire. Instead he just lit a long, slow fuse.”