author

Edwin Thomas Sachs

d. 1910

Best remembered for a classic guide to conjuring, this late Victorian writer helped bring sleight-of-hand within reach of ambitious amateurs. His work mixes practical instruction with the showmanship and curiosity that made stage magic so popular.

1 Audiobook

About the author

Edwin Thomas Sachs was an English sports writer and amateur magician born in 1850 and deceased in 1910. He is chiefly remembered today for Sleight of Hand, a practical manual on legerdemain that was first published in book form in the nineteenth century and later remained well known among magic readers.

Sources available during this search describe him as a frequent contributor on magic, with a strong reputation in conjuring circles. Later accounts also note that he became an Honorary Vice-President of the Magic Circle in 1906 and a member of the Inner Magic Circle in 1907.

What makes his writing last is its mix of instruction and enthusiasm: he did not present magic as a mystery to admire from afar, but as a craft to study, practice, and perform. That clear, hands-on spirit is a big reason his name still surfaces wherever classic books on magic are discussed.