L. H. (Lionel Hugh) Branson

Born in 1879, Lionel Hugh Branson was a British magician and an officer in the British Indian Army. He is chiefly remembered for Indian Conjuring (1922), a book that drew on the tricks, methods, and performance traditions he encountered while serving in India.

Branson’s background gave his work an unusual angle: he wrote not just as an enthusiast, but as someone who had seen magic performed in different settings and wanted to explain it clearly for readers. That practical, observant style helped make Indian Conjuring a lasting point of interest for readers drawn to stage magic, illusion, and the history of performance.

He died in April 1946. While confirmed biographical details are limited, the surviving record shows a figure whose military life and fascination with conjuring came together in one distinctive and enduring book.