The Century of Deception by Ian Keable
In 1749, a newspaper advertisement appeared declaring that a man would climb inside a bottle on the stage of a London theatre. Although the crowds turned up in their hundreds to witness the trick, the performer didn't. Over the following decades, elaborate jokes and fanciful tales would continue to bamboozle people across England. In The Century of Deception, magician and historian Ian Keable tells the engrossing stories of these eighteenth-century hoaxes and those who were duped by them. The English public were hoodwinked time and time again, swallowing whole tales of rapping ghosts, a woman who gave birth to rabbits, a levitating Frenchman in a Chinese Temple and outrageous astrological predictions. Not only were the hoaxes widely influential, drawing in celebrities such as Samuel Johnson, Benjamin Franklin and Jonathan Swift, they also inflamed concerns about 'English credulity'.
Ian Keable is a professional magician who has won several awards for his unique brand of comedy magic. He has made numerous appearances on television and has presented programmes for BBC Radio. His publications include Stand-Up: A Professional Guide to Comedy Magic and Charles Dickens Magician: Conjuring in Life, Letters and Literature.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781908906441 |
| ISBN 10 | 1908906448 |
| Title | The Century of Deception |
| Author | Ian Keable |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Saqi Books |
| Year published | 2021-10-07 |
| Number of pages | 320 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |