Help us get to over 8,748 articles in 2024.

If you know of a magician not listed in MagicPedia, start a New Biography for them. Contact us at magicpediahelp@gmail.com

Professor Hoffmann

From Magicpedia, the free online encyclopedia for magicians by magicians.
Revision as of 14:04, 17 July 2015 by Jpecore (Talk | contribs) (added Haunted Hat publication date)

Jump to: navigation, search
Professor Hoffmann
BornAngelo John Lewis
July 23, 1839
London [1]
DiedDecember 23, 1919 (age 80)
Bexhill, Sussex [2]
NationalityBritish
Notable worksModern Magic (1876)
More Magic (1890)
Later Magic (1903)
Latest Magic (1918)
Known forLeading writer on Magic
CategoriesBooks by Professor Hoffmann


Professor Louis Hoffmann (July 23, 1839 - December 23, 1919), born Angelo John Lewis in England, was a lawyer, professor and the leading writer on magic, and on the games, amusements and puzzles of his time.

Biography

Professor Hoffmann wrote a series of articles on magic for a boy's magazine (Every Boy's Annual) that was later expanded into his classic book on magic, Modern Magic, first published in 1876.[3] He used the pen name, Professor Hoffman, because he feared that his professional prospects as a lawyer would be injured if it became known that he possessed such an intimate knowledge of the arts of deception.[4]

He was also the author of a novel for kids entitled Conjurer Dick (1886).

Another of his works is entitled The Haunted Hat: A magical short story, first published in Chambers's Journal, January 7, 1905, pages 91-95. Sixth Series,Volume 8, Number 371 and reprinted in Magic (Stanyon) and The Linking Ring.[5]

His classic Modern Magic (1876), and three sequels (More Magic (1890), Later Magic (1903), and Latest Magic (1918) have been reprinted numerous times in many different editions since their original publication,[3] and are still in print and enjoy popular sales today to magic enthusiasts. First edition copies of the original works command high values in both the magic, and the rare book, collector's markets.[4]

Magic related books

More Magic (1890)


"Modern Magic" series



Other works

References

  1. Books at Brown, VOLUME XXXIV, 1987, ©1989 Brown University, Professor Hoffmann and his Modern Magic, page 80
  2. James - Haxton Correspondence No. 11 1964-1967, 15th April 1966, page 403
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Hoffmann's Five Foot Shelf of Magic by H. Adrian Smith in Tops, Vol. 1, no. 12, december 1936, page 47
  4. 4.0 4.1 Gingles, J. - "My Secret Hobby & Favorite Escapes (Puns Intended)", from Accidents of Luck - A Personal Memoir, Washington, DC, 2007.
  5. Professor Hoffmann: A Bibliography by Sawyer, Thomas A. (1983)
  • Photo Genii 1951 May
  • The Sphinx, Vol. XXXVIII, No. Six, August 1939, Professor Louis Hoffmann's Centennial, Biograhy, page 155