Dai Vernon: A Biography
by David Ben

This is the definitive biography of the magical legend: Dai Vernon.

Born in 1894 in Ottawa, the son of a Canadian civil servant, Vernon moved to Manhattan in 1915 and never looked back. Miracles flowed from his fingertips—effortlessly. The source of his secrets: the underbelly of gamblers and hustlers that roamed back-room dens of iniquity, jail cells and city streets of America. Vernon sought them out, befriended them and made their work his. This book traces the first half of his remarkable journey—through Ottawa, Coney Island, Manhattan, Chicago, Havana, Kansas City, Colorado Springs—and the celebrities—Houdini, Billy Rose and Roosevelt that Vernon encountered along the way.

Dai Vernon: A Biography also details the evolution of magic in the twentieth century. From the stage of London and Paris to the backrooms of magic emporiums where secrets were bought and sold, Vernon’s life and work escort the reader through vaudeville, Broadway theatres, grand magic spectaculars, New York nightspots and the dawn of television. At last, the cornerstone of the craft has been unveiled for all to see.

"This book is a compelling read and an example of scholarshipthat will likely survive as the Vernon biography.It surely ranks among the very best of magic biographies and autobiographies given us to enjoy."
-M.U.M. Magazine

"David Ben brings this new character back from history and very much to life in his marvelous tale. Combining meticulous research, a deep understanding of the workings of magic, and broad insight into magic's artistic history, Mr. Ben turns out to have been an ideal candidate to assume the undeniably daunting task of telling magicians a story of immense importance."
-Genii Magazine

(Hardbound with dustjacket - 370 pages)

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