About this item
An amazing, richly evocative novel of magic and history in the tradition of E. L. Doctorow and Caleb Carr. America in the 1920s was a nation obsessed with magic. Not just the kind performed in theaters and on stages across the country, but the magic of technology, science, and prosperity. Enter Charles Carter -- a.k.a. Carter the Great -- a young master performer whose skill as an illusionist exceeds even that of the great Houdini. Fueled by a passion for magic that grew out of desperation and loneliness, Carter has become a legend in his own time. His thrilling act involves outrageous stunts carried out on elaborate sets before the most demanding audiences. But the most outrageous stunt of all stars none other than President Warren Harding and ends up nearly costing Carter the reputation he worked so hard to create.
About the Author
Glen David Gold is best known as the author of (Hyperion, 2001) , a fictionalized biography of Charles Joseph Carter (1874-1936) , an American illusionist performing from c.1900-1936. He writes in a narrative style, and the book was hailed as a very respectable venture into historical fiction. Gold is married to Alice Sebold, the author of The Lovely Bones and Lucky. The couple lives in San Francisco, California. His next novel, , is due for publication in May 12th, 2009. His short stories, including "The Tears of Squonk," have appeared in a number of issues of Gold wrote a single episode of the cartoon show , in which title character Arnold stages an amateur magic show and "disappears" his friend Helga, who escapes during the trick, causing Arnold and the others to think she really has disappeared. The episode aired in 1997. Gold has also ventured into comic books, writing a short story featuring Will Eisner's classic creation The Spirit, the story, entitled 'One Hundred!' features artwork by Eduardo Risso and appeared in DC's The Spirit #13.
