Howard Thurston

Howard Thurston
Born	July 20, 1869 Colombus, Ohio
Died	April 13, 1936 (age 66) Miami Beach, Florida
Resting place	Green Lawn Abbey, Columbus, Ohio.
Categories	Books by Howard Thurston

Howard Thurston (July 20, 1869 - April 13, 1936) was a world famous stage magician from Columbus, Ohio. He had the largest traveling Vaudeville magic show for the time, requiring more than eight entire train cars to transport his props and equipment across the country.

Biography

Besides being known for the large stage illusions in his Vaudeville show, Thurston was famous for his work with playing cards. He called himself the "King of Cards". One of his most famous effects was the "Rising Card".

In 1908 he took over the Thurston-Kellar Show, following the retirement of Harry Kellar. He toured with Beatrice Foster whom he eventually married, but the marriage only lasted for four years.

His brother Harry Thurston also achieved some prominence as a performer.

On August 23, 1935, Thurston's farewell tour began at the Fox Theatre in Philadelphia. Though he did not perform the card manipulations he had excelled in for so many years, the other tricks and illusions were as swiftly placed and as entertaining as ever.

Thurston died from a stroke in 1936 in Miami Beach, Florida. He is entombed at Green Lawn Abbey, a mausoleum in Columbus, Ohio.

Quotes

"My object is to mystify and entertain. I wouldn't deceive you for the world." - Howard Thurston.

Books

• Howard Thurston's Card Tricks(1903)
• 50 New Card Tricks (1905)
• 100 Tricks You Can Do (1912)
• 200 Tricks You Can Do (1926)
• 200 More Tricks You Can Do (1927)
• My Life of Magic (1929)
• 100 More Tricks You Can Do (1932)
• The Thurston Magic Box of Candy

References

This page incorporated content from Howard Thurston, a page hosted on Wikipedia. Please consult the history of the original page to see a list of its authors. Therefor, this article is also available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License

• The Magic World, Vol. 2, No. 2, May 1918, Cover, HOWARD THURSTON, by C. J. Hagen, Bio Editor, page 15
• The Linking Ring, Vol. 9, No 11, January 1930, THURSTON'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY IS APPEALING TALE, by William F. McDermott, page 1204
• The Linking Ring, Vol. 16, No. 3, May 1936, AN APPRECIATION OF HOWARD THURSTON, by Dr. Henry R. Evans, page 218, GREAT MAGICIAN GONE, World is Left Wondering as Thurston Carries Secret of Magic To His Grave, page 224
• The Jinx, No. 20, May 1936, Newspaper clipping “Herald-Tribune, New York, N.Y. April 14, 1936”, Thurston Dies, Fooled World With His Magic, page 112, Newspaper clipping “New York Sun, April 14, 1936”, Awaits Sign From Thurston, Fellow Magician Tells in the Bronx of Plan to Prove Immortality, page 113
• The Jinx, No. 21, June 1936, Newspaper clipping “Pittsburgh (Pa.) Sun Telegraph – May 10, 1936”, Rajah Claims Thurston's Throne, Self-Styled 'King of Magicians' Expects Jane's Resentment, 'Chosen Successor' by the Master, He Declares, page 121
• The Linking Ring, Vol. 22, No. 5, July 1942, Thurston the Man, Off Stage Recollections – by Alvin Richard Plough, page 19
• Article Genii 1951 February
• Robert E, Olson published a long running contribution “A Tribute to Howard Thurston” in “The New Tops”, starting in Vol. 10, No. 6, June 1970 on page 25. The series ended in Vol. 20, No. 11, November 1980 with a “Howard Thurston Time Chart” on page 12.
• The Last Greatest Magician in the World by Jim Steinmeyer (2011)
• Cover Genii 1991 August
• Cover Genii 2011 February
• Find a Grave, Howard Thurston.