This book allows you a rare opportunity: to look over the shoulder of
Eugene Laurant, one of the most popular, polished and successful
entertainers of his day. Laurant Man of Many Mysteries is a biography
full of show-biz stories, Wild West adventure, and magic.
Billed as the "Man of Many Mysteries," Laurant spent almost 50
seasons on tour. His stage-filling magic show brought wonder and
delight to millions of spectators across North America.
The bulk of Laurant's career was spent not in major metropolitan
centers, or hustling, bustling cities like New York. Unlike his
contemporaries - Houdini among them - Laurant, for the most part,
confined his routes to rural America. It was there that he made his
mark. Eugene Laurant was, arguably, king of the small town showmen.
Laurant carried a full compliment of assistants, livestock, baggage
and thousands of pounds of equipment-the tools of mystery making-over
the rough-and-tumble back roads of America. He logged millions of miles
on the road.
Drawing on Laurant's own unpublished writings, scrapbooks, and new
research, this book paints a revealing and complete portrait of this
early American magician. From his earliest dime-museum days, to
vaudeville shows and much more, Laurant Man of Many Mysteries tells the
tale.
Cloth bound, printed on enameled paper with a gorgeous full-color
dustjacket, 6 x 9", limited edition. Illustrated with rare photographs
and ephemera. A Squash Publishing release.
