The Greatest Magician You've Never Heard Of...

Johann Nepomuk Hofzinser (June 19, 1806 – March 11, 1875) was an employee at the financial department of the Austrian-Hungarian Monarchy, and was in no way a doctor of physics. He used the title of “Dr. Hofzinser” as a stage name after retiring from his employment in 1865. As a magician he was best known for his clever conjuring inventions and refined sleight of hand skills. Hofzinser is called the ‘Father of Card Magic’ by the most prominent representatives of modern card artistry; magician Dai Vernon often mentioned Hofzinser in his books.

In his day, Hofzinser’s talents were famous throughout Europe. From 1857 on, under the name of his wife Wilhemine, Hofzinser presented illusions in their apartment for an elite audience of invited guests three or four times a week. They called these gatherings Eine Stunde der Täuschung, or “An Hour of Deception” and charged a relatively high price for admission. In 1865 he went on tour with his show and performed in Berlin, Munich, and most of the bigger cities in the Austrian Monarchy.

Hofzinser is famous for his minimalistic approach to his magic; rather than presenting large-scale illusions to impress his audience, he focused on a simple setting using small props to entertain his audiences. Playing cards were one of Hofzinser’s specialties, and he was one of the earliest performers to demonstrate card tricks. He invented many card manipulations and effect plots, some of which continue to be used by magicians today.

A Most Dangerous Thing...

I follow Seth Godin's incredible blog daily. He referenced a new "micro-magazine" called 'Fear.less', a new web publication that tells stories of people who overcome fear and live in success. Stories of this kind have always fascinated me; how an individual can chosen to move past the fear that cripples the large majority of humanity, and found that by simply doing the things that they feared, they became successful.

Though I can't remember where I heard it, I have long remembered a quote that has stuck with me for years: to overcome fear, act. Don't just sit there worrying about what could go wrong. All of the planning, thinking, deciding, etc., in the world won't move you forward past the fear until you do the one thing that will: ACT! Do something!

For me, it was having the courage to start performing. While I have practiced, rehearsed, and planned for years, I was fearful about whether people would like what I do. I finally came to a crossroads where I had to decide: do I continue doing what I've been doing and never perform, or do I just put myself out there, become vulnerable, and do the thing?

I'll keep you posted on performance dates as they come...

Hooker's Impossible Card Rise...A Mystery Then, and Still Today!

"Many an amateur in the New York district conducted private displays for the benefit of the convention delegates last week. Notable among these was Dr. Samuel Cox Hooker of Brooklyn who first produced his Impossibilities and Miltiades III in 1918. At that time he astonished and mystified some of the world's leading magicians. Not until this spring did Dr. Hooker give another demonstration. Eleven years had passed for discussion and theorizing, yet the brotherhood of magicians still found Brother Hooker's thaumaturgy inexplicable.


Ill, Dr. Hooker entrusted last week's performance and his secrets to John Mullholland of Manhattan, brilliant sleight-of-handman, lecturer, student of world-wide magical history. Magician Mullholland was invisibly assisted by Dr. Shirley L. Quimby, apparatus expert, professor of physics at Columbia University. Dr. Hooker's guests were led from his dark panelled home through a small grassy courtyard, into a private chemical laboratory. On the second floor was a tiny impromptu "theatre" which seated about 20 people. The walls were lined with books, many of them on magic.

The apparatus for the Hooker Impossibilities tricks consists of a small metal and glass frame, snugly holding a pack of cards, standing on a tabaret. Any card named by any member of the audience rose from the pack. A glass globe was put over the frame, a deck of cards was provided by a member of the audience, the frame was raised above the tabaret on a book supported by small glass pedestals, the frame was set swinging through the air suspended by two cards—none of these successive changes interfered; the named cards continued to rise. The up-and-down motion of the cards obeyed the indication of the outstretched hand of any member of the audience. Cards rose high above the frame, stood motionless in midair, descended into the frame again. As a finale the entire deck swooped out of the globe-covered frame.

Miltiades III is a teddy bear's head. The eyes roll, the head turns, the head rises in midair. When a member of the audience took a number of cards at random from a deck presented by Magician Mullholland, the jaws of Miltiades III clicked the number of cards before the recipient had counted them himself.

As these two processes were revealed with successive variations, all theories broke down. The end was mystery. An English delegate, entrusted with reporting the Hooker mysteries, said he would not be believed. A U. S. adept told how he had paced the streets, unable to sleep, tortured with speculation. Dr. Hooker will presumably leave his secret to the younger men who already share it, with instructions that they keep it amateur magic, bequeath it in time to other successors. Perhaps the Hooker secret will thus be kept for centuries." (Time Magazine article, 'Merlins' June 10, 1929 issue)

Dr. Hooker's impossible effect is still a mystery to most magicians. The effect was performed for what may only have been the 4th or 5th time in history at the Tenth L.A. Conference on Magic History in November 2007. This biennial event, created by Ricky Jay and Jim Steinmeyer, showcases performances, lectures, and antique collections that would cause a great excitement for anyone interested in magic history (like myself)! Interestingly, you don't just attend: you're invited. And the event that took place in 2007 allowed hundreds to watch as John Gaughan performed Hooker's beautiful illusion using his original, 90-year old apparatus!

It would seem that some mysteries are still worth preserving!

The Little Man of Nuremburg


Matthew Buchinger was born in Anspach, Germany in 1674 and was one of the most well known performers of his day. He played over a dozen musical instruments, danced the hornpipe, and was an expert calligrapher, magician, and bowler; he built magnificent ships in bottles, and was a stunning marksman with a pistol.

His skills certainly seemed to impress ladies as he was married at least four times and fathered eleven children. There is a story that one of his wives was abusive and insulting - he put up with the behaviour until he simply snapped and he knocked her to the ground and thrashed her publicly. The event was immortalized in the form of a caricature published in the newspaper the following day.

During his lifetime, Buchinger performed for many kings – three successive kings of Germany – and several times before King George.

All this was quite remarkable for any man...however, it's more impressive when you consider that Matthew Buchinger, The Little Man of Nuremberg...never grew taller than 28 inches high and was born without arms or legs...



He died in Cork, Ireland in 1732.

(originally published on www.thehumanmarvels.com/2006/03/matthew-buchinger-little-man-of.html)

The Modern Conjurer is taking over!

As of the end of 2009, I will be concentrating all my performing efforts on my show, "Richard Green: The Modern Conjurer". This is going to be the new direction of my performances in which I'm going to be performing less magic, and more mentalism/mind-reading presentations.