The history of magicians is one of both great artistry and tremendous deception. Magicians, trained in techniques mastered over thousands of years, were required to be good at their craft, but also good at selling it—especially as migration, industrialization, and the changing nature of theater meant performances needed to become scarier, sexier, bigger, and better. The Golden Age of Magic began in the mid-1800s when waves of immigration brought the courtly magicians of old Europe to the new…