The Fitzkee Trilogy

Showmanship for Magicians is a 1943 work by semi-professional magician and author Dariel Fitzkee. It is the first in the Fitzkee Trilogy, a classic collection that is still read widely by magicians, conjurors, and illusionists alike.

There is little information available on the life of Dariel Fitzkee outside of his written work. Born in Annawan, Illinois, in 1898 as Dariel Comp Fitzkee, he later changed his surname to Fitzroy during World War II. But he continued to write under the name Fitzkee throughout his life.

Fitzkee's early books were shorter works focused on specific magic tricks. Books like Cut and Restored Rope and Manipulation (1929) and Linking Ring Manipulation (1930) described multiple variations of these classic tricks.

Fitzkee was also a regular contributor to Genii Magazine, which is still published today. He wrote two recurring magic columns in the 1930s called "Thoughts are Things" and "Glimpses of Strange Shadows." Fitzkee also contributed a book and magazine review column called "Paper and Ink" that ran for over 12 years.

Many magicians throughout the second half of the 20th century have considered Showmanship for Magicians to be a cornerstone work in the field, including the actor Steve Martin who was fanatical about magic as a young man. He described the book as "...more important to me than The Catcher in the Rye."

Fitzkee was frustrated with the quality of magic at the time of his writing. One of his biggest issues with magic in the 1940s was that its performers were still treating the trappings of the late 1800s as the "standard" for magic. Performers often dressed in out-of-date tuxedos, wearing top hats or turbans. Fitzkee felt that magic should be "...geared and attuned to the times" to keep it fresh and interesting for the audience.