Prepare to be amazed! “Celebrations of Curious Characters By Ricky Jay” unveils a world of fascinating oddities. Discover captivating tales & rare visuals in this wondrous collection. A magical must-read!”
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Celebrations of Curious Characters By Ricky Jay
Step into the extraordinary world of Ricky Jay, a master raconteur, historian, and one of the greatest sleight-of-hand artists of our time. Celebrations of Curious Characters offers a captivating journey through the fascinating and often bizarre lives of performers, conmen, and prodigies who have left their mark on history.
Adapted from his acclaimed radio series Jay’s Journal of the Air, this book is a treasure trove of one-page anecdotes that will leave you spellbound. Each story is accompanied by stunning engravings, mezzotints, and broadsheets from Ricky Jay’s personal collection, bringing these curious characters to life in vivid detail.
- Mind-Bending Performers: Discover the tales of limbless jugglers, banjo-picking birds, and Anglo-Texan saxophone-playing Siamese twins.
- Musical Prodigies & Conmen: Explore the lives of musical geniuses, cannon-ball catchers, and the cunning world of card cheats.
- Unbelievable Feats: Marvel at the man who built a model of Lincoln Cathedral from 1,000,800 bottle corks and the woman who was continuously pregnant for six-and-a-half years.
- Historical Digressions: Delve into intriguing side notes on time, money, and the secret language of thieves.
Whether you’re a history buff, a fan of the bizarre, or simply love a good story, Celebrations of Curious Characters is a must-read that will entertain and enlighten in equal measure.
Celebrations of Curious Characters cracks open the personal vaults of Ricky Jay–raconteur, historian, and one of the world’s great sleight-of-hand artists–exposing a wonderful world of amusing and arcane knowledge. Adapted from his popular radio series “Jay’s Journal of the Air,” Celebrations of Curious Characters features one-page anecdotes of mind-bending performers (limbless jugglers, banjo-picking birds, Anglo-Texan saxophone-playing siamese twins) paired with engravings, mezzotints, and broadsheets from the author’s remarkable collection. You’ll find engaging vignettes on a daunting variety of topics: musical prodigies, cannon-ball catchers, conmen, card cheats, and performing politicians. Plus, a man who made a model of Lincoln Cathedral out of 1,000,800 bottle corks; a woman continuously pregnant for six-and-a-half years; a theatrical strong man who became the world’s leading Egyptologist; and a healthy number of digressions on time, money, and the argot of thieves.
