Confronting Magic

Featuring original photography and rare memorabilia alongside a Foreword by Guillermo Del Toro and text by Cohen himself, Confronting Magic celebrates twenty years of Chamber Magic and the variety of guests that the lively, intimate show has attracted and stunned. Here we see stills and props from Cohen’s most praise-worthy tricks, including his signature “Think-a-Drink” and the jaw-dropping Bullet Catch. At other times, the camera is turned to the audience, inviting readers to step into the magician’s shoes and see what he sees—the laughter and the outbursts; the silence and the hand-wringing; the collapsing-onto-your-neighbor’s shoulder and the wide-eyed disbelief. These jubilant reactions illustrate just why audiences return to Cohen’s parlor again and again—music can make you dance; comedy can make you laugh; but only magic can make you wonder.