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FROM THE EDITOR
VANISH
MAGAZINE
PUBLISHER Paul Romhany & Joomag
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & DESIGN LAYOUT Paul Romhany
ASSOCIATE EDITORS Hal Meyers , Nick Lewin , Ben Robinson
ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Paul Romhany
CREATIVE DESIGNER & LAYOUT Paul Romhany
VANISH CONVENTION DIRECTOR Steve Hocevar
CIRCULATION & SUBSCRIPTION Joomag
ADDRESS 1183 Blind Bogey Drive Qualicum Beach , BC . V9K1E6 CANADA
SUBSCRIPTIONS : www . vanishmagazine . com
SPECIAL EDITION JUNE 2021
Sometimes to give a story its full justice I make the choice to run it as a Special Edition and offer it as a gift to the magic fraternity . When I found out about Jim Steinmeyer ’ s Mystery Book I wanted to delve further in to it , and the more I did the more it grew in to the pages you are about to read . Thank you to Jim for allowing VANISH to get the scoop on this project and the story behind it .
The New York Times calls him the “ celebrated invisible man — inventor , designer and creative brain behind many of the great stage magicians of the last quartercentury .” His illusions have been seen from Broadway , London ’ s West End , Las Vegas , and in Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey ’ s Greatest Show on Earth . He ’ s the author of best-selling books about magic and magic history , including Hiding the Elephant , The Glorious Deception and The Last Greatest Magician in the World . Recognized for his extensive , innovative creations in magic , a recent profile concluded that Jim was “ the best living originator of stage illusions ,” noting his many creations as the “ defining illusions in contemporary magic .” Jim Steinmeyer has worked with virtually every leading magician around the world , produced magic on television , and written extensively on his illusions .
Jim Steinmeyer was the Magic Designer for Doug Henning , who wrote , “ I consider Jim the most brilliant mind in magic .” Jim invented impossibilities for four Henning television specials , six touring shows , two Henning Broadway shows (“ Merlin ,” for which Jim received his first Drama Desk Nomination , and “ Doug Henning ’ s World of Magic ”), and numerous television and Las Vegas appearances .
For one of David Copperfield ’ s television specials , Jim proposed an innovative concept , the scenario and secret by which the Statue of Liberty could “ disappear .” David used the Statue illusion to close his special and created headlines with the mystery .
Jim has also served as a consultant for Siegfried and Roy , David Copperfield and Lance Burton . He has also developed magic for Orson Welles , Harry Blackstone , the Pendragons , Justin Willman , Mark Kalin , Dan Sperry , and Alex Ramon .
Jim currently holds four U . S . patents in the field of illusion apparatus , including a new version of the famous “ Pepper ’ s Ghost ” mystery , which makes it applicable in a variety of situations , and has also served as an expert witness in this field .
From creating illusions for Broadway productions including the Disney Company production of “ Beauty and the Beast ” on Broadway to the effects designer for “ Ricky Jay , On the Stem ,” at the Second Stage Theatre in 2002 . He has also been the consultant behind many films and television shows , as since 1987 , Jim has worked as a Concept Designer and Consultant / Concept Design for Walt Disney Imagineering , the creative development division for the Walt Disney Company ’ s theme parks .
Paul Romhany
Editor and Creator of VANISH