Professor Hoffmann

Professor Hoffmann was the pen name of Angelo John Lewis (1839–1919), an English barrister and journalist who became the most influential writer on conjuring of his century. Educated at Oxford and called to the bar, he practiced law and wrote for the magazines before publishing Modern Magic in 1876, the first book to explain in detail the methods of the professional stage magician; it was followed by More Magic, Later Magic and Latest Magic, by translations of the French master Robert-Houdin, and by books on card games, puzzles and indoor amusements. Lewis performed only as an amateur, but generations of magicians learned their craft from his pages.