  | ||
| | |
Previous | ||||
| | | | |
 | ||
| | |
THE REAL STORY BEHIND THE WAR MAGICIAN Welcome to the web site that attempts to unravel the truth behind the wartime career of Jasper Maskelyne. From November 1993 to October 1995, I wrote a monthly series on Jasper Maskelyne for the Australian magic magazine, Geniis Magic Journal. In 1996 I combined the twenty-one articles into one manuscript. This special volume was distributed among several magic scholars in Australia, England and America. I had hoped that this collection would serve as a useful corrective to David Fisher's error-ridden fanciful concoction "The War Magician"(1983) and Jasper Maskelyne's tainted ghost-written memoirs, Magic - Top Secret (1949). However, to my dismay, I have learned first-hand the rather depressing lesson that the Maskelyne myth is highly resistant to awkward mundane fact. More than ten years have passed since my first articles and the Maskelyne war legend continues to grow. Two separate TV documentaries have been released, preferring to promote the legend rather than analyse the evidence. And now Paramount and Tom Cruise plan to make a major Hollywood film, based on Fisher 's creative material. David Fisher is even republishing his earlier book in the wake of the publicity generated by the film deal. I believe it is now time for the alternative story of Jasper Maskelyne to be brought to a wider audience. I am hoping that this independent web site will allow readers to separate the factual material from the fantasy.
Richard Stokes Contact e-mail: rjs@maskelynemagic.com
| ||
| | |