Jay's Journal of Anomalies : Conjurers, Cheats, Hustlers, Hoaxsters, Pranksters, Jokesters, Imposters, Pretenders, Side-Show Showmen, Armless Calligraphers, Mechanical Marvels, Popular Entertainments - Hardcover

Jay, Ricky

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0374178674 ISBN 13: 9780374178673

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2001

Synopsis

A dazzling tour through the world of singular entertainers, con men, and unusual phenomena.

For the past four years, the multitalented Ricky Jay (sleight-of-hand artist, author, actor, film consultant, and scholar of the unusual) has published a unique and beautifully designed quarterly called Jay's Journal of Anomalies. Already a coveted collector's item, the complete set is gathered here for the first time. A brilliant excursion into the history of bizarre entertainments, the journal covered such subjects as dogs stealing acts from other dogs, an anthropological hoax involving the only survivors of a caste of ancient Aztec priests, and the ultimate diet: ingesting only air.In a delectably deadpan and winning style, Jay conveys his admiration and affection for the offbeat that characterized his bestselling Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women. He explains how wags since the sixteenth century have cheated at bowling; he explores the ancient relationship between conjuring and dentistry; and he chronicles the exploits of ceiling walkers and human flies. Crammed full of illustrations drawn from the author's massive personal archive, Jay's Journal of Anomalies will baffle, instruct, and, above all, delight.

About this title

About the Author

Ricky Jay is the author of Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women. His one-man show, Ricky Jay & His 52 Assistants, was a critical and popular success. He has appeared in the films House of Games, The Spanish Prisoner, Boogie Nights, and Magnolia.

Reviews

Author and actor Ricky Jay (Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women) gathers four years of his quarterly Jay's Journal of Anomalies in one volume of the same name. An expert on the improbable, Jay trains his curiosity on unusual forms of entertainment and recorded history, and entries include "A Compendium of Giant Children" and "A Verbally Challenging Bestiary." He has unearthed gems like an advertisement for "Miss Silvia, Skandenavian Ceiling Walker" and a centuries-long fascination with the public spectacle of nose amputation. Jay's new one-man show, Ricky Jay on Broadway, opening this spring, and his role in Mamet's forthcoming movie Heist promise publicity for this witty and bizarre collection. Color illus.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0374178674
• ISBN 13: 9780374178673
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 216