From about 400 to 1500 CE, little is known about the history of magic, but much of it is associated with the occult. Magic as entertainment is not prominent. In 1584, Reginald Scot published The Discoveries of Witchcraft, a book designed to persuade others that people shouldn’t be burned at the stake or hanged for performing simple magic tricks. Many of those tricks of conjuring were revealed in the book. It is considered the first published material on performance magic. In 1603, at the accession of James I, Scot’s book was ordered to be burned, making first editions moderately rare.
Until the 18th century, magic shows were a common source of entertainment at fairs, where itinerant performers would entertain the public with magic tricks. As belief in witchcraft was waning, the art became increasingly respectable and shows would be put on for rich private patrons. A notable figure in this transition was Isaac Fawkes, an English showman, who began to promote his act in advertisements from the 1720s. He claimed to have performed for King George II. Upon Fawkes’ death in 1732, he reportedly had amassed a fortune exceeding ten thousand pounds, equivalent to at least a million dollars today.
