ON THE COVER:
Nate Leipzig

At the turn of the century, a sleight-of-hand artist set a new standard of excellence and dramatically redefined the art of magic. The pros considered his magic perfect, he charmed audiences, and he was the envy of the magic world. Todd Karr presents the master's story, along with one of Leipzig's students, Roy Benson, who shares his thoughts on the man who influenced him so greatly. Plus, there's a bonus of five pet routines from Leipzig, himself.

By Todd Karr

The first-place winner in the close-up competitions at both the IBM convention in Reno and the SAM convention in Boston, and the winner of SAM's "People's Choice Award," Ivan Amodei seems to have come out of nowhere to leave judges and fellow competitors slack-jawed and asking, "Who is this guy?"

By Shawn McMaster

Specializing in entertainment photography, Richard Faverty goes beyond traditional performance shots to create artistic images that capture the unique personalities of some of the world's greatest magicians. Here, he also offers advice for the magician who's looking for that perfect shot.

By Rory Johnston

Continuing our look at what the magic world is doing to encourage the next generation, this month's focus turns to the Society of American Magician's junior organization.

By Rory Johnston

Whether it was running his own circus, training parrots and elephants, or touring an illusion show, Stan Kramien has lived and breathed show business for over 60 years. Thirty of those years, he built, performed, and sold three full-evening shows: Magic Capades, Magicazam, and Shazam. He was planning a fourth production in May of 2000 when a near-fatal automobile accident halted his performing career. Stan, however, continues to as opinionated as ever about the art and business of magic. He recently sat down with his long-time assistant, MAGIC Contributing Editor, David Charvet, to discuss his career and the changing role of the illusionist.