Queen of Magic by Margaret B. Steele follows Adelaide Herrmann from her unconventional London girlhood into the theatrical world that made her one of the most celebrated magicians of her era. After joining the Kiralfy dance troupe as a teenager, Adelaide meets Alexander Herrmann, an internationally famous illusionist who becomes her husband and stage partner. Their marriage takes her through theatres across Europe and the Americas, where she helps turn conjuring into elaborate spectacle while becoming an essential part of every illusion. Adelaide eventually claims the title Queen of Magic for herself, building a solo career through the changing world of vaudeville. Steele presents her rediscovered memoir beside historical context, bringing together Adelaide’s own memories with the documented story of a woman determined to secure her place in magic history.

Margaret B. Steele’s Queen of Magic is fascinating, and I learned heaps about a woman whose contribution to theatrical magic deserves far wider recognition. What’s really interesting is how Steele has formatted the biography to let Adelaide speak in her own spirited voice while giving readers the background needed to understand the people and practices of her era. Adelaide’s 1897 bullet catch at the Metropolitan Opera House is, frankly, insanely cool, but also a perfect example. First Steele lets her describe facing a firing squad during her first production as company leader, then takes a look at the promotional photograph and identifies the two images used to assemble it. The writing is easy to understand because Adelaide’s voice is at the heart of the history. Readers who enjoy biographies about women who transformed entertainment, this is for you!

The late nineteenth century saw revolutions in entertainment and the rise of figures like Buffalo Bill, Harry Houdini, and Eva Tanguay. Among those figures was Herrmann the Great (Alexander Herrmann), an innovative magician who performed alongside his wife, Adelaide Herrmann. Indeed, one of his innovations, the use of a full orchestra tailor-made for the performance (complete with dancing and elaborate scenery), came at his wife’s suggestion. Following Alexander’s death, Adelaide enjoyed a successful career of her own all the way into her 70s, achieving accomplishments unprecedented for a woman at the time and earning her the moniker “Queen of Magic.” Alas, her story had been overshadowed until recently, when her memoir was finally discovered. In Queen of Magic, magician and Herrmann expert Margaret B. Steele brings this story to life.

Adelaide’s memoir is far from objective and likely incomplete, but it gives us a deeply personal look into her life, values, and goals. Since the Herrmanns toured many places around the world, this doubles as a travelogue of sorts, describing the couple’s adventures, misadventures, and funny episodes abroad. I found the cultural shocks and perspectives on different peoples (although sometimes uncomfortably outdated, but always fascinating) particularly interesting. Margaret B. Steele complements Adelaide’s writing with notes, articles, illustrations, and other resources that paint a more complete picture and include extra context and corrections. Overall, Queen of Magic is a great read for magic and history enthusiasts. But it’s also a monument to Adelaide Herrmann’s legacy as a resilient, passionate woman who loved and supported her husband but also succeeded on her own in the competitive and male-dominated field of magic.