Product details
- ISBN 9780861967599
- Dimensions: 210 x 279mm
- Publication Date: 20 Mar 2026
- Publisher: John Libbey & Co
- Publication City/Country: AU
- Product Form: Paperback
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Magic Lantern Art celebrates the life and artistry of cinema pioneer, Joseph Boggs Beale (1841–1926). Beale was America's premier artist creating images for magic lantern shows – the projected performances that gave birth to the movies. His 2,000 lantern illustrations were made into story-telling slides that were seen and admired by millions a year. Almost single-handedly he created American screen entertainment for the generation before the movies, pioneering narrative techniques that later appeared on the nation's cinema screens.
Magic Lantern Art is based on both the author's extensive Beale archive, now held by the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles, and on his 25-year career performing more than 1,000 professional lantern shows using Beale's slides. Written in an engaging and accessible style and featuring over 500 color pictures, the book is a must-read for anyone interested in cinema history or American art.
Terry Borton has a doctorate in education from Harvard, and has published two books in the education field. In 2014, along with his wife Deborah, he published Before the Movies, detailing the attribution, provenance, and dates of Beale's paintings – the foundation for this current book. National Public Radio has called his touring magic lantern shows "a living national treasure".
