Street magic

Anthropologists chronicle this form of street magic from approximately 3,000 years ago – and there are records of such performers across the continents,[citation needed] notably Europe, Asia/South Asia and the Middle East.

Book XIII of Reginald Scot's Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584) describes magic tricks of the type performed by buskers in the 16th century.

Eric Evans has been a full-time professional since the 1990s and co-wrote – along with Nowlin Craver – a book on the subject (The Secret Art of Magic).

The desired effect of this "hit and run" style of magic is to give the audience a feeling that what they are seeing is impromptu, unrehearsed, and experimental.

This style of "street magic" is associated with David Blaine (who popularized the term) and more recently, Criss Angel, Derren Brown and Cyril Takayama.

[4] Eugene Burger opined to Jamy Ian Swiss "On one level it's the ultimate trivialization of magic: accosting strangers on the street.