Ionia: Magician Princess Secrets Unlocked by Charles Greene III

Description

In 1910, Ionia, Goddess of Mystery, was the pre-eminent female magician of her time. At the age of twenty-two, she began touring around the European continent with a large illusion show. It was a no-expense-spared theatrical production with a cast of several people, exotic animals, custom scenery, and colorful lithograph posters. Yet, in 1913, after a few years of performances and rave reviews, she vanished without a trace.

Who was Ionia? Where did she go? Why was she in Russia?

Clementine’s history is a collage of enticing mysteries. Discover her dramatic journey of transformation from Ionia the magician to Princess Clementine Eristavi Tchitcherine. You hold the key. Read this book. Unlock her secrets.

The only book with the complete story of Ionia and all those in her close orbit.

• Julia Ferrett – Illusionist Okita
• Charles de Vere – Master magician and inventor
• Clementine de Vere – Ionia
• Herman Weedon – American lion tamer
• Frank Weedon – Son of Clementine and Herman
• Houdini and Charles de Vere
• Elise de Vere – Paris cabaret sensation
• Frank Godsol – American Millionaire
• Vladimir Eristavi Tchitherine – Prince

All of them deserve their own book, but there is more.

• Stone Lithography – fully explained
• Paris’ Belle Epoque – Clementine’s model photos
• Ionia’s travel schedule and reviews
• Ionia’s bear attack – Read the trial record
• Ionia posters – See all eleven known posters
• Clementine’s Paris operations
• The F.B.I. files
• Clementine in America
• The Russian Dossier- Learn of Clementine’s time in Russia
• A second Okita – Who was this reincarnation?
• Clementine’s exclusive and secret French Rivera villa.

All this and more in 330 pages with over 180 images. Most of these images have not been seen in more than 100 years.

“Charles Greene has written an imaginative, unbelievable story about a beautiful music hall magician, famous wizards, a performing bear, spies, disappearing people, handsome suitors, and an elegant, mysterious European princess. The best part is that it all really happened. The tale of Ionia is one of the glories of magic history, a story so incredible that-as Charles so skillfully demonstrates-it had to be true. It’s a great book, full of surprises.”
– Jim Steinmeyer

“From my perspective Ionia is a total home run. It is absolutely gorgeous. My heartiest congratulations to you!!!”
– Larry Haas

“Charles Greene III has written an absorbing book about an extraordinary and largely forgotten personality in magic. I learned much from it and recommend it to anyone interested not just in the history of the magic but the undocumented part that female magicians have played in it. In the book, Greene has added an amazing amount of illustrative material. There are illustrations and photos on virtually every page, and they really help build an understanding of the people and the era. There is also an excellent chapter explaining the development of the printing process used to produce Ionia’s striking posters. This thoughtful structuring of information makes it the best laid out book on the history of magic that I’ve read.”
– David Britland, review for Genii magazine

“I’m very proud to have ‘Ionia – Magician Princess Secrets Unlocked” in my International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts. Charles combined his expert knowledge of magic posters with two decades of passionate pursuit to reveal Ionia’s complete story. In this beautifully designed book, Charles tells the long overdue history of one of magic’s great illusionists, Ionia – Queen of Mystery. This book is important as it increases the long overdue visibility and status of women in magic.”
– David Copperfield

“The Ionia book is a beautiful work. I was impressed by the quality of the publication and the illustrations. What thorough historical research you did- bravo. Keep up the magical work, and best wishes in all your future projects.”
– Philippe Petit

“Collecting all of this data on Ionia is like having a thousand puzzle pieces in a box. Until you put the pieces together, you really have no idea what the picture looks like. And now, at long last, after years of rearranging those puzzle pieces, they finally make sense, Charles has presented us all with a gift.”
– Michael Caveney

“For over a hundred years, all we knew of Ionia came from the gorgeous two-dimensional posters of her at work. Now Charles Greene III adds a remarkable and thoroughly unexpected third dimension by finally unveiling her tumultuous, globe-trotting life. Greene has deciphered her multiple transformations from daughter in a huge family of colorful performers to working magician (and bear tamer!) to Russian princess to Paris salon doyenne to – well – an enigma almost lost to time. It’s a terrific act of detective work, a spectacular act of production.”
– Glen David Gold, author of Carter Beats the Devil

“Ionia – Magician Princess Secrets Unlocked brings together rare programs, tour plans, unique photographs, archived Russian, Belgian and Russian, Belgian and American government documents and all known posters of Posters of lonia, who lived from 1883 to 1973. The book is exciting and entertaining, with about 180 illustrations. At the same time, the book is a kind of homage to women in the art of magic. The author lists more than 400 names of other women magicians. Conclusion: A wonderful, exciting, well researched biography about an extraordinary magician in a beautiful book form. Highly recommended.”
– Wittus Witt