Art of Play - Wonder by Design

Matthias Buchinger: The Greatest German Living

Matthias Buchinger: The Greatest German Living - Main image
$225 $450 In stock

Category: Architecture

A remarkable story, rediscovered by one of magic's greatest historians.

In Matthias Buchinger: "The Greatest German Living", legendary magician, author, and collector Ricky Jay traces the extraordinary life of Matthias Buchinger, the eighteenth-century polymath known as the "Little Man of Nuremberg." Born without hands or feet, Buchinger became an accomplished magician, calligrapher, musician, engraver, and performer whose astonishing talents defied every expectation.

Published in this deluxe edition by the Conjuring Arts Research Center, the book combines Ricky Jay's meticulous scholarship with lavish reproductions of Buchinger's intricate artworks, broadsides, and historical ephemera. More than a biography, it is an exploration of curiosity, perseverance, and the enduring power of wonder.

An extraordinary volume for lovers of magic, history, art, and the beautifully improbable.

Limited Collectors Edition. 1 of 500. Includes signed certificate and two decks of commemorative playing cards.

Customer Reviews (4.9 / 5 · 19 reviews)

Brian V. ★★★★★

Ricky Jay’s storytelling pulls you right into Buchinger’s world—I couldn’t put it down, and the way he connects the magic history to the man’s art feels both scholarly and alive. The book itself is beautifully produced, with crisp images that make the tiny calligraphy legible even on the page.

Richard P. ★★★★★

The reproductions of Buchinger’s miniature calligraphy are so crisp you can almost feel the pen strokes, and Jay’s storytelling turns a forgotten 18th-century figure into someone you can’t stop reading about. I’ve already flipped back to the illustrations three times, each pass revealing something n

Claire ★★★★★

The book reproduces Buchinger's astonishingly detailed micrographic works in full-page plates, and they're even more mind-bending in print than I imagined. Ricky Jay's research gives it a detective-story energy that makes the history feel alive.