John Northern Hilliard (August 18, 1872 – March 14, 1935) was an American newspaperman, poet, novelist, and playwright. Among his works is a best-selling book on magic, Greater Magic.[1][2][3]
Hilliard's "Ysabel of the Blue Bird" was the cover story in the May 1913 issue of The Argosy
John Northern Hilliard was born in Palmyra, New York, in 1872. His parents were Allen D. Hilliard (1829-1888) and Augusta B Bartells (1839–1902).[4] His wife was Ida Louise Harrison. They had three children.[5]
Hilliard was a close friend, from the early 1890s at the New York World, with American poet, novelist, and short story writer, Stephen Crane, who wrote The Red Badge of Courage. Hilliard had letters written by Crane, one of which contained incidents in the life of the author.[4][7]
In the 1920s, Hilliard was living in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Mary E. Hand, president of the Carmel Arts and Crafts Club, helped build the Carmel Arts and Crafts Theater in 1922, where the Club put on their own theatrical productions. The formal opening of the theater was highlighted by the performance of two plays produced and directed by Hilliard, The Thrice Promised Bride and The Queen's Enemies.[8] In 1924, Hilliard was an actor in Ira Remsen's children's fantasy Mr. Bunt, where he played the role of Danny, a circus clown.[9] He left Carmel for New York in 1925. He wrote several books of verse, plays, and stories. One of his poems include Underneath the Bough and musical comedy, The Castaways.[4][10]
After moving to the New York Telegram he met magician Howard Thurston and became interested in magic himself. In 1925 he joined Thurston's magic show as an advance man and for the next 10 years toured America, meeting the most talented magicians of his day and recording their creations. He "edited" T. Nelson Downs's book The Art of Magic; he is generally considered to be its author.
