Steven Millhauser

The rise and fall of a man of imagination. From a helper in his grandfather's cigar store in 19th Century New York, he rises to become an entrepreneur of fabulous creations, culminating in a hotel with moonlight, waterfalls and a Grecian temple where maidens recite poetry around the clock. Facing ruin, he comes to the conclusion he dreamed the wrong dream. By the author of Edwin Mullhouse.

The Barnum Museum is a combination waxworks, masked ball, and circus sideshow masquerading as a collection of short stories. Within its pages, note such sights as: a study of the motives and strategies used by the participants in the game of Clue, including the seduction of Miss Scarlet by Colonel Mustard; the Barnum Museum, a fantastic, monstrous landmark so compelling that an entire town finds its citizens gradually and inexorably disappearing into...

After the success of his first novels (Edwin Mullhouse and Portrait of a Romantic), Steven Millhauser went on to enchant critics and readers with two short story collections that captured the magic and beauty of his longer works in vivid miniature. The seven stories of In the Penny Arcade blend the real and the fantastic in a seductive mix that illuminates the full range of the author's gifts, from the story of "August Eschenburg," the clockmaker's...

"Here are eighteen stories of astonishing range and precision. A housewife drinks alone in her Connecticut living room. A guillotine glimmers above a sleepy town green. A pre-recorded customer service message sends a caller into a reverie of unspeakable yearning. With the deft touch and funhouse-mirror perspectives for which he has won countless admirers, Steven Millhauser gives us the towns, marriages, and families of a quintessential American lifestyle...

When Elaine Coleman disappears without a trace from inside her locked apartment, an entire town is left wondering if she even existed at all.

The acclaimed illusionist Eisenheim has not only captured the imaginations of all of Vienna, but also the interest of the ambitious Crown Prince Leopold. When Leopold's new fiancée rekindles a childhood fascination with Eisenheim, the Prince's interest evolves into obsession. Suddenly the city's Chief Inspector finds himself investigating a shocking crime. But even as the Inspector engages him in a dramatic challenge of wills, Eisenheim prepares...

The acclaimed illusionist Eisenheim has not only captured the imaginations of all of Vienna, but also the interest of the ambitious Crown Prince Leopold. When Leopold's new fiancée rekindles a childhood fascination with Eisenheim, the Prince's interest evolves into obsession. Suddenly the city's Chief Inspector finds himself investigating a shocking crime. But even as the Inspector engages him in a dramatic challenge of wills, Eisenheim prepares...