Max Maven, American magician and mentalist
Max Maven (born Philip Goldstein, 21 December 1950) is an American magician and mentalist whose performances are considered erudite and intelligent. He is ranked as one of the most influential mentalists of all time, and one of the 100 "Most Influential Magicians of the 20th Century" by Magic Magazine.He often appears on television magic shows to perform "interactive" mind reading tricks. Among other cities, including Rome, Maven grew up largely in Boston, Massachusetts, where he became known for his performances at several nightspots including the then popular Playboy Club. In Boston, he was formerly a radio deejay.He is a prolific author and conceived many magical and mentalist effects used by other magicians. He has been a magic consultant for such performers as David Copperfield and Penn & Teller, Siegfried & Roy, and Doug Henning, and is a frequent contributor to industry journals such as Genii, The Linking Ring, and M-U-M.He has been featured on the cover of over 30 such magazines over the years, including The Linking Ring, Genii in 1983 (with Japanese magician Shigeo Takagi), and also in 2007 and in 2018, and on the cover of Penguin Magic Monthly in 2019. He has also been the featured magician at the annual conventions of both the Society of American Magicians and the International Brotherhood of Magicians.
His name has been changed legally to Max Maven but he still uses "Phil Goldstein" as a pen name for technical writings.Maven is considered a legend in the world of magic, and has a broad knowledge of magic history and the origins various tricks and methods. He has stated that he believes it vital to preserve the history of the art and provide credit to the originators of ideas.