An authoritative compendium on sword swallowing, featuring historical biographies, expert insights, rare photos, and behind-the-scenes stories from modern sword swallowers. To the Hilt offers a riveting exploration into the mysterious and dangerous world of sword swallowing, charting its history from ancient rituals to modern-day performances. This comprehensive volume, cowritten by world-renowned sword swallower Dan Meyer and celebrated sideshow historian Marc Hartzman, delves into the lives and careers of over 100 sword swallowers. Packed with rare photographs, fascinating anecdotes, and expert insights, this book is the definitive guide to an art form that has both captivated and terrified audiences for centuries. Meyer and Hartzman bring their extensive expertise to the table, creating a work that is both informative and enthralling. Meyer, with his numerous world records and vast experience, provides an insider's perspective that is unmatched. Hartzman adds depth with his historical knowledge and engaging writing style, making this book a must-read for anyone intrigued by the bizarre and the daring. AUTHORS: Dan Meyer is known as the world's leading expert on sword swallowing. He is president of the Sword Swallowers Association International and winner of the 2007 Ig Nobel Prize in Medicine for medical research on sword swallowing. As a performer, Meyer is known as the world's top sword swallower for holding 40 world records and performing on over 100 TV shows, including 15 Got Talents, and live in 60 countries around the world. He lives in Mesa, Arizona. Marc Hartzman, "one of America's leading connoisseurs of the bizarre" (ABC News), is the author of American Sideshow: An Encyclopedia of History's Strangest and Most Wondrous Performers (Tarcher/Penguin) and nine other books. Marc has written nearly 100 articles on sideshow performers for AOL Weird News, HuffPost, and Bizarre magazine. He lives in New Rochelle, New York. 47 colour, 41 b/w illustrations