The
Magic of a Book
Ian
Adair
There
seems to be more and more books on magic these
days than we can actually afford!
Certainly
in my younger days, I couldn't afford the quantity
of books that are available today. A little
book from the normal bookshop was all I could
spend my few coppers on. When Harry Stanley
brought out such classic works as the Dai
Vernon Book, The Slydini Book, or even
the Ganson books on manipulation, it was a time
to celebrate. These were real magic books of
fine standard.
Today,
the youngster in magic has more books to consider
then I did.
I started
with a book on magic. Paul Daniels started with
a book on Victorian tricks. Edwin Hooper, on
holiday as a boy, bought a little book on magic
when he was in Blackpool and visited the Paul
Clive's magic and joke shop.
In those
days we didn't have videos, so we couldn't see
the authors demonstrate their effects. It was
an exciting time. The first book I bought was
The Boy's Book of Conjuring,
published by Ward Lock. I never really understood
if Ward Lock was the author or the publisher.
All I knew was that I liked the book and it
brought me into the world of magic, together
with the little books of Johnson, under the
Foyle's handybook banner: Card
Magic and Conjuring, both titles really
forced me forward. I could do cups and balls
when I was fifteen years of age and this came
from Wilfred Johnson's books of magic, which
at that time sold for 2/- (ten pence).
In my
life, I have written some 250 or more books.
Such books cover a wide subject on magic. From
mentalism to children's magic, general magic
and dove magic. These came out year after year
and seem to still be pouring from me. It is
not the shortage of ideas that could be a problem,
but the lack of funds to put out the books which
might well be the truth. Then there are magazines,
those that publish your effects if they are
acceptable. I have had the honor of having many
series in Abra, Pentagram, Linking Ring,
Repro, Budget, Magic Circular and many more.
The main
trouble with magicians is that even when they
spend a lot of money on a book, they don't use
the material within. Probably they would have
been better off buying a manufactured effect
and pretending to their audience that it was
"their" invention.
Magic
magazines are always worth reading. Bringing
you up to date on the news of the day, providing
the latest adverts from magical dealers and
offering us a trick or two into the bargain.
Some magicians keep their magazines forever,
whilst others thrown them away. We are a funny
lot!
Talking
about books, I bet my best ones are the famous
Tarbell Course, The Rice's Silk Encyclopaedias, and some of
Karrell Fox's books.
The trouble
with buying books is that you have to store
them somewhere and shelf spaces get smaller
and smaller. Always keep them away from sunlight
and if possible, keep them behind glass. Try
to store them in alphabetical order, either
by name or by author, and keep a separate book
that gives you the actual location of each book.
If you have a computer, all the better, use
it to store this information.
Magic
books are wondrous. They teach us the fundamental
facts of our art and are enjoyable to read,
whether at home or traveling on a train, something
you cannot do with a video film (well - actually
it's possible today). But there is something
that transcends time when you read a book. Happy
book reading
Cheers,
Ian Adair
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