Dickens Of An Offer

We are delighted to announce another special offer to Magicol subscribers, this time courtesy of Trevor Dawson, as he presents, Charles Dickens, Conjurer, Mesmerist and Showman.

Most magicians know vaguely that Dickens was a conjurer, but here is a chance to learn so much more! This book  intertwines Dickens’ complex life with his non-literary interest, including magic.

Dickens was friendly with many then-modern day conjurers including Robert-Houdin. He was also a successful and effective hypnotist. The book describes numerous conjuring performances and reveals many other interesting and hitherto unknown facts (such as Dickens being a ventriloquist). We invite you to jump into the narrative, discover more about Dickens and uncover a side seldom explored. Mr. Dawson will also be presenting this topic at the 43rd Magic Collectors Weekend on May 12.

The clothbound book (with dust jacket) has 250 pages and has 130 illustrations and is offered to Magicol readers at the discounted price of $40. To take advantage of this offer, send Paypal payment to: tdawson@tdawson.co.uk. Or, contact Mr. Dawson to arrange other methods of payment, as checks and money orders are also accepted.

We thank Mr. Dawson for making this generous offer available to our readers! Don’t miss out!

New 2012 MCW dates

New dates for 2012 Collectors Weekend

Since President Obama’s announcement that Chicago will host the G8 NATO Summits May 15 to 23rd next year, we have opted to change our 43rd Annual Magic Collectors Weekend to May 10, 11 and 12.

After watching the severity of security, riots and protests in Toronto from the last G20 meeting, we are certain this is the right move!

Details will be posted soon both here on our blog and on our website, but for now, please save the new dates: May 10, 11 & 12, 2012 for the 43rd Magic Collectors Weekend in Chicago at the Westin O’Hare.

We are working with our friends at the hotel to get you great hotel rates and special discounts. Stay tuned! We will open for registration soon.

Until then, happy summer!

Whew!

And with that, we bring the 42nd Annual Magic Collectors Weekend to a close.

We were thrilled to have Guests of Honor, Ray & Ann Goulet and Dr. Gene Matsuura share their collection tales up-close and personal. We were also delighted to have a broad range of exhibitors this year including: Byron Walker Magic Books; Jay Hunter, Joe Hanosek, Jim Rawlins, Arthur Moses; Hank and Jackie Moorehouse; H&R Books, Majic Brand Woodturning; Magicana for Collectors and Mike Caveney’s Magic Words; Pierre Mayer; Bob James’ Magic-FX; Tad Ware; Mike O’Dowd, Celeste Evans; Potter & Potter Auctions Inc.; Jeff Pierce & The Kodells; and Phil Schwartz. Special thanks go to exhibitors: Bill Palmer for his Cup & Ball Display; Jason England for his Every Erdnase Edition Display; and to Bob Escher & Bill Spooner for bringing items to stage a Del Ray Exhibition. It was a great showcase of fine and interesting collectibles and we appreciate all the hard work that everyone put in for our delegates.

To each of our featured speakers, we are thankful for your participation and wonderful contributions. For details on who was there, and who said what, visit our 42nd MCW schedule.

David Linsell, our official photographer for the event, captured literally thousands of memorable moments. We have posted a few gems for your enjoyment.

SEE MCW PHOTOS

But  without Magic Collectors, we would not have a Weekend. To each of our delegates, thank you for attending and supporting Magicana with your enthusiasm, passion and love of collecting magic and of magic’s history. If you had fun, tell your friends! If you didn’t, tell us so we can address and make next year even better.

next up…

So with 2011 now behind us, we are delighted to announce that the 43rd Annual MCW will take place May 17, 18 and 19, 2012 once again at the Westin O’Hare.

Our guests of honors have accepted their invitations and we will reveal who they are soon! Details for next year’s Weekend – including early bird registration – will also be released shortly. Until then, keep your eyes posted on in the inbox for more Magicol news!

Last Chance!

This is the last weekend to book your hotel accommodations for the 42nd Magic Collectors Weekend at the discounted rate of $125/night.

The special rate applies for May 19, 20 and 21. There are a lot of events going on in Chicago around our Weekend dates, so hotel rooms are high in demand. MCW hotel discounted rate expires on May 3, 2011.

Here is a direct link to make your reservations at the Westin O’Hare:
http://www.starwoodmeeting.com/Book/MCE18A

The Westin OHare is a wonderful hotel, with free shuttle service from OHare airport. It is just minutes from the Blue Line “EL” train which provides service to downtown Chicago.

more discounts

We have just confirmed that the Westin OHare will also provide MCW Delegates 20% off hotel-restaurant menu prices PLUS  an additional 10% off if you come in before 6PM! A great deal for terrific food and excellent service.

We have also negotiated flat rate parking for $10/day.

register now

With our jam-packed schedule for a fun-filled Weekend, you won’t want to miss this event.

There is still time to register, but space is limited. For event details, visit www.magicana.com/mca/weekend.

MCW: It’s Saturday Night!

As is the custom, we will provide the MCW with a magical finish – an evening stage show held in the intimate surrounds of our amphitheatre. The show will be hosted by David Charvet and, in addition to being the Master of Ceremonies, David will perform an interlude with Rag Pictures, the subject of his presentation the day before. Also on the bill, will be multiple Magic Castle Award Winner John Carney, presenting some of the classics of parlor prestidigitation with that light and playful touch for which he is famous. Headlining the show will be Murray Hatfield and Teresa, making their MCW and Chicago debut.

Murray and Teresa are one of the hardest-working touring professional illusion acts in North America. Residents of Victoria, British Columbia, where they are also the proprietors of Murray’s Trick & Joke Shop, Murray and Teresa perform primarily for the public. Although they have been featured at several of the larger magic conventions, and just recently at both the Magic Castle and It’s Magic!,  presenting excerpts from their full show, Magic ‘n Miracles, they have never performed before a group of our ilk.

What makes their debut at the MCW even more special is that Murray and Teresa will present their own twist on an illusion described by Tad Ware in Magicol No. 161 (November 2006), namely Edward Stowell’s Confounding “Chinese Torture Cabinet”.  Murray stumbled upon the illusion several years ago, remembered it being performed by Mark Wilson, and acquired the prop. It came to him in an old wooden crate stamped on the side with the name Lee Edwards. It is now one of his favourite illusions and, after you see Murray and Teresa perform it, it will be one of yours.

I’m pleased to say that Murray and Teresa will be with us for the entire Weekend. Not only are they fine practitioners of the “big stuff”, they are enthralled by the history. I hope that once they see the nature of the group and the Weekend, they will become regulars.

After the show, we will have our just desserts, and the opportunity to mingle, drink and sample a dessert or two at a reception outside the Dealers Room.

All in all, a fun-filled and informative Weekend: don’t you agree?

MCW: Saturday Afternoon

We have four wonderful speakers scheduled for Saturday afternoon. Leading off will be Jeff Taylor, the new curator of the American Museum of Magic. The Museum, founded by Bob and Elaine Lund, should need no introduction to this crowd. There has been much speculation, however, about what has happened to the collection and the access to it since their passing. Jeff is going to give us an update on what he and the Museum have been doing, and the plans for the future.

A large part of collecting magic is also disposing of it. We often acquire duplicate items to upgrade the condition of the item in the collection. Sometimes we buy a large amount of material in order to acquire just one particular piece, and are left with items that are not within our primary range of interest. We may have reached an age, economic circumstance, or be in a relationship where it is prudent to dispose of  parts or all of our magic holdings.  Holding an auction is a tried and true method of selling magic. To take us behind the scenes and detail the process involved, we have asked Gabe Fajuri to address our group. Gabe is the founder of Potter & Potter, a firm specializing in the disposition of magic-related material.  After Gabe’s presentation, we will have a panel discussion that will include David Goodman, The Magic Auctioneer, and others, to discuss this subject and address questions from the delegates.

The penultimate presentation will be about the magical mind of Del Ray, presented by Bill Spooner, one of Del’s close friends, and co-publisher of the critically acclaimed magic bestseller Del Ray: America’s Foremost. Bill has probed the principles that Del devised and is going to explain to us what made Del and his props tick. We are particularly pleased that Bill and another of Del’s close friends,

Bob Escher (who, along with David

Baldwin, were the other co-publishers of the Del Ray book), will be bringing several of Del’s props from their personal collections to display at the MCW.

The final presentation scheduled for Saturday afternoon is the talented, charming and indefatigable, Celeste Evans. With over fifty years experience performing and promoting magic, Ms. Evans will talk about her life on both sides of the footlights, address questions from the audience, and launch her new book, I Can Still See Me.

MCW – Gninrom Yadrutas

The Expert at the Card Table (image stolen from Potter & Potter)

For many sleight-of-hand magicians, particularly for the new generation, the book most coveted is a first edition of S.W. Erdnase’s The Expert At The Card Table.  Even though the book is not particularly rare, it is probably the most sought-after magic book published in the 20^th century.  Recent auction prices have seen copies sell for $5,000.

As the book was published originally in Chicago in 1902, and its illustrator, Marshall D. Smith was from the Second City, and made an appearance at the 1947 SAM Convention in the city, we thought it is now time to focus our attention at the MCW on this perennial favourite. To that end, we have invited several of the world’s foremost authorities on Erdnase to Chicago to discuss the book at the 42nd Annual Magic Collectors Weekend.

Our first presenter Saturday morning (May 21) will be Jason England. In addition to being one of the world’s foremost authorities on advantage play, Jason is also obsessed with Erdnase.  He has collected almost every edition of the book, and he will be bringing them with him to Chicago to show – as a display in the Dealers Room – and tell, with a keynote presentation in our theatre.

We are also pleased announce a new name on the Erdnase-scene:  Hurt McDermott. A writer/director by trade, Hurt has many new and interesting ideas about the book and its author. His focus at the MCW will be on why the book was published in Chicago. It is a fascinating story, and one that will shed new light on a host of other publications.

For many, the seminal question regarding the book is the identity of the author. Seasoned history conference attendees will recall the spirited debate on this subject at the Los Angeles Conference on Magic History some ten years ago. Although David Alexander is no longer with us – he had been scheduled to present an update for us at the 42nd MCW – we are pleased to have Richard Hatch and Todd Karr on hand to provide both an overview of the candidates and their considerable insight on the subject. A lot has changed in the past ten years as technology has given Erdnase-scholars the opportunity to access an unparalleled amount of records and data. These sessions will bring us up-to-date.

The morning session will conclude with a panel discussion and Q & A session with our presenters on this most elusive subject.

You won’t want to miss this special session!

The 42 MCW is scheduled for May 19-21, 2011. To register, click here.

MCW: Full House

Well, registration for the Magic Collectors Weekend is picking and so are room reservations. If you are thinking about booking your hotel room now would be a good time.

We have just been informed by the Westin OHare that we have filled up our “block” of reserved rooms. This means that while there are a few rooms available, the MCW rate will no longer apply to dates outside of our event. As our dates fill up, convention room rates will vanish.

Also, there is a big convention in Chicago in and around the same time as our Weekend which is putting a lot of pressure on the demand on rooms. Consequently, room rates are going up to $159 per night plus 13% tax.

There only a few days and rooms left at the $125 rate. So if you were thinking about, it, stop thinking and book now!

DIRECT LINK to reserve at the Westin O’Hare:
http://www.starwoodmeeting.com/Book/MCE18A

MCW 2011 Registration
http://www.magicana.com/mca/conference.php?vSec=con#register

MCW 2011 Hotel Information
http://www.magicana.com/mca/conference.php?vSec=con#hotel

mcw42: TGIF Evening

Last year we packed the daytime schedule with presentations and described the evening activities as optional. For those who needed a break from the Weekend, it gave them the chance to enjoy a more elaborate meal off-site with friends old and new, see a show downtown, or make the trip to Potter & Potter Auctions to catch a preview of the auction scheduled on the Sunday.

For those who preferred to stay at the hotel, and for whom there is no such thing as too much magic, we also scheduled some activities – a performance by Jason England in the theatre and the chance to view Max Maven’s interview with Billy McComb shot originally at 31 Faces North in Toronto shortly before Billy’s passing.

After hearing the feedback from the attendees, we have altered the programming ever so slightly for this year. You are free, of course, to take a break from the proceedings and venture off-site be it to a restaurant, a show or the auction house. We will not be organizing or providing transportation, however, as we did last year. We have reallocated those funds towards other programming for the Weekend.

Charles Reynolds 1932 - 2010

 

So, although Friday night is technically “free”, we will be screening some very special films for those who elect to roam the dealers’ room and stay at the hotel. We are very pleased to report that one of the films will be a one-time screening of Patrick Watson’s interview with Charles Reynolds at 31 Faces North in Toronto.

Several years ago Charles, like Billy McComb, was a Guest of Honor at 31 Faces North.  There, Patrick Watson, a broadcast icon whose pioneering on-air style spawned such programs as 60 Minutes, interviewed Charles about his life, and his interest in magic.

Allan Slaight and Magicana, co-producers of 31 Faces North, are pleased to provide attendees with the opportunity to hear Charles discuss his life and career with candor and humor.

There will also be one or two other short films screened prior to the Reynolds interview.

We will then retire to the lobby bar to have a nightcap … or two.

 

MCW – TGIF Afternoon

When asked to name “the oldest trick in the book”, the Cups and Balls would be high on the list. As a collectible, Cups and Balls come in a variety of forms and price ranges. While we may differ on what is the oldest trick in the book, when it comes to naming the authority on collecting cups and balls, the list is singular: Bill Palmer. Bill will be joining us Friday afternoon to take us through his collection, and let us know – from his perspective – what makes one set more desirable than another.

Friday afternoon will also feature a presentation by author, performer and frequent MCW contributor David Charvet on a rarely seen, at least in this day and age, kindred accomplishment: Rag Pictures. In addition to tracing the history of the rag act, David will delve into Balda Art Service, the main supplier of pictures to this rag trade.

One of the twentieth century’s most fascinating characters and creators of magic – comedic and bizarre – was Timothy McGuire, aka as Tom Palmer, Tony Andruzzi and Masklyn ye Mage. Jim Magus, with Tony Nosek and Neil Tobin, has recently released a book, Unspeakable Acts, on this man of mystery. Jim Magus will be with us Friday afternoon to shed some light on the many lives lived and the magic created by this enigmatic figure.

We will round off the Friday afternoon program with The Kodells, a presentation by Jeff Pierce about Jack and Mary Kodell and their life in magic. Jack and Mary will be on hand to talk about their life in show business and answer questions from the audience.

We have even more programming scheduled for the evening.  Stay tuned.

We have limited space for this Weekend so do not delay and register now! Hotel availability is also on a first-come first-served basis and there are a lot of other events going on at the hotel. Reserve your room now!