The Washington Symposium on Magic History

Ken Trombly has announced that the Washington Symposium on Magic History will be held next spring, April 25-27, 2013 atthe Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in North Bethesda, MD.

A memorable weekend includes:

• A variety of unusual and provocative speakers and topics
• A huge dealer’s room, teeming with vintage magic collectibles
• A unique and exclusive Library of Congress Magic Exhibit on Friday April 26, featuring numerous highlights from the Houdini and McManus-Young collections
• An auction of vetted magic collectibles (apparatus, books, posters, ephemera etc), something for everyone!
• And a SURPRISE or two that is top secret and up the organizers’s sleeve for now!

Special convention room rates of $109 night, with free wifi in all rooms and discounted parking for all. This is a four star hotel, conveniently located near the easy-to-use Metro system.

Bring your significant other so you can play tourist. April is the best time to visit DC, with pleasant weather and the newly bloomed cherry blossoms.

For more information, please email Kenneth Trombly at trombly@magicposters.com, or REGISTER now.

Magicol 183: The Joy of Posters

Yes, it’s true! Magicol is now in the hands of our printer! And we are proud of the beautiful issue No. 183, The Joy of Posters.

A massive collaborative effort, No. 183 focuses on the bliss of magic poster-collecting, the meaning and significance we place on the posters we posses, and the colourful history that each magic poster emanates. From “The King of Handcuffs” to “The Great Herrmann”, this issue will feature numerous, graphically astounding posters gallantly provided by collectors. A sure treat for our dear subscribers!

We start by revisiting Mario Carrandi’s wonderful article introducing readers to the lost art of lithography, originally published in Dr. Albo’s More Classic Magic With Apparatus in 1976. It is the perfect introduction, in fact, to the series posters which follow in, A Magical Oasis.

Then, Charles Greene III and Pietro Micheli enlighten readers with a pair of terrific articles on the essentials for Poster Preservation, Parts I and II. Anyone who has any artwork hanging on their walls will find these articles quite insightful and very helpful!

But how much does one invest in all that paper preservation and restoration? How much is your paper worth – to you? Well, David Ben explores this question by outlining his ‘metrics guide’ of how to determine the value of magic posters. It’s actually an open conversation which solicits your thoughts and comments on how to measure a magic poster’s weight in coin.

Dustin Stinett then provides an overview of our 43rd Magic Collectors Weekend, followed by an appreciation by Tom Ewing of long-time Magicol subscriber, Frank Dailey who sadly passed away earlier this year.

This is our largest issue to date and we hope you agree with us that it was worth the “weight”.

Stealing thoughts … and wallets!

Thanks to our friends at Squash Publishing, we have another special offer for Magicol subscribers, this time a two-for-one deal:

Unreal by Bruce Berntstein PLUS Cutting Up Touches by David Avadon
FOR ONLY $55 plus shipping

That’s right! Buy the soon-to-be-relased book, Unreal and  also receive Cutting Up Touches (history of exhibition pickpocketing) FREE –  just for being a Magicol subscriber!

This exclusive limited-time offer is good through August 5th for Magicol readers.

Click below to take advantage of this terrific offer!

BUY NOW

UNREAL / Bruce Bernstein

Bruce Bernstein has spent over three decades creating, refining and developing some of the most devious feats of mentalism known to man. He’s become a trusted, go-to source for many of the greatest mind readers of the last twenty years. He’s collected an enviable list of endorsements from nearly every great magician and thought reader of the last thirty years. And now he’s gathered together years of thought-provoking, engaging writing into a comprehensive hardbound collection that showcases his work in the finest possible light.

It’s called Unreal.

This new book contains Bernstein’s most baffling, amazing brainchildren. From commercial predictions (Eat at Joe’s), to mind-numbing card miracles (Psych-Out, a revelatory 10 Card Poker Deal), to must-learn techniques (Bernstein Center Tear), and beyond, Unreal covers territory essential to every wonder worker’s repertoire.

The book outlines mysteries with the most basic of objects: slips of paper, cards, and money, as well as inexplicable feats of thought reading: predictions, mind reading feats, psychometry, utility techniques for obtaining secret information, cold reading scripts and techniques, and more. Ten new essays compliment the tricks themselves, each written specifically for this book.

All of the miracles described in these pages are within the skill set of the average mentalist. No complicated sleight-of-hand or digital dexterity is required. That said, a healthy dose of chutzpah may be necessary in several instances.

It’s all explained in a familiar, engaging style, expertly illustrated by Tony Dunn. Unreal may be the book’s title, but performing the miracles it explains is most definitely within reach of everyone that reads it.

256 pages in deluxe hardcover; all material newly edited and expanded and illustrated, with an introduction by Jon Stetson. Ships early August 2012.

CUTTING UP TOUCHES / David Avadon

Cutting Up Touches is the first book ever written on the history of exhibition pickpocketing. In it, David Avadon traces this light-fingered entertainment from its murky music hall beginnings to the largest showrooms in the world.

He profiles Giovanni and Borra, the architects of stealing on stage. He spotlights Dominique and Ricki Dunn, who made emptying pockets hilarious nightclub entertainment. He explains the stealth and showmanship of a wide array of wallet snatchers. He explores the powerful subliminal emotions touched by each act of pocket thievery. And he shares the fascinating lore surrounding this street crime turned performance art.

Illustrated with photos, playbills and posters, many published here for the first time.

Hardbound, 150 pages.

The Amazing Harry Kellar, Great American Magician

Magic enthusiasts: a new release on “The Amazing Harry Kellar, Great American Magician” by Gail Jarrow. Structured as a children’s book, it features a flowing narrative and  a collection of posters that make for a rich visual presentation of Kellar’s life. Look for David Ben’s review of the book in a future issue of Magicol.

Here’s a synopsis from the author, Gail Jarrow’s website:

Presenting the amazing Harry Kellar! The most well-known American magician at the turn of the twentieth century! The model for the Wizard of Oz!

Kellar performed on six continents and was the first American-born magician to achieve international fame. He could make a man disappear, levitate a woman, and decapitate himself. Audiences loved him.

This biography of Kellar (1849-1922) follows the great illusionist from his days as a magician’s assistant during the Civil War to his travels as an international superstar. Kellar entertained emperors, kings, presidents, and thousands of children and their parents.

What Reviewers Say:

• “Jarrow includes just the right mix of biographical information, anecdotes, and descriptions of the performer’s illusions…An excellent example of nonfiction that is readable, visually appealing, and well researched.” ~ School Library Journal

• “Though it’s loaded with photographs, the real visual treats here are the dozens of reproduced posters used to advertise Kellar’s shows.” ~ Booklist

• “Jarrow’s book is fun and engaging–reading it is kind of like going to a magic show. Each section begins with a full page color promotional poster from Kellar’s performances.” ~ SommerReading.wordpress.com

• “The Amazing Harry Kellar, Great American Magician is a fantastic book for young readers, adults, and especially magicians. It would certainly make a great gift for anyone interested in magic or interested in the history of the theatre or entertainment.” ~ Dean Carnegie, themagicdetective.com

American Museum of Magic

American Museum of Magic

The American Museum of Magic (Marshall, Michigan) is pleased to announce the launch of its new website at www.americanmuseumofmagic.org.   This new, professionally designed site replaces a simpler, minimal site that was up for several years. Museum Director Jeff Taylor explains that “the new site offers us a greater flexibility in being able to communicate with the public, and does so with an excellent design that highlights the museum’s amazing collections.”   The new site joins a recently posted Facebook page which also contains information on the Museum.

Opened in 1978, the American Museum of Magic was founded by Bob Lund, a long-time journalist.  Taylor thinks Lund would appreciate the site.  “Bob, personally, was a big fan of direct contact with people, but as a journalist, he certainly understood and appreciated mass media. Today, we can use the internet to share his passion for magic with people all over the globe.”

Visitors to the site will be able to see images of some of the artifacts exhibited in the museum, get information on hours and updates, and even view items currently for sale in the Museum’s expanding gift shop.   The new site will also promote educational and public programs, something the Museum started this past summer.

Additions to the new site are already being planned.  Online exhibits, biographies of magicians, and information on Museum’s vast archival holdings will all be part of the new site as it grows.   Taylor hopes the planned updates will make the website a resource for people interested in magic across the nation, rather than just an advertisement for the museum.  “We can only exhibit a fraction of the material we preserve,” said Taylor.  “We try to limit our tour to an hour, but with 500 years of history in the museum, a lot gets left out.  The updates will allow us to share many more stories of magic and magicians.”   Taylor hopes that the next batch of updates will be completed by the summer of 2011.

American Museum of Magic