Buying and Selling Magic Books by William M. Klimon #69, 29 May 2006

I've bought a few, I've sold a few, and I own a few magic books, but I am not myself a magic book collector. Instead I'm an interested observer of the true aficionados, most recently watching them at the 37th Annual Magic Collectors' Weekend in Washington, D.C.

Sponsored by the Magic Collectors' Association (MCA), an august group of enthusiasts of the magic arts, the Weekend brings together performers, dealers, and collectors at a most interesting happening - one part seminar, one part social gathering, and one part trade fair. The presentations were, generally speaking, of a very high quality. Among the highlights were talks on the Library of Congress's magic collections, on the adventures of a book and magazine collector specializing in Houdini, and on the portrayal of magic in early continental printed books.

The collectors and dealers involved in MCA represent a variety of areas of interest (ephemera, cards and coins, tricks and apparatus, posters, broadsides, books and magazines, etc.) and of levels of expertise, dedication, and resources. A significant percentage of MCA's members are magic book collectors.

Let me first answer the question, what are 'magic books'? For the purposes of Part I of this article, magic books are, first, books devoted to describing the non-mystical, non-supernatural tricks and techniques of conjurers, illusionists, and performers of what later generations would call stage magic or theatrical magic. The earliest magic books, from the sixteenth century, were of this kind; from that genre arose books on the history of particular magical performers and other unusual entertainers (jugglers, sword swallowers, mentalists, spiritualists, etc.) and of groups and troupes of such performers, and eventually on the history of magic in general.

Almost anyone who becomes seriously interested in magic collects books. I can't think of a comparable hobby that so compels bibliophilia. Gardeners, birdwatchers, and coin collectors all use reference books and may even become book collectors, but it doesn't seem as inevitable as it is with magic enthusiasts.

Illustrating that affinity between books and magic is the late, great Harry Houdini (born Ehrich Weiss in Budapest in 1874, died 1926). The world's greatest escape artist assembled several important book collections which are now at the Library of Congress.

As well as practicing stage magic, Houdini was a prominent debunker of the claims of contemporary spiritualists. He wrote several books on magic and allied fields, including The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin (1909), a controversial attack on the prominent nineteenth-century French magician whose name Houdini took; A Magician Among the Spirits (1924); and Miracle Mongers and Their Methods (1929).

Houdini is a phenomenon who has become almost superhuman in popular regard, surpassing his original persona. Like his fictional contemporaries Sherlock Holmes and Tarzan, with whom he has sometimes appeared in comic books or pulp fiction, Houdini has attained immortality; his last name alone is synonymous with magician. Consequently, Houdini is very collectible. Almost anything to do with Houdini is collected; certainly first editions of his books, contemporary ephemera, and autograph material are very desirable, but even modern books and periodicals that feature him are sought after.

Now I'd like to focus on some tips and tools for exploring the higher end of the spectrum of the magic book market.