The Magic of Frank Lehmann

[Dustin Stinett]

Frank Lehmann, while an aficionado of magic, is not a performing magician. But he certainly works an incredible magic of his own.

Anyone who read my coverage of the 2013 Los Angeles Conference on Magic History (or attended the event) knows about Frank. He is the bookbinder who spent the day at the fantastic International Printing Museum (that year’s event’s very popular fieldtrip) giving a talk for the attendees on his craft.

It was one of the more popular talks of the conference. Frank had Lance Burton, literally, on the edge of his seat. Frank was honestly surprised and humbled (and he is already a humble man) by the reception.

I finally had the opportunity to commission Frank to work his magic on one of my most prized possessions: the very first “real” magic book I owned—a gift from my late mother—a first edition of Paul Curry’s Magician’s Magic. Published for the general public in 1965, it is a brilliant book and it has his epic piece, “Out of This World” in it. Imagine a snot-nosed kid running around doing OOTW for adults. That was me.

Over the years the book became dilapidated. Its binding was held together by just one piece of the endpapers. After that day that I spent with Frank (I was an “usher” at the all-day museum tours), I promised myself that I would one day have Frank repair this book that is so special to me.

That time came and I received it in the mail the other day and I was—and remain—stunned by his work. Understand that Frank does not just put a new cover on the book. He restores it using as much of the original covers and endpapers as he can (in my case, it appears to be all of it). So while in perfect working condition, the book retains its aged look and character. It is impossible to tell that the book was restored.

That is, to me, real magic.

If you have a book that needs restoration and is as special to you as this one is to me, you owe it to yourself to contact Frank and inquire about his services. The end result will astonish and delight you.

His site is http://www.lehmannbindery.com/restoration.html

He has many other services besides restoration, so be sure to look around the site.

If you are reading this, thank you again Frank: you are the best!

Dustin

[Richard Hatch]

That was a fantastic presentation at the History Conference and Frank's work is incredible.
Small world connection: Frank and I were graduate students in the Physics Department at Yale at the same time (more than 30 years ago!). Both of us went different directions but I am glad to still be occasional touch thanks to our mutual attraction to magic.
Paul Curry's wonderful book was also one of my first "real" magic books, discovered at the public library in Ames, Iowa (not far from T. Nelson Downs' hometown, Marshalltown, Iowa). Performing OOTW as taught in the Curry book for older teenage cousins really helped set the magic hook for me...

[erdnasephile]

"Magician's Magic" is a great book. It was actually my second magic book after Christopher's Panorama of Magic. (I've always been grateful that Brad Burt and Stan Allen wisely thought to use texts with plenty of magic history in them to teach beginning students. Either that, or maybe they were the slow selling books in the shop! )

One thing I find interesting is the illustration of Robert-Houdin's "La Suspension Ethéréene" (Etheral Suspension) on page 84. The bottom plank is held up with two supports. In the drawing of the same illusion in Panorama of Magic, one of those supports is not there. [This gave Stan Allen the impetus to recreate the Panorama of Magic version as a kicker to a broom suspension [done with "Clarissa" (Tina Lenert, I think) in one of the the Long Beach Mystics' "It's Amazing" shows.]

I wonder if Julio Granda, who illustrated the Curry book, just assumed a support was missing, and just drew it in.

PS: "The Case of the Missing Hat" is another great trick in that book that would fool people today.

[Richard Kaufman]

I also found Paul Curry's wonderful book in my public library in Queens, New York, when I was about 8 years old. I think that it, and Bruce Elliott's Classic Secrets of Magic, are two of the best books ever published.

[Brad Henderson]

how about a pic of the restored book?

[Leonard Hevia]

We have a fellow here in Northern Virginia named Kevin Lee who is a wizard at book restorations. My copy of Frank Garcia's Super Subtle Card Miracles was in a pile of loose pages until I gave it to him for a full repair. He has also done great work on other books such as Elliot's Last Legacy, an Eric Clapton companion booklet to a CD, and a book on the history of electric guitars.

My 1880s copy of Hoffman's Modern Magic needs a page repaired. I think I'll call him.