[#1] Take a Look: Some Decent Card, Mentalism, History and Forcing Books Some Rare

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magicam
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[#1] Take a Look: Some Decent Card, Mentalism, History and Forcing Books Some Rare

Postby magicam » February 14th, 2006, 3:31 am

Hi Folks: Take a look below at a nice assortment of card, mentalism, history and forcing book titles, which includes titles by Farelli, Garcia, Racherbaumer, Alton Sharpe and Sam Sharpe, and also includes a nice group of Stephen Tucker titles.

I try to be relatively conservative in grading condition. Please note that in nearly all cases, these books either have the name of the former owner written in ink or a small stamp of the owners name on a (usually blank) preliminary page, and a small library accession number written in the upper right-hand corner of the inside cover. I have not noted such marks in the descriptions. Also, because of the number of titles Ive had to list, I have not provided as much detail in describing defects as I normally would.

As to grading of condition (and taking into account the ownership name and accession numbering noted above), here is how it works:
near mint (NM) or fine (F) copies look practically new;
near fine (NF) copies have only slight wear (miniscule closed tears, very small bumps, very light rubs) to the book or dj extremities;
very good (VG) copies have a bit more wear to the extremities and may have mild fading to the spine of the dj or book spine, but no large tears or bumps or significant soiling to the book or dj and no other significant defects;
good copies (G) show evidence of having been read several times and show typical wear, soiling and dusting that comes from normal, repeated use, including the occasional annotation in the text;
fair copies show significant weathering to the covers and binding and may have several or more annotations and other marks on the pages, but have all pages are intact and legible.
A plus (+) or minus (-) sign helps describe condition more precisely when, for example, a simple VG or G wont do. I rarely call a book mint largely because a truly mint condition book is practically impossible to find in the case of older books and, with newer books, because the normal handling process of getting the book from the printer to the customer usually results in at least minor bumps and rubs to the covers.

All book prices exclusive of postage. Insurance required on orders of $100 or more. Have fun reading and hope you find something of interest. Theres more to come, especially in card and mentalism stuff.

Clay

Andrews, Val Murray. Goodliffe, 1974. 1st edition. Hb/dj. VG. $15

Bertram, Charles A Magician in Many Lands. London & New York, Routledge & Dutton, 1911. 1st edition. Red cloth, gilt titling. G+. $80

Boarde, C. L. Mainly Mental. Volumes 1 and 2, with the 10 pp. Addendum & Errata pamphlet for Vol. 1 laid in. New York, C. L. Boarde, 1947 & 1950. 98 pp. & 133 pp. Stiff wraps for each volume. A very nice set of this scarce work, overall VG+. $225

Boys of England Conjuring Book. [Edwin J. Brett], nd. [ca 1875 to 1885]. 32 pp. Delightful and colorful red and black illustrated covers. Not in Toole Stott. Covers somewhat soiled and worn at extremities, small triangular chip to rear cover at lower edge (neatly repaired). Very scarce. $250

Breslaws Last Legacy. Stevens Magic Emporium, 1997. #105/560 numbered copies. Hb. Facsimile reprint of this antiquarian title. M. $30

Rare Force Book Burne, S. Wynne [pseud. for Stanley Collins] Anthology of Love Poems. Published privately by Collins under a false publishing name, ca 1929. 60 pp. Brown leather-textured paper over boards, brown mottled end-papers, fine untrimmed paper. One of the greatest magic force books produced, sold as the Transcendental Book Mystery and quite sophisticated in its workings. See Chapter 26 of Edwin A. Dawes biography of Stanley Collins for details regarding its publication and the raves it received by magic critics of the day. Truly rare and virtually never seen offered for sale, as only 100 copies were produced by Collins. Covers somewhat soiled, internally fine and clean, with no foxing. Overall, a pretty nice copy. $475

Cameron, Charles Castle Dracula Mentalism. Martin Breese, 1997. 1st edition. Hb. NM. $25

Clarke, Sidney (ed. by Edwin A. Dawes, et al.) The Annals of Conjuring. Seattle, The Miracle Factory, 2001. First edition thus. Hb/dj. Book is NM, dj slightly worn, overall a NF copy. Hands down the best edition of this classic work. Should be in the library of every magician. Out of print and in demand. $115

Clarke, Sidney The Annals of Conjuring. New York, Magico, 1983. Contains Bob Lunds extensive index. Hb. Fine copy. This classic history should be in the library of every magician. $65

The Conjurors Repository. Walter Graham, nd. #65/300 numbered copies. Hb. Facsimile of the only edition of this rare antiquarian conjuring title. $50

Duffie, Peter & Jerry Sadowitz Alternative Card Magic. Martin Breese, 1983. 2nd edition, 2nd printing. Wraps. NM. $15

Farelli, Victor John Ramsays Routine with Cups and Balls Clearly Described in the Minutest Detail. London, George Armstrong, 1948. First Deluxe Edition. 101 pp. Red cloth (no dj as issued). Spine somewhat faded, else VG-. Signed by Ramsay in his elaborate script and accompanying geometric pattern, dated 2 Oct. 1948 and the initials A.Y.R.. $200

Farelli, Victor John Ramsays Triple Restoration. 1st edition. 1949. Wraps. 21pp. A very good copy, elaborately signed by Ramsay. $75

Farelli, Victor Nate Leipzigs Card Stab. 1st edition. 1952. Wraps. 24pp. Slight soiling to covers, else VG. $48

Fisher, John Body Magic. 1979. 1st UK edition. Hb/dj. NF/VG+. A very nice copy of the elusive and highly sought after British edition. $100

Fogel, Maurice Fogels Top Secrets: The Gambling Ghost No. 1. 1961, 8 pp. 1st edition. Wraps. NF. $15

Frost, Thomas Lives of the Conjurors. Magico, nd. Facsimile reprint of the first 1876 edition. Hb. NM. $55

Garcia, Frank Dont Bet on It!. Million Dollar Productions, 1978. 1st edition. Wraps. NF. Covers the 3 Card Monte. $65

Garcia, Frank Million Dollar Card Secrets. Million Dollar Productions, 1972. 1st edition. Illustrated boards. NF. Nice copy! $120

Garcia, Frank Million Dollar Card Secrets. Million Dollar Productions, 1975. 2nd edition. Wraps. Spine faded a bit, else NF. $85

Garcia, Frank & George Schindler Amedeos Continental Magic. Million Dollar Productions, 1974. 1st edition. 118 pp. Stiff wraps. Spine somewhat sunned, else VG+. $75

Garenne, Henri The Art of Modern Conjuring. Clarkston Press, nd. Facsimile of 1886 edition. Hb. Cloth, highly gilt covers are faithfully reproduced from the beautiful original edition. NM. $15

Gibson, Walter Popular Card Tricks. Lloyd Jones, 1972. Wraps, large format size. NM. $7

Giobbi, Roberto Card College. Hermetic Press. All five volumes, all first editions. HB/dj. As-new copies. A set of the reprints sells new for about $185, so why not get a set of first editions for $165?

Goldston, Will Sensational Tales of Mystery Men. Goldston, 1929. 1st edition. Color pictorial boards, edges neatly taped, spine chipped and reinforced with tape, internally very clean and tight. $35

Goldston, Will Sensational Tales of Mystery Men. Magico, nd. #332/500 numbered copies. Hb. Facsimile reprint of first edition. NM. $45

Hertz, Carl A Modern Mystery Merchant The Trials, Tricks and Travels of Carl Hertz, the Famous American Illusionist. Hutchinson, 1924. 1st edition. Hb, cloth. Binding tight, pages very clean (no foxing as is usual for this title. Some evidence of exposure to dampness along the spine and top edge of the covers, but no staining, just some mild rippling. Overall, a nice copy, at least a G+. $75

Hocus Pocus Junior. Steve Burton Magic, 1997. #106/300 numbered copies. Hb. Facsimile reprint of rare 1634 edition. NM. $125

Hoffmann, Professor More Magic. Martin Breese, 1988. Hb/dj. Facsimile of original edition. NM. $35

Hoffmann, Professor Puzzles Old & New. Martin Breese, 1988. Hb/dj. Facsimile of original edition. NM. $60

Joseph, Eddie (ed. by Hugh Miller) The Art of Eddie Joseph. Harry Stanley, nd. 1st edition. Hb/dj. NM/VG. $40

Kaufman, Gerald Kaufmans Kwik Kard Kodes. Published by Gene Gordon, nd. 1st edition. 11 pp. Wraps. Unusual mentalism title. VG. $30

Lesley, Ted Marked (Manual of Marked Card Magic). Breese, 1983. 1st edition. Wraps. VG. [no marking supplement] $10

M., J. Sports and Pastimes: or Sport for the City ..... Steve Burton Magic, 1999. #116/300 numbered copies. Facsimile reprint of rare 1676 conjuring title. NM. $85

MacDougall, Michael Card Mastery. New York, Circle Magic Shop, 1944. 81 pp. + 201pp. Includes reprint of Erdnases Expert at the Card Table. Red cloth. G+. $18

Maskelyne, John Nevil Automata. The Magic Circle Foundation, 1989. First edition, one of 400 numbered copies. VG to VG+. Highly sought after and desirable. $175

Maskelyne, Jasper Maskelynes Book of Magic. London, Harrap. 1st UK edition. 288 pp. Some sunning to spine and mild discoloration to covers, internally very clean, bright and tight. VG-. $50

McGill, Ormond 21 Gems of Magic. Colon, MI: Abbotts, 1946. 1st edition. 63 pp. Wraps. NF. $25

Mentzer, Jerry Card to Wallet: The Book. 1st edition. Hb/dj. NF. $40

Meyer, David Memoirs of a Book Snake. Waltham Street Press, 2001. 1st edition. Hb/dj. NM. Signed by author. $15

Miller, Hugh Secrets of Gambling. Supreme, nd. F/NF. $30

Neil, C. Lang The Modern Conjurer. London, C. Arthur Pearson, 1922. 3rd UK edition. 389 pp. Pale blue cloth. Fine. About the nicest copy youll ever see. $45

Ortiz, Darwin Cardsharks. Kaufman & Greenberg, 1995. 1st edition. Hb/dj. A practically new copy, highly sought after. $125

Pavel (ed. by Peter Warlock) The Magic of Pavel. Supreme Magic, 1969 (?). 1st edition. Hb/dj. NM/NF. inscribed by Pavel himself to Supreme Magic, and dated 1969 by him. $45

Pinchbeck, William The Expositor. Stevens Magic Emporium, 1996. Facsimile of 1805 edition, #270/1000 numbered copies. NM. $35

Prevost, J. Clever and Pleasant Inventions.... Hermetic Press, 1997. Hb. 1st English edition of the original 1584 French work, which predates Scots classic Discoverie of Witchcraft by only a few months. F. $30

Racherbaumer, Jon Card Finesse. Danny Korem, 1982. 1st edition. Hb/dj. NM. $35

Racherbaumer, Jon Cardfixes. L&L. 1st edition. Hb/dj. NM. $28

Racherbaumer, Jon The Wild Card Kit. L&L, 1992. 1st edition. Hb. NM. [no cards]. $35

Sachs, Edwin Sleight of Hand. Dover reprint. Wraps. NM. $5

Scot, Reginald The Discovery of Witchcraft. Yorkshire], 1973. Reprint of Rowman & Littlefield edition, which itself was a reprint of the 1886 Brinsley Nicholson edition, which is arguably the best edition, given Nicholson bibliographical and historical introductory essay. Hb/dj. Book is NF, dj has a couple of closed tears repaired with tape on the underside (cant see the tape). Overall, a nice copy, and surprisingly scarce in commerce. Try and find one on the internet. $70

Sharpe, Alton Expert Card Conjuring. Hb (no dj as issued). #108 of limited edition. VG. $100

Sharpe, Sam Neo-Magic Artistry. Miracle Factory, 2000. Hb/dj. NM copy. Highly sought after work. $195

Strutt, Joseph The Sports and Pastimes of the People of England. London, Printed for T. T. and J. Tegg, 1833. A New Edition, with a Copious Index, By William Hone. leatherette over cloth, pages untrimmed, large margins. VG early copy of the best (Hone index) edition. $80.

Tucker, Stephen Taking Liberties, or ... The U.S. Card Book. Tucker, 1984. 1st edition. Wraps. NF. $15

Guest

Re: [#1] Take a Look: Some Decent Card, Mentalism, History and Forcing Books Some Rare

Postby Guest » February 14th, 2006, 10:12 am

Hi Clay,

I'll take:

Lowe, Fred Visual Mentalism Series No. 1. 1964. 1st edition. 19 pp. Wraps. VG. $15

Thanks...Rich.

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magicam
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Joined: January 28th, 2009, 8:40 pm

Re: [#1] Take a Look: Some Decent Card, Mentalism, History and Forcing Books Some Rare

Postby magicam » February 14th, 2006, 1:39 pm

Dear All:

Rich: Sorry to say someone replied before you for the Lowe title. If they flake out, I'll be happy to let you know.

I've gotten a pretty strong response to this post. Thank you. In some cases, the same book has been requested by multiple people. To be fair, when this happens, I go by the first person who says they'll buy it (by e-mail to me or by posting here). To keep things simple, I'll assume that an "is it available" query is not an "I want to buy it" order. This is the only way I can think of to be fair.

Thanks again for the orders (makes my wife happy to see all this 'junk' cleared out! :) ).

Clay

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magicam
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Re: [#1] Take a Look: Some Decent Card, Mentalism, History and Forcing Books Some Rare

Postby magicam » February 14th, 2006, 2:08 pm

List updated as of the time of this post. I have now responded to all people who have written to me. To those who were not the first to order a title, if I don't receive payment promptly, I'll let you know. Clay

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magicam
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Re: [#1] Take a Look: Some Decent Card, Mentalism, History and Forcing Books Some Rare

Postby magicam » February 15th, 2006, 8:28 am

Sold titles removed from listing. CHS

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magicam
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Re: [#1] Take a Look: Some Decent Card, Mentalism, History and Forcing Books Some Rare

Postby magicam » February 22nd, 2006, 3:30 pm

List updated. Please have a look. Thanks, Clay

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magicam
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Re: [#1] Take a Look: Some Decent Card, Mentalism, History and Forcing Books Some Rare

Postby magicam » February 23rd, 2006, 12:24 pm

Sold titles removed from list. CHS

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magicam
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Re: [#1] Take a Look: Some Decent Card, Mentalism, History and Forcing Books Some Rare

Postby magicam » March 1st, 2006, 5:24 am

A few more titles sold and list now updated.

Also, revised (read "more realistic" - hey, pricing most of these titles is not my cup of tea, and I appreciate the friendly advice and input) prices for the following:

Clarke, Sidney (ed. by Edwin A. Dawes, et al.) The Annals of Conjuring. Seattle, The Miracle Factory, 2001. First edition thus. Hb/dj. Book is NM, dj slightly worn, overall a NF copy. Hands down the best edition of this classic work. Should be in the library of every magician. Out of print and in demand. $115

Sharpe, Sam Neo-Magic Artistry. Miracle Factory, 2000. Hb/dj. NM copy. Highly sought after work. $195

P.S. I can tell you this, David Meyer's Memoirs of a Book Snake is a great book to read, witty, lots of magic memories, etc. - you can't lose for $15 and it's a signed copy. I can also tell you that, even if you think the prices for the signed Ramsay books are high, ask around (even ask other dealers) and see if anyone has ever seen a signed Ramsay book.

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magicam
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Re: [#1] Take a Look: Some Decent Card, Mentalism, History and Forcing Books Some Rare

Postby magicam » March 3rd, 2006, 6:59 pm

List updated. CHS


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