McCOMBICAL The Wit and Wisdom of Billy McComb

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Q. Kumber
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McCOMBICAL The Wit and Wisdom of Billy McComb

Postby Q. Kumber » October 23rd, 2014, 11:10 am

While googling for something last Sunday I came across a link to a brand new book by and about Billy McComb.

It is published by Magic Inc of Chicago and put together by Sandy Marshall http://www.magicinc.net/mccombicalthewi ... ccomb.aspx

My copy, ordered from the UK, arrived this morning. On quick perusal it is full of routines and stories about everybody's favourite Leprechaun. Some of the routines are from Billy's many sets of lecture notes and some are brand new to me.

Many of Billy's friends have added anecdotes and reminiscences.

However the McComb story that tops them all is Ian Kendall's, so maybe Ian, you will share it here. But it will only mean something providing you know many of the other McComb stories.

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Re: McCOMBICAL The Wit and Wisdom of Billy McComb

Postby Ian Kendall » October 23rd, 2014, 11:33 am

Jeebers, really? OK...

I have the honour of having the shortest ever conversation with Billy.

It was Blackpool, several years ago. I was walking down the side of the Winter Gardens to get back to the Ruskin, when I noticed, about fifty metres down the hill, the figure of Billy coming towards me. I paused, and waited for him to get closer. As he approached, I straightened myself up, looked him in the eye and began to introduce myself.

'Mr McComb...' I began, but was quickly cut off as Billy thundered past me.

'I'm late'.

And those were the only words I ever had with him.

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Re: McCOMBICAL The Wit and Wisdom of Billy McComb

Postby Richard Kaufman » October 23rd, 2014, 2:39 pm

It's a pity: this book derailed a much larger book on McComb that would have included a full biography, all published magic, and much unpublished magic.
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Re: McCOMBICAL The Wit and Wisdom of Billy McComb

Postby Gordon Meyer » October 26th, 2014, 8:16 pm

Ouch, that is a shame. I'd like to believe that a more complete publication would still sell.

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Re: McCOMBICAL The Wit and Wisdom of Billy McComb

Postby Richard Kaufman » October 26th, 2014, 8:39 pm

Not happening now.
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Re: McCOMBICAL The Wit and Wisdom of Billy McComb

Postby Dustin Stinett » October 26th, 2014, 8:59 pm

Sadly, there just is not enough room in the limited marketplace that is magic books for two on Billy McComb. That's just the reality of it.

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Re: McCOMBICAL The Wit and Wisdom of Billy McComb

Postby Rick Ruhl » October 27th, 2014, 8:11 am

Richard Kaufman wrote:Not happening now.


Were you writing it?

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Re: McCOMBICAL The Wit and Wisdom of Billy McComb

Postby observer » October 28th, 2014, 2:37 pm

There's two books on Willard the Wizard, Bev Bergeron's & David Charvet's, and as interesting & important as WTW was, Billy McComb was arguably more so. Oughta be room for two books on Billy.

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Re: McCOMBICAL The Wit and Wisdom of Billy McComb

Postby Dustin Stinett » October 28th, 2014, 3:05 pm

Perhaps in 30 years—the period between the publication of the two books you cite—the marketplace will be ready.

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Re: McCOMBICAL The Wit and Wisdom of Billy McComb

Postby Richard Kaufman » October 28th, 2014, 4:36 pm

I was not writing it, but I was one of two potential publishers who both felt the same way. This book killed the market for the other.
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Re: McCOMBICAL The Wit and Wisdom of Billy McComb

Postby Steve Mills » October 28th, 2014, 6:17 pm

Didn't Supreme publish a book on his magic many years ago?

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Re: McCOMBICAL The Wit and Wisdom of Billy McComb

Postby Dustin Stinett » October 28th, 2014, 6:31 pm

There are several books by Billy, two are out of print, but all are fairly easy to get.

The First Book of William (Goodliffe)
McComb's Magic: 25 Years Wiser (Supreme)
The Professional Touch (Breese)

A second edition of Professional Touch as well as an eBook of the first edition are still available.

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Re: McCOMBICAL The Wit and Wisdom of Billy McComb

Postby Brad Jeffers » October 28th, 2014, 6:58 pm

Looking at the table of contents it would appear that about 70% of the book is devoted to the "Billy and Me" sections, wherein people such as Lance Burton, Johnny Thompson, Teller and others (12 in total), recount their experiences with Billy.

While I'm sure that such stories are interesting, I don't think this book should have
derailed a much larger book on McComb that would have included a full biography, all published magic, and much unpublished magic.


The publishing of the Renee Levand book, Magic From The Soul, did not derail the subsequent publishing of, Mysteries of My Life.

From the brief description in the above quote, it would seem that the unpublished book is far superior to the Magic Inc book. As such, I think there should be a market for it.

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Re: McCOMBICAL The Wit and Wisdom of Billy McComb

Postby Q. Kumber » October 28th, 2014, 7:26 pm

The 'McComb and Me' pages are generally no more than two pages per person. Most of the book is composed of Billy's routines, most of which are already in my library in the form of lecture notes, but probably not widely available.

Considering McCOMBICAL is done with the blessing of the McComb Legacy Ltd., I'm surprised there wasn't some kind of collaboration or liaising. When I saw the ad for McCombical, I at first assumed it was the main biography that I knew was planned.

I'm pretty sure that Magic Books By Post have many copies in stock of '25 Years Wiser'.

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Re: McCOMBICAL The Wit and Wisdom of Billy McComb

Postby Richard Kaufman » October 28th, 2014, 7:48 pm

There's an icky story here that this thread will not get involved in other to say that a great book on Billy McComb will not happen because of this book of reprinted material.
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Re: McCOMBICAL The Wit and Wisdom of Billy McComb

Postby observer » October 29th, 2014, 12:31 am

Dustin Stinett wrote:Perhaps in 30 years—the period between the publication of the two books you cite—the marketplace will be ready.


Riiiight ....

Hey, whatever. Never mind.

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Re: McCOMBICAL The Wit and Wisdom of Billy McComb

Postby Dustin Stinett » October 29th, 2014, 1:19 am

Yyyyeah.

When Richard Kaufman—a magic book publisher—says that the market today will not bear two books, I'll take him at his word over an anonymous "observer" every time.

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Re: McCOMBICAL The Wit and Wisdom of Billy McComb

Postby Chas Nigh » February 5th, 2015, 4:45 pm

Slydini had two.

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Re: McCOMBICAL The Wit and Wisdom of Billy McComb

Postby IanLand » February 5th, 2015, 4:57 pm

I met Billy when I was about 13, in the late 1970s. I lived in London, and my parents signed me up for a day school at a central London theatre. There were about 20 kids there that day. Billy was the teacher. The first trick he taught us was a torn and restored napkin which to this day I still sometimes perform.

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Re: McCOMBICAL The Wit and Wisdom of Billy McComb

Postby Dustin Stinett » February 5th, 2015, 6:45 pm

Chas Nigh wrote:Slydini had two.

Someone else who knows the magic book market better than Richard Kaufman and Mike Caveney. Excellent! Contact me and I will put you in contact with Annabel who is looking for someone to publish the biography. I will be happy to sell all of my work—notes, audio recordings, etc.—to the new writer. That will save quite some time.

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Re: McCOMBICAL The Wit and Wisdom of Billy McComb

Postby Ian Keable » February 8th, 2015, 6:40 am

As someone who has taken the extremely risky step of producing another book on Charles Dickens as a magician (http://www.iankeable.co.uk/charles-dickens-magician-conjuring-in-life-letters-and-literature.html), soon after Trevor Dawson's book on the same subject, I am well aware of the problems of over-saturating the market. But like other magicians on this site, if the material is fully there about McComb (and sometimes I do wonder if most of it hasn't been already covered in the three books The First Book Of William, McComb's Magic, 25 Years Wiser and The Professional Touch), then it certainly merits another tome.

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Re: McCOMBICAL The Wit and Wisdom of Billy McComb

Postby Dustin Stinett » February 8th, 2015, 3:23 pm

My offer stands for any and all takers. The line starts behind Chas Nigh and now Ian Keable. My email address is dustin13@cox.net.

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Re: McCOMBICAL The Wit and Wisdom of Billy McComb

Postby Bill Mullins » February 8th, 2015, 4:04 pm

Dustin –
You should:
- put hundreds of hours into the book, ignoring family life and other things you might want to do with your time
- assume the financial risk of publishing it yourself
- deal with marketing, distribution and sales
- warehouse unsold copies in your no-doubt already full garage

Ignore the considered advice of people who do this for a living. I, and other International Magic Book Experts, guarantee you will make dozens of dollars on the deal. (And when I say "guarantee", I don't mean I will make up any losses you encounter. Seriously. I'm not stoopid.)

(And I might not even buy a copy -- I've already got one Bill McComb book.)
Last edited by Bill Mullins on February 8th, 2015, 4:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: McCOMBICAL The Wit and Wisdom of Billy McComb

Postby Bill Mullins » February 8th, 2015, 4:08 pm

Ian Keable wrote:As someone who has taken the extremely risky step of producing another book on Charles Dickens as a magician (http://www.iankeable.co.uk/charles-dickens-magician-conjuring-in-life-letters-and-literature.html), soon after Trevor Dawson's book on the same subject, I am well aware of the problems of over-saturating the market.


Ian -- I got a copy of your book, and like it. But did it make money? And if you figure how much time it took you to research and write it, did _you_ make any money? More than a few bucks an hour?

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Re: McCOMBICAL The Wit and Wisdom of Billy McComb

Postby Dustin Stinett » February 8th, 2015, 4:27 pm

I wasn't going to say this, but what the hell. Mr. Dawson, who is a lovely fellow, wrote a poor book. The writing and the academia was soundly trounced by critics and those who know. I found it so poor that I did not keep it. I literally used it as a weight to send something overseas that was too light to insure to the level I needed it insured (or so I was told by the USPS). R. Paul Wilson can verify this since he was the recipient of that extra weight.

My point is this: the Dawson book was so poorly received that the market not only has room for another book on Dickens, it was begging for one. Mr. Keable must have known this.

Regarding Billy: all that is left that needs publishing is the biography. Between the published works that are still available, all of his tricks are now out there. The original plan was to publish his tricks and biography in tandem or in one volume. Now that Part A is done, the market for Part B—according to the most knowledgeable biography publishers in the business—is dead. Anyone who would like to prove them wrong is welcome to do so.

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Re: McCOMBICAL The Wit and Wisdom of Billy McComb

Postby Richard Kaufman » February 8th, 2015, 4:41 pm

No one who writes magic books is doing it for the money!
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Re: McCOMBICAL The Wit and Wisdom of Billy McComb

Postby Dustin Stinett » February 8th, 2015, 4:51 pm

BUT, they also do not want to lose money!

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Re: McCOMBICAL The Wit and Wisdom of Billy McComb

Postby Bob Farmer » February 8th, 2015, 6:39 pm

At one of the 31 Faces North events, I had a wonderful breakfast with Billy. I told him I really admired his rising card method, it was so sneaky and so brilliant and so completely unknown (it seemed). He then provided me with numerous details, which, unfortunately, I didn't write down.

Any card named rises from the deck. Resets in the blink of an eye. I can't remember the reference. Help!

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Re: McCOMBICAL The Wit and Wisdom of Billy McComb

Postby Dustin Stinett » February 8th, 2015, 9:00 pm

Bob, if I could help you I would. To the best of my knowledge, Billy used two Card Rise props: Martin and Willman. All of his apparatus for these sold at the auction held in 2008. There is nothing else that I saw, heard, or read. This doesn't mean it's not buried out there, it just means I never saw it. Sorry.

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Re: McCOMBICAL The Wit and Wisdom of Billy McComb

Postby Leonard Hevia » February 8th, 2015, 9:25 pm

Is it possible Billy showed you Angelo Carbone's effect where any card called for rises? I know McComb lent his name on the list of praises for this card rise. I tried to locate card rises connected to McComb on the net and found the jumbo Martin and Willman rises as Dustin mentioned. They are still on the Live Auctioneers archive. Nothing else.

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Re: McCOMBICAL The Wit and Wisdom of Billy McComb

Postby Tim Hannig » October 19th, 2021, 12:29 am

Richard Kaufman wrote:I was not writing it, but I was one of two potential publishers who both felt the same way. This book killed the market for the other.


That's a bummer. I would have loved a big Billy McComb book, maybe with more current illustrations/photographs and a biography.

He was often spouting wisdom and great stories, and a big book of McComb would look great next to my Johnny Thompson, Pat Page, Mike Caveney and Denny Haney books.
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Re: McCOMBICAL The Wit and Wisdom of Billy McComb

Postby Tarotist » October 19th, 2021, 11:58 am

I see no reason why a new Billy McComb book would not be viable. Perhaps not the tricks because they are all out there already but a biography would work very well I imagine.

My doctor in London used to go to medical school with Billy. One day I bumped into Billy in Stamford Hill, London which was not his normal neck of the woods. However, that was where my doctor had his practice and in fact I met Billy five minutes walk from my doctor. A few days later I visited my doctor for some ailment or other and I told him that I met Billy round the corner. The doctor looked quite offended and said, "Why didn't he come in to see me?"

I first met Billy when I was performing at a well known strip club in Soho. I was amazed to find out that David Berglas had performed there a week before me. I did not do a striptease act and I assume David didn't either. The place was called The Gargoyle and I think David knew the owner because they were both members of the Grand Order of Water Rats a famous British show business organisation.

Anyway, Billy Mc'Comb came in one night to watch me work and that is where I first met him. He came in again a second time this time with Jay Marshall who was visiting London at the time. And then a third time again and he invited me over to the Embassy Club to see him work too. When we got to the Embassy club Al Koran was in the lobby so I met him also. Afterwards we went to the Golden Egg restaurant. I remember there were four of us there. Billy, Koran, me and I also remember Dick Zimmerman being there too although I don't think he was at the Embassy club but somehow he popped up at the Golden Egg. Koran kept complaining about how awful David Berglas was so I was greatly amused when another diner came over to us and asked for Koran's autograph saying, "I have seen you on television, Mr Berglas and I think you are great". I remember Koran seemed startled at first then with an evil smile signed the autograph, "David Berglas"

And then Billy drove me home. An interesting evening.


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