The Magic of Robert Harbin

[Rennie]

Found on Ebay The Magic of Robert Harbin. Starting bid of $800.00 with NO reserve set.

http://cgi.ebay.com/MAGIC-ROBERT-HARBIN ... 1c152dbde8

[Jonathan Townsend]

and look at the rest of the items they are offering - trading cards. this is unusual.

[Doc]

Do the names Al Mann, Mexico, and the limitation # of this copy ring any bells? :)

Two years ago another bird listed copy # 842 on eBay with a relatively low starting price, no reserve, and folks were just bidding away on it like the Russians were in Jersey.

[Rennie]

Do the names Al Mann, Mexico, and the limitation # of this copy ring any bells? :)

Could you elaborate on that please?
Rennie

[Gregory Edmonds]

The story goes that an individual from a town in Pennsylvania, had a firm in Mexico (in the 1980's, if memory serves, but I can't be sure right now) print and bind a number of illegal copies of the Harbin book. Each book bears copy number "842." Some have commented that the rip-off not only looks as good as the original, but that it's actually of a higher quality.

Said individual was a friendly acquaintance (who had, unfortunately, "adjustable" standards), so I won't elaborate further.

Greg

[Richard Kaufman]

Al Mann bootlegged the book. This is well known.

[Andrew Pinard]

According to the seller, this one is #469 of 500. To my eye the cover appears green. I have seen copies that are black - are these the knockoffs?

[Rennie]

and look at the rest of the items they are offering - trading cards. this is unusual.

Jonathan,
Trust me this seller is an honest seller who's primary listings are collectible football cards.
Rennie

[pduffie]

The cover of The Magic of Robert Harbin is dark green.

[Amos McCormick]

According to the seller, this one is #469 of 500. To my eye the cover appears green. I have seen copies that are black - are these the knockoffs?

In addition to the original and the Al Mann knockoff, I also have a black, softbound version that is photocopied, one-side. As far as I know, these are the only three "versions" that have ever been available...

[NCMarsh]

Each book bears copy number "842."

My Al Mann copy, for what it is worth, has no number on that page, but does have a facsimile of Harbin's signature where RH signed the real copies. The foil stamping on the cover is of lower resolution, more a yellow gold than the orange tint that the eBay copy appears to be...I'm obviously no expert, but there is at least one of the green, hardbound Mann editions that does not have a number on the "This book belongs to" page

N.

[Raleigh]

Gary Darwin did the softbound black one .

[Joe Pecore]

Mike Caveney at the EMC 2010 conference on his talk "The American Zig-Zag Girl Scandal" said that the way to tell the difference between the original and the Al Mann version is on page 164.

The original has a small sticker with text in the margin, the bootleg copy is printed in the margin.

[Seuss]

I notified the seller about pg 164 and he said it has neither.

[Joe Pecore]

I notified the seller about pg 164 and he said it has neither.

Sorry, a typo. It is page 154!

[Seuss]

LOL thanks Joe. Sent him a correction.

[Kurt Lee Flickner]

I had one of the Al Mann copies, bought thru Ebay several years ago, not knowing at the time about the rip offs. I thought I was getting the real deal. It had no number copy in it, it was blank. The seller said they had acquired 3 of them few years before that from a now closed magic shop. Anyways I thought it was just a fluke that there were no number on the inside, so I showed it to Byron Wells. He immediatly identified it as the Al Mann fake, and showed me his real copy, and the photos in the ripoff were not as sharp as the original. I tried to get the seller to refund my money, but to no avail, so I sold the Al Mann ripoff here on the genii forum, disclosing the ripoff at a loss of several hundred dollars.

[Leonard Hevia]

Kurt--you wrote that you showed your Al Mann copy to a Byron Wells. Do you mean Byron Walker, the book seller in California?

We all hate getting ripped off Kurt, but remember Bob Farmer's quote: "Money lost is an educational investment."

[Rennie]

Kurt--you wrote that you showed your Al Mann copy to a Byron Wells. Do you mean Byron Walker, the book seller in California?

We all hate getting ripped off Kurt, but remember Bob Farmer's quote: "Money lost is an educational investment."

I think he may mean Byron Wels. Only 1 "L" the author of The Great Illusions of Magic.

[Rennie]

Mike Caveney at the EMC 2010 conference on his talk "The American Zig-Zag Girl Scandal" said that the way to tell the difference between the original and the Al Mann version is on page 164.

The original has a small sticker with text in the margin, the bootleg copy is printed in the margin.

Joe,
I personally have spoken to the owner of the book. It does have a sticker on pager 154, not 164 as you stated later.
I have seen the book and guarantee you it IS NOT a knock-off, it is the real deal!!
Rennie

[Kurt Lee Flickner]

No, I meant Byron Walker, how embarassing,,, sorry Byron!