Michael,
What years do you still have? I just missed a chance to buy a 1937 when my father called it "Vicks Trick"
Jeff Lawston

Jeff,

what happened to all the stuff that was in the catalogs? I am hoping to get the chance to talk to you if you are willing. thanks so much.

larry moore

Sorry that Acecardician felt the way he did a couple of years ago. This is a slow moving thread! Wow, so much time has passed. From 2003 to 2008, and I just signed on! But there were always those, and will always be those, who said that they got "ripped off." That's not what Vick Lawston was about. I ordered from him many times, and never got "ripped off." It was likely that Jeff Lawston, at one time or another, packed one of my mailings! I just hope everyone can get beyond the occasional rift (that may have even been the Post Office's fault, not Vick's), and just realize what an artist, a master marketer and a genius he was. Those House of a Thousand Mysteries catalogs are among my most cherished childhood artifacts. I poured over them for hours, and they kept the love of magic alive for me. At least until the next episode of the Magic Land of Allakazam!

And a special tip of the magic hat to Jeff Lawston who has kept the flame for an amazing dad all these years. His nice online tribute has touched a lot of us out here, and stimulated many a memory. In that spirit, I offer the following tribute poem that I had the pleasure of sharing with Jeff and his family:

(In the style of Vick's own poem inside the catalog....)

PULL UP A CHAIR, JEFF! I feel some silly poetry coming on!
Yes, I know it's awful, but go on -- read it anyway! IT'S ALL IN FUN!

My own name is Rick, and that rhymes with Vick
and the last name of Lawston's still famous
When his catalogs came in the mail for us kids
It took both of our parents to tame us!

Vick Lawston brought magic to folks the world over
With laughter, a smile and a wink
With cute Pumpernickel atop of his hand
Your tricks all arrived in a blink

Family, friends, and a schoolmate or two
would watch an amazing illusion
supplied by your dad, and boy am I glad
They all scratched their heads in confusion

On slow summer days, by the pond or a tree
With the wind gently swaying the flowers
The House of A Thousand Mysteries came
in the mail, and I'd read it for hours

Even now, when the world makes me weary and weak,
I can go get a copy and read it
And the years melt away, I'm a kid once again
I know just where it is when I need it

With each page that turned, there's a memory burned
in my mind of a time filled with magic
To have missed even one of Vick's fun catalogs
would have been something just short of tragic

I treasure each one of my catalogs now
and I handle each one with great caution
But all through the years, through the smiles and the tears
I will always remember Vick Lawston

--Copyright 2007 by Ricky David Tripp

I truly agree. I have two of these catalogs and I handle them both with care.
The poem was incredible. thanks for sharing.

larry

Thank you, Larry. I haven't logged on in a while, so I missed your message. In that you liked the poem, you may be interested in knowing that Jeff Lawston took the poem to his mother (Vick's widow) and read it to her, to her delight! What a treat to know that Vick's wife and other family members got to enjoy it. I told Jeff that it was my honor, and I sent him a set of special slipcovers I designed for each collectible catalog he had that look EXACTLY like the catalog! That way, full graphics are displayed without risking the copies themselves. Jeff was very pleased with the gift, and now displays the catalogs that were once stored away for safekeeping. He's a terrific guy! This made my year in 2007!

Just HAD to add to this thread...

When I was nine (1969), I found in the attic a box of my fathers
old magazines mostly old Hot Rod magazines from the fifties, but very
near the bottom, I discovered it - what would become one of my most
valued childhood treasures - a Vick Lawston catalog!

Talk about a life changer - After that (and right up to today) -
Magic was all I could think about!

I have no idea whatever happened to that Catalog, But I finally found
one for sale on ebay. What memories it brought back - WOW!

I never ordered from him (because of the years of everything else in that
box), I figured that he was no longer in business (my bad).

So, since I never got to thank him...

Thank You Vick for inspiring a child's dreams, adding to a man's fondest
memories, and giving MAGIC to my life - God Bless!

I'm afraid I have to chime in on the side of those who were ripped off by Vick in the 1960s. Lots of money, long waits, substitutions. The dreaming followed by the disappointment. The only way it helped was by suggesting that there was magic to be learned and amazement to be had, even if he offered only the cheap imitations of the quality stuff. Amazing that Boy's Life didn't check their advertisers better.

I just came across this thread because I was going through some old boxes and discovered " 48 Great Magic Tricks" by Vick Lawston. It has TOP SECRET stamped on the cover together with "For Private and Confidential Use Only" - "Astounding Secrets From The Private Files Of Famous Magicians"

I loved the Comedy Patter of the Chinese Sticks - such fond memories!