Can anybody give me any insight as to whether or not the book *Chung Ling Soo - Man of Mystery* by Gary R. Frank has been limited to an edition of 1000 as some web sites state, or has this book been re-printed?

Basically I'm asking if there is more than one edition.

The reason I ask is that prices seem to vary on the web between a low of about ten bucks to a high of over a hundred dollars, which usually indicates various editions.

I'm just doing research.

Thanks

I believe there was a hardback edition that was signed by Hector Robinson (his son) and also a softback edition.

Thank You David, I wound up purchasing a hard cover for about $39.99 US.

I'm buying the book for research, but it would be nice if Hector's sig was in the front cover.

Cheers

Conceding that David Charvet may know something I don't, I think there was only one printing of this title, bound in blue paper over boards. If I am correct, then I think David is thinking about Frank's Chung Ling Soo The Man Behind the Legend, which was issued in brown paper wrappers a year earlier.

Unless due to an oversight, all 1,000 copies of Man of Mystery were signed by the author and Hector Robinson.

The wide fluctuation in pricing is probably due to those who know the market and those who don't. I would nto be surprised if copies could still be had from the author.

Thanks for that further info Clay, I didn't know about Franks Man Behind the Ledgend until now, and now my search is on!
Cheers.

Hello silverking,

I believe Clay is correct, copies of both Soo books are still available from the author, Gary Frank. I'm proud to call Gary a friend, and if you would like, I would P.M. you his e-mail address and phone number. He is a wonderful person, and I'm sure would be happy to share some of his many Soo insights and stories with you.

Gary has written and published a number of other interesting books, also still available from him. I can highly recommend them all.

Chung Ling Soo - The Man Behind The Legend - 1987 by Gary R. Frank, tan soft covers, 35 pages

Chung Ling Soo - The Man Of Mystery - 1988 by Gary R. Frank, blue hard cover no DJ, 52 pages.

The Carter Scrapbook - 1992 compiled by Gary Frank and Phil Temple, soft cover 8.5 x 11 (about 100 un-numbered pages)
Lots of pictures and information not to be found elsewhere

The Collector's Scrapbook - 1994 compiled by Gary Frank, soft cover 8.5 x 11 (96 pages)
Again, lots of pictures and information not found elsewhere along with a number of tipped in mini color posters of Tampa, Thurston and Carter

Tampa - England’s Court Magician - 2002 by Gary Frank
A great story bound in a nice hardcover book of 145 pages with beautiful full color dust jacket.

Regards, Mark Damon

Hi Mark,
I have all of Gary's books you mentioned and I would be interested in discussing them with him. Would you also P.M. me his email address?
Thanks,
Dave

Hi Damon,
Thanks for that information.
Please do PM me Gary's email.

I'm certainly interested in the "Man Behind the Ledgend" book, and although I've ordered the "Man of Mystery" book from either Abebooks or Amazon, I've yet to recieve it.....so I may be looking for that as well from Gary.

I appreciate your information Damon, it helps fill in some gaps in my Soo library.
Cheers.

Silverking,

Are you aware of these other books on Chung Ling Soo?

The Riddle of Chung Ling Soo – by Will Dexter 1955

A Gift From The Gods: The story of Chung Ling Soo, marvelous Chinese
conjurer: - by Val Andrews 1981

The Silence of Chung Ling Soo – by Todd Carr 2001 (Outstanding book!!!!)

The Glorious Deception: The Double Life of William Robinson, aka Chung Ling Soo, the "Marvelous Chinese Conjurer" - by Jim Steinmeyer 2005

Just a tip for you, always check with a reputable magic book dealer first. You will almost always find what you want at a much better price than Abebooks – guaranteed.

Just a few to look at: H&R Magic books (www.magicbookshop.com) and Bradbury Books And Beyond (www.bradburybooks.com). One of my favorites, and main book dealer for almost 25 years was David Meyer Magic Books. Unfortunately he is now out of the used magic book biz - a real loss - he is a first class guy. To this day I miss getting his wonderful catalogs in the mail. I still look through my old ones from time to time however, it brings me back to the good old days. Happy book hunting!

Regards, Mark Damon

Hi Damon,

I've got Todd, Will, and Jim's book.

I'm aware of Val's book, but have not found it for sale anywhere yet.
I've also been keeping an eye out for "Twelve Who Died", but not found it, and understand it's in the "collectable" catagory, which means a few hundred or more dollars.

Thanks for the tips on H&R and Bradbury, I'll visit them today.
I find the story of Billy R. one of the most compelling in magic history. I love reading about his exploits.

Even though Todd's book is huge, and essential, he still reccomends books like "Riddle" in addition to his in order to get the entire story.

Cheers, and thanks again for those book dealers.

Silverking, just ran across this thread. If you did not succeed in finding either (or both) of Gary Frank's books on Chung Ling Soo, we do have new copies of both in stock. CHUNG LING SOO: MAN OF MYSTERY is a hardback, signed by Hector Robinson (Soo was NOT Hector's biological father according to Jim Steinmeyer's book, since Robinson was in Australia more than nine months before his birth, while his mother was in England!). Sells new for just $20. CHUNG LING SOO: THE MAN BEHIND THE LEGEND is a paperback for just $10. A search on our site on keyword "Soo" should turn them up along with a few others.

Silverking:

Regarding Val Andrew’s book, my favorite part of it is the color reproductions of Soo’s posters – gorgeous! Good copies of this book can be had in the $75-$90 range, and frequently show up on Ebay in that price range. It may be that The Miracle Factory book on Soo reproduces the same (or greater) number of posters as those in Andrews’ book. In any event, there’s a lot of overlap between those two books so far as poster reproductions go.

While I enjoyed reading Andrews’ book, one thing to keep in mind is that it is not a biography (or a biographical account) in the strict sense of the word. Rather, it is, for lack of a better term, a fictionalized biography. There is extensive dialogue in this book which is purely from the pen of Andrews. Think James Michener and his book TEXAS and you’ll get the idea.

Clay

Thanks for that tip Clay, two of these books have shown up at the same time one on Ron Allesi's auction site, and the other on Ebay.

I appreciate the information you've given here.