I have always loved old books and so with an active interest in magic over many years I recently started collecting some of these wonderful old texts. For various reasons I have confined myself generally to magic books published in the period from about 1830 to 1930.

I would love to learn more about these books from a historical perspective, but I am unaware of any books that can assist. I mostly resort to Google searching out as much information as possible on the web but while this is the best I have it can be lacking and confusing at times.

I have looked at library copies of Trevor Halls 2x publications on old conjuring books but these gernally focus on the period 1580 to 1850.

I'm waiting to review a library copy of Toole Stott but again I understand this covers the history of old conjuring books over a similar period.

Does anyone know of any good books covering the history and details of old conjuring books from 1850 until at least 1930?

Hi Peter,

Sorry for making this short, but I’m on my way out the door to golf. Here are a few of my personal favorites that will be a big help. I also love books about books. If you need any more specifics about any of them, let me know. There are also a few good bibliographies in the back of some books (I don’t have time now to list them all). There is one for sure in Stanyon's Magic (magazine)

Magic: A Reference Guide, By Earl Coleman

Magic As A Performing Art: A bibliography of conjuring, By Robert Gill

Paul Fleming Book Reviews (3 vols), By Paul Fleming
http://www.lybrary.com/paul-fleming-book-reviews-p-421.html

Regards, Mark Damon

Greetings Peter!

Alas, as you might have already anticipated (and as Mark D. has capably shown), there is no one source to consult for the period in which you are interested. 1830 sounds a little arbitrary for a cutoff date, but perhaps you selected it because it was around that time when the large, mass-produced, clothbound books of conjuring interest first came into print (e.g., Boy’s Own Book)?

From 1830 to 1876 your best bet is indeed Ray Stott’s (aka Raymond Toole Stott) 2 volume bibliography. Fortunately, many entries are briefly annotated, which should help you in your research.

It occurs to me that your best source for titles for the period from 1876 to 1930 might be Stephen Forrester’s self-published A Bibliography of Classic Authors in Magic and Related Arts (Calgary, 1993). He specifically set out to cover magic books in what he termed the “classic era” of magic, roughly covers the period from 1876 to 1930, I believe.

Finally, might I suggest your best source: fellow collectors! The experienced ones can help you get your bearings, make recommendations, etc.

Kind regards,

Clay

Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation in Toole Stott. He accepted a lot at face value when he shouldn't have, and it has been responsible for many misconceptions and a lot of confusion, particularly in American magic books from the 1850's on.

Jamy Ian Swiss wrote a great article for the January 2001 edition of Genii called 'A Millennium of Magic Literature' (it's also available on CD-ROM from Jamy's website as part of a collection of his reviews in Genii). Although it doesn't go into any great detail about any of the books, I found it an excellent starting point for exploring some of the books that might be regarded as important in the history of conjuring literature. Many of the titles he discusses are well-known, but others are forgotten gems.

Thanks everyone for your input. Its given me some options to pursue.