Catalogs

If you have never looked through one of these big magic catalogs this one is a good example. Even though WWII had already started Abbott's was offering almost 2000 magic items for sale. They had pretty much everything one can think of.

1st edition 1940, 544 pages.

This catalog #15 was the first catalog issued after Percy Abbott's death. The exact date is not clear but most likely it appeared in 1962.

~1962, 488 pages.

From the introduction:

This catalog includes some error corrections for the prior catalog, advertises Holmes' Conjuring Serial No. 4 A Mind Reading Act, and then it describes items No. 400 to No. 481.

1st edition 1916, 36 pages.

This is the first catalog Martin Breese issued most likely in 1975. He had not yet begun to create and publish his own products. We therefore find in this catalog only products from other manufacturers, such as Ken Brooke, Johnson Products, Sterling Magic Creations, and others.

1st edition 1975, PDF 57 pages.

Martin Breese was an early adopter of video technology. He produced a number of videos in-house, and also retailed some of the earliest instructional magic videos available. This was the first video catalog Breese issued.

1st edition 1986, 20 pages; PDF 20 pages.

This was the catalog for Max Holden's Magic Shop. He had two stores, one in New York City, and one in Boston. He specialized in books. The 8 issues run from 1948 to 1951.

PDF 36 pages.

Otto Maurer had his shop in New York. He started as tin smith but soon made and fixed apparatus for magicians. His shop was for many years a gathering place for prominent magicians who came to town including Houdini, Thurston, and Downs. They all visited Maurer, bought from him, and exchanged the latest gossip and news. The most famous story about Otto Maurer is how he became the conduit for communicating the back palm from a Mexican/Cuban/Spanish cardshark to the magic community at large. (The originator of the back palm was Dr. Elliott.)

• Advice For Professionals & Amateurs
• No. 1 - Magic Nail
• No. 2 - Devil's Bottle ...

From the back cover:

From the introduction:

This is a very nice catalog designed by David Britland and additional illustrations by Max Maven, Eric Mason and JAT. Products are grouped in the following sections:

• Tricks
• Miscellaneous
• Audio Tapes
• Video Tapes
• Books

1st edition 1984; PDF 87 pages.

This catalog #14 is for whatever reason less common than the other Abbott catalogs. It included a tipped in sheet advertising six Robert Orben books.

86 pages.

From the introduction:

Gamages was located in London. This catalog is roughly from the 1930s.

• Accessories
• Books
• Card Tricks
• Children's Effects
• Cigarette Tricks
• Close-Up and Pocket Tricks
• Coin and Money Magic
• Comedy Props
• Magazines
• Miscellaneous Tricks
• Mental Effects
• Punch and Judy
• Rope and Tricks with String
• Silk Tricks
• Workshop Plans of Illusions

48 pages

KC Card Company specialized in legit and crooked gambling supplies.

• Dice and measuring tools to make sure they were properly manufactured.
• Game layouts
• Marked cards
• Crooked dealing boxes
• Holdouts
• Books on gambling
• and more

1st edition 1961, 77 pages.

Robert Nelson and his brother Larry ("Alla Rageh") started the Nelson Enterprises in 1921. Their first "catalogs" were printed on thin, onion-skin paper. By 1931, their catalogs were books in their own right, this one boasting 236 different effects, books, and services catering almost exclusively to the mental, mediumistic and gambling fraternities.

Originals of this catalog are virtually impossible to find, as they jealously hoarded by mentalists, magicians and occult collectors. Now reprinted in convenient PDF ebook format, the Nelson Enterprises Catalogue 12 is once again available to...

Robert Nelson and his brother Larry ("Alla Rageh") started the Nelson Enterprises in 1921. This Master Index cross-references by title, catalog issue and page number every effect, book and manuscript issued by Nelson from 1927 through the last catalog in 1972. This Master Index represents a summary of:

• 45 years of Nelson Enterprises catalog offerings.
• 21 Nelson catalogs.
• 5846 total items appearing in those catalogs.
• 2476 total pages are summarized in this Master Index.
• 1276 separate effects, books, appear in this Master Index.
• 125 pages are in this Master Index.
• 36 months in preparation. ...

The Ireland Magic Company was founded in 1926 by the late Laurie Lowell Ireland. The first retail advertisement appeared in The Sphinx and The Linking Ring for March 1929. The first trick was the clever Ireland Button Trick.

1st edition 1962, 224 pages.

In 1929 H. C. Evans was a large company specializing in the manufacture and sale of sporting goods and casino equipment.

• Casino supplies
• Trade Stimulators
• Pocket Novelties
• Amusement Park Supplies
• Fair Ground Games
• Shooting Galleries

1st edition 1929, 160 pages.

H. C. Evans was a company specializing in the manufacture and sale of gambling and carnival equipment. They also sold sporting goods like baseball gloves, various balls, hunting and fishing gear. Particularly noteworthy are their offerings for cheating purposes such as hold-outs, or dice which have been altered in a number of ways, or marked cards, etc.

1st edition 1909, 64 pages.

Donald Holmes was a magic dealer and author from Kansas City, Missouri. This is a very nice illustrated supplementary catalog starting at item number 601 all the way to 664.

1st edition 1924, 36 pages.

Die Zauber-Klingl war das beste Zaubergeschäft der Vergangenheit in Österreich. Es befand sich auf einem sehr guten Platz in der Wiener Innenstadt, gleich hinter der Staatsoper, in der Führichgasse Nr. 4, einer Seitenstrasse zur Kärtner Strasse der bedeutensten Einkaufsstrasse in Wien.

Sigmund Klingl war in erster Linie ein Hersteller von Zaubertricks und Zauberapparaten. Er stellte nicht nur zahlreiche Apparate und Illusionen für den allgemeinen Verkauf her, sondern machte auch Spezialanfertigungen für die Superstars der damaligen Zauberszene.

Der vorliegende Katalog von den 20er...

Vernelo, another Chicago magic dealer, not only sold a good selection of magic tricks but also novelties, puzzles and a large selection of non-magic books. About half of this catalog is dedicated to books in all kinds of fields of interests including letter writing, public speaking, jokes, stories, bookkeeping, photography, calculations, and many more.

1st edition 1901, 192 pages.

This catalog describes mostly magic tricks, some magic books and a list of acting plays. Madame Inez, or just M. Inez, was married to E. M. Vernelo and she was very involved in the early years of The Sphinx mostly as editor.

1st edition 1904, 76 pages.

A Chicago dealer who did manufacture his own apparatus.

1st edition 1893, 24 pages.

Full color catalog advertising videos and books.

1st edition 2000; 16 pages.

This #5 catalog was a supplementary catalog to #4. It only listed the new effects Abbott could supply.

1st edition ?, 94 pages.

In this catalog Eddie Joseph and all his publications and separately sold tricks received a separate section. Abbott is also operating their own printing presses and advertises to print business cards, letterheads, handbills and show cards for magicians. A price list is included at the very end.

• Accessories
• Balls
• Bottles
• Cages
• Canes
• Cards
• Change Bags
• Cigarettes
• Club
• Comedy
• Dice
• Eggs
• Escapes
• Fish
• Flowers
• Glasses
• Illusions
• Joseph
• Light Bulbs
• Linking Rings
• Liquid
• Livestock
• Lotas
• Mental
• Milk
• Money
• Novelties
• Paper
• Parasols
• Pocket
• Printing
• Reels
• Rice Bowls
• Rising...

Magic products are being offered in the following categories:

• Accessories
• Advertising Section
• Ball Magic
• Bird Cages
• Block Tricks
• Bottle Tricks
• Candle Tricks
• Canes
• Card Magic
• Change Bags
• Cigarette Tricks
• Close-Up and Pocket Tricks
• Coin and Money Magic
• Comedy Effects
• Cups and Balls
• Dice
• Egg
• Escapes
• Flower Magic
• Trick Glasses
• Illusions
• Kid-Show Magic
• Light Bulbs
• Linking Rings
• Liquid Magic
• Water Lotas
• Milk Tricks
• Tricks with Livestock
• Mental magic
• Paper Magic
• Production Magic
• Rice Bowls
• Rope Tricks
• Silk Magic
• Spook and Spirit Material
• Modern Tables
• Thimbles ...

The catalog gives a date of 1976, but that is the same date as #21, which means they probably forgot to change it. Most likely this catalog was published in the early 1980s. The latest date mentioned anywhere in the catalog is 1981. My best guess therefore is that this catalog was released in 1981 or 1982.

1st edition 198?, 448 pages.

Includes a historical sketch about Abbott Magic, how it came to be, and why it was started in Colon, MI.

1st edition 1972, 464 pages.

More than 800 pages of tricks, books, illusions, and other magic products.

1st edition 1947, 832 pages.

Robert Nelson and his brother Larry ("Alla Rageh") started the Nelson Enterprises in 1921. Their first "catalogs" were printed on thin, onion-skin paper. By 1927, their catalog boasted over a hundred effects and books, catering almost exclusively to the mental fraternity.

This catalog is nearly impossible to find, being jealously hoarded by mentalists and collectors. Now reprinted in convenient eBook format, the Nelson Enterprises Catalogue Number Six is once again available to expand the mind of performers of every ilk.

Because catalog printing techniques of the 1920s were not meant to...

A huge jump in size from catalog 7 to this catalog 8. Includes a separate section on books where he writes about Expert at the Card Table:

The last section is for: Practical Jokes, Puzzles and Novelties.

1st edition 1904 (date stamped on front 15th July 1904), 170...

Beautifully illustrated catalog (prior catalogs had no illustrations) with a one page list of books at the back.

1st edition 1904 (date stamped on front 18th March 1904), 45 pages.