Catalogs in Magic & Conjuring: page 3

This is a parody of a magic dealer catalog. The parody was published by Geoff Maltby of Repro Magic. It was a supplement to one of the Club 71 issues.

16 pages

Magic, books, occultism, mentalism, manuscripts

1st edition 1960, 43 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.

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.

It advertises with: The largest Mail-Order House in the World for Jokes, Magic and Novelties.

1st edition 1953, 39 pages.

Arthur P. Felsman took over August Roterberg's business. His catalog looks very similar to the Roterberg catalog with beautiful illustrations and detailed product descriptions. Compare for example with Roterberg Catalog No. 15.

1st edition 1919, 189 pages.

This catalog includes a great article on why magic literature is so important (article can also be found in The Sphinx from March 1936). It should be mandatory reading for today's YouTube generation.

• A Plea for Magical Literature
• Recent and Standard Works on Magic
• Classified Guide to Current Magical Literature
• Fleming Book Company Publications
• Arcas Publications

1st edition 1949, 59 pages.

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

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.

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.

Illustrated catalog of conjuring tricks, magical apparatus, ingenious puzzles and more.

1st edition 1920, 71 pages

Unique Magic Studio: New and Original Magic

1st edition 1949, 75 pages.

Unique Magic Studio

1st edition 1963, 155 pages.

Max and Tess Holden established their magic mail-order business in 1929. Through the years, the business grew to three locations (Boston, Philadelphia, and New York City). The Max Holden catalog grew to hundreds of pages, offering merchandise from their own line of magic and books, as well as those of prominent manufacturers such as Petrie-Lewis, Thayer, and many others.

Arranged by subject, the effects include spirit effects, close-up magic, mentalism, livestock effects, books, blueprints, tricks with cards, money, cigarettes, liquids, candles, silks, slates, thimbles, and many others. ...

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 ...

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.

From the introduction:

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.

Partial catalog of Electro Fun, Calcutta, India.

This is not a catalog of our entire range of products, but a pictorial representation of our wide variety and range. It is the next best thing I can offer you to a personal visit to our showroom.

We have been creating and making props for magicians around the world for over 25 years. Our products are available through hundreds of magic shops all over the globe. This "Catalog" will enable magicians to get a better idea of the products than a mere name in a price list.

Most of the props we supply are accompanied by detailed instructions...

Partial catalog of Electro Fun, Calcutta, India, entirely drawn and lettered by Ed Harris.

PDF 26 pages.

Books are grouped in the following categories:

• Cards
• Coins
• Close-Up
• Mental
• Clowning, Balloons, Juggling, and Kid Shows
• Illusions
• Promotions
• Biography and History
• General

1st edition 1993; PDF 408 pages.

Magic Inc. always emphasized books in their offering. They published a lot of books themselves, imported books from foreign countries, and carried a large selection of publications related to magic. This of course was driven by Jay Marshall's passion for books.

1st edition ~1982; PDF 165 pages.

This catalog is great because not only does it list various books in different categories, it also features informative articles. The articles you will find are:

• Building a Collection / Leo Behnke
• Are Magic Books Worthwhile? / John Mulholland
• Books about Books / Robert Lund
• The Calculated Risk / Dr. Edwin A. Dawes
• Magical Bookie / S. R. Patrick
• The Magician and Comedy / Robert Orben
• Quest for Magic Books / George Jenness
• Buy Lines / J. B. Findlay

1st edition 1968; PDF 147 pages.

This catalog shows in the very back a photo of the Magic Inc. shop on the north side of Chicago. Jay Marshall also sold used magic books and magazines.

1st edition 1973; PDF 71 pages.