Magazines & Journals in Magic & Mentalism

The periodical's slogan was: Magic You Can Count On

A complete file of Abacus is very hard to find. With the help of several collectors, we could put together a complete file. Among the distinguished contributors are people like Paul Hallas, Peter Duffie, Max Maven, Walt Lees, Aldo Colombini, Mark Leveridge, Stephen Tucker ... and of course Al E. Smith himself.

See the table of contents on the separate volume pages.

Number 1 (September 2001)

• Riffs
• The Real Work / Dave Wyton
• Photat / Paul Hallas
• Booted
• Handson Dabs
• Peter's Poetry / Paul Gordon
• Final / Ken Speckle
• Hoax Busters? / Peter Spence

Number 2 (October 2001)

• Riffs
• Amount Account Recounted / Peter Duffie
• Impare Diary / Mike Hopley
• Punbumers
• The Streets of Humdrum
• Derren Brown II / Mel Drew

Number 3 (November 2001)

• Riffs
• Jacks / Roger Curzon
• For Whom The Tollbell Clangs / Ernie Bulstrode
• Word Processor / Lewis Jones
• Missed Match / George McBride
• Doncon
• Hear and Their
• Could Be Dept
• Where Have All the Followers...

Number 1 (September 2000)

• Riffs
• Rogues Galorey
• No Surrender Dept
• Beware of the Jog
• This Charming Man
• Bookstore: Unfairty Harry
• Phake Transpo / Paul Hallas
• Conck House Creation / Paul Gordon
• Direct Miss?

Number 2 (October 2000)

• Riffs
• Playing Those Mind Games
• Life, Death & Other Card Tricks by Robert E. Neale
• Not This Year Either
• Hip Hip Hype Baby / Bob Earl
• Long Pocket
• Barnsley Bootie
• Forcing the Issue / Peter Duffie
• Clip Joint / Jack Jansen
• Staple Diet / Stephen Tucker
• Scarborough Fair Fare
• Never Mind The Show. Watch the Crowd

Number 3 (November 2000) ...

Number 1 (September 1999)

• Riffs
• Photat / Paul Hallas
• Wronged
• Spell My Number or Watch The Paint Dry / Stephen Tucker
• The Magic of Ken Hawes
• prelude / Ken Speckle
• Roger's Real Gone Aces
• Collected Card Notes by Justin Higham
• Max Maven Rites
• What Every Close-Up Competitor Wants
• Music Is Magic
• Mallory Towers

Number 2 (October 1999)

• Riffs
• Dear Al
• Which Trials? / William O'Connor
• Pass the Salt
• Nothing Changes Dept
• It's a Point of View / Dave Wyton
• Ban the Crimp / Joe McKay
• Peter Duffie Rights
• Tricks They Never Play On the Radio: Intooit
• Edcomment
• Review: Chad Long...

Number 1 (September 1998)

• Riffs
• Sandspell / Norm Little
• The Sheffield Solution / Roger Curzon
• Parish Or Perish / Ian Surl
• Travis Perkins Assembly Day of Magic Sunday 5th July
• Paul Gordon Performs Miracles?
• Bob Loomis writes ...
• The One-Way Widow / Phil Goldstein
• The Devious One-Way Widow
• The Final Frontier
• How Odd
• A Cinema Ticket Magically Changes to Match One Selected by a Spectator / Paul Hallas

Number 2 (October 1998)

• Riffs
• Primarily Odd / P. S. Hale
• FredstackEd
• Gaffs and Ungaffs
• Class and Classrooms / Granville Rhodes
• Pair Off / William Denbob
• News & Blues ...

Number 1 (September 1997)

• Riffs
• Suspension Bridge / Clive Sullivan
• Positive Mind Control / Bob Hamilton
• Western Wizards
• Hanks for the DemGeoffrey
• Twist In A Glass / Paul Hallas
• Ferry Bridge
• Hi Ho Silver
• Early in the Morning / J.P. Richardson
• The Day the Music Sighed
• Scene and Heard
• NLAFT
• More Bragging
• Interview Anthony Owen
• Picky Picky Dept
• Strange Currencies / Peter McLanachan

Number 2 (October 1997)

• Riffs
• The Poker Prediction Puzzle Problem / Roy Walton
• Interview Peter Duffie
• Flying / Peter Duffie
• Eddie's Readers
• A Twisted Tale
• Liquid Fueling
• Heavy Mental...

Number 1 (September 1996)

• Riffs
• Friendly Persuasion / Dec Hides
• Aquae Sulis
• Write Away John Dory
• Busy Beam: The Steve Beam Tour
• Tri-Out / Harry Wise
• Never Mind the Ballots ... / Arthur Illery
• Criminal Acts / Paul Hallas
• Remains to be Seen
• Just Like Eddie
• The Malady Lingers On / David Hawkins
• Reviews: The Sticky Blue Book
• Speckleation / Ken Speckle
• Fight of Hand

Number 2 (October 1996)

• Riffs
• Imogenetic
• Simon Says
• Keeping Company
• How Does Peter Do It? / Roy Walton
• Balducci's Double
• Collectic
• Message Understood / Roger Curzon
• Max-Wax / Max Maven
• Lead on McDuffie...

Number 1 (September 1995)

• Will You Love me Tomorrow
• Riffs
• Thirds Away / Peter Duffie
• For A Few Wallets More
• The Return Of Imogen
• The Duffrid Quadco / Alan Francis
• Soon Forgotten
• Glory To The Victor / Walt Lees
• The Double Deal Turnover / R. Paul Wilson
• Taurean Misfit II / R. Paul Wilson
• Here And There

Number 2 (October 1995)

• Riffs
• Ektopos / Bob Driebeek
• The View From Stephen Tucker: Imogination
• Magic And The Internet / Geoffrey Green
• US Review / Duane Henry
• Bill's Secret Number 2 / Jack Jansen
• Who's Doing what? / Tony Griffith
• Compulsive
• Here And There
• A Fair...

Number 1 (September 1994)

• SiFoFoFa (2)
• Riffs: That's Sawn it!
• Twisters Under The Skin / Walt Lees
• That Puzzles Me
• Doc Eason
• Restaurant Reservations
• Totat / Peter Duffie
• Blackpool Blockbuster / Stephen Tucker, Brian Glover
• Bristol Ditties
• Downtown Stories
• Glidram / Abe Akers
• Pincers
• Liquid Ice
• Tricks That Work Dept
• Expulsion or Excommunication
• Still Turning / Paul Hallas
• Forces For Courses
• Block Spread Force

Number 2 (October 1994)

• Ballots
• Riffs: Nor Borrower Be
• Touriste Trade
• Tranquil Trap / Peter Duffie
• Wishing On A Strat
• The Impossible Dream
• Wass Not Was ...

Number 1 (September 1993)

• Box Tops
• The Longest Day
• That's Torn It! / Alan Francis
• Only The Mediocre / Paul Daniels
• Clubman's Diary
• Slings and Arrows
• Snippets / Melvin Lehaire
• Angel's Footsteps / Rod Ethtie
• Sloppit / Ed Ward
• Direct Chink-A-Chink / Damian Surr
• On Tap
• Flattery Gets You Nowhere / Walt Lees
• Cards On Tour
• Who Said That
• Duffie's Deal / Peter Duffie

Number 2 (October 1993)

• Into the Mystic
• Riffs
• Daley Papers
• Mac's Stacks / Mac MacDonald
• Partial Hofzinser / Roger Curzon
• Forward To Yesterday / Ellisdons
• You Can't Win Dept
• Pocket The Deck / Ed Ward ...

Number 1 (September 1992)

• Tread Thou In My Footsteps...
• Join the Club
• Siftas
• A Case for Dealing
• DDC Selection
• Spread Force
• Play It Again Sam / Stephen Tucker
• Final Cut
• Thinking it Over
• Current Matters

Number 2 (October 1992)

• Still Treading
• Riffs
• Insider Dealing
• Downtown Stories
• Current Matters
• Triple Cross Cut / John Wright
• Push Off Undercut / Al Smith
• Swing False Cut / Al Smith
• Yawn
• Two Keys to Baldpate / Stephen Tucker
• Vernon
• Paradox
• The Lady Prefers
• Viewpoint
• Club Night

Number 3 (November 1992)

• Walking in the Sand
• Riffs
• Acorns and Tall Oaks ...

The Magigram Index covers the complete run of Magigram from September 1966 to the last issue in February 1995.

Items in the Index are listed by Author, Title, Date, Volume, Issue, Page and up to four categories. Each category is represented by a three letter abbreviation such as CARds (2097 entries), CHIldren (1152 entries), CLOse-up (391 entries), COIns (483 entries), REPorts of Societies, Conventions, Shows and other events (260 entries), BIOgraphy (377 entries), MANipulation (84 entries), etc. There are a total of 11797 entries with 456 different categories plus a listing...

The Colley-cted Index is the collected and combined version of all the indices to magic magazines which Michael Colley has prepared, so far 19 magazines.

Sometimes it is easier to look up an item or name in an index than to search for it. It might be an item that can't be easily searched for, such as photos, or it might be an item you don't have good search terms or phrases for, or perhaps the search returns so many results that it is too time-consuming to go through all of them to find the relevant ones.

You will receive this index in four formats:

• PDF
• Microsoft Access database ...

The Society of American Magicians was founded in 1902. Their first society journal was published in October 1911 on the suggestion of Charles Roltare. The currently serving president was the editor. Its content is a mix of meeting notes, news, opinions, and articles on historical matters, a good portion of which has been contributed by Harry Houdini.

1st edition 1911, PDF 821 pages.

• No. 159: Houdini Memorial
• Nos. 160, 161
• No. 162: From Theo. Hardeen
• No. 163: Twenty-five Years Old May 10, 1927
• No. 164: Report of the Annual Banquet, Entertainment and Dance

1st edition 1927, PDF 18 pages.

• No. 148
• No. 149
• No. 150: Special Notice to Members of All Assemblies
• No. 151: Houdini Has Magicians' Night in Philadelphia
• No. 152: Harken to Ye Editor
• No. 153: Annual Banquet
• No. 154: Laws for Spiritualists
• No. 155: A Time for New Resolutions
• No. 156: Houdini in Memoriam
• Nos. 157, 158: A Few of the Tributes

1st edition 1925, PDF 41 pages.

• Nos. 136, 137, 138: In Loving Memory of John William Sargent
• No. 139: As It Should Be! / Oscar S. Teale
• No. 140: In Memoriam Francis J. Martinka; Ben Ali Bey
• No. 141: Is This Merely a Question of Veracity? If So, Who is at Fault?; Ben Ali Bey (continued)
• No. 142: Wah Chan / John Mulholland
• No. 143: An Open Letter / Oscar S. Teale; Physical Phenomena - Margery fails to win the Scientific American Prize and now she follows all other alleged supernormals / Oscar S. Teale
• No. 144: Dr. Johann Nepomuk Hofzinser
• No. 145: In Memory of Mr. Alfred Becks
• No. 146
• No. 146-147: The Twenty-First Annual...

• Nos. 124, 125, 126: Magic and Magicians of Australia / Robert Kudarz
• Nos. 127, 128: Society of American Magicians to Fight Exposures
• No. 129: Random Thoughts on Magic / Henry R. Evans
• No. 130: A Bit of Magical Archeology / G. G. Laurens
• No. 131: Head shots of Presidents of the Society of American Magicians
• No. 132: Hands Across the Sea / Will Goldston
• No. 133
• No. 134
• No. 135: Banquet of the Society of American Magicians

1st edition 1923, PDF 41 pages.

• Nos. 112-113: Our Welcome to Noted Mystifiers
• Nos. 114-115: Magic and Magicians in New Zealand and Australia / Robert Kudarz
• No. 116: Magic and Magicians in New Zealand and Australia (continued)/ Robert Kudarz
• No. 117: Well! Well! Look What Is Going On
• No. 118 Robert Kudarz dies; William Berol Lamented
• No. 119: T. Nelson Downs Mystified
• No. 120: Concerning Robert Kudarz, late Compeer No. 167
• No. 121: A Carnival of Magic
• No. 122: Houdini Entertains 500 Kiddies in San Francisco / H. Syril Dusenberry
• No. 123: Our Annual Banquet

1st edition 1922, PDF 55 pages.

• No. 100: Magician, Inventor and Publisher Hanged in London
• No. 101: Adam Hull Shirk Visits New York; Grave of the Great Lafayette
• No. 102: Meeting of the Parent Assembly; Historical Data Sawing a Lady in Two
• No. 103: News of November Meeting; Graves of Ling Look and Yamadeva
• No. 104: An Open Letter to All Editors / Harry Houdini
• No. 105: Unknown Facts About Philippe, father of the "Gift" Show / Harry Houdini
• No. 106: The Evolution of Superstition / Joseph F. Rinn
• No. 107: Great Victory for Magic
• No. 108: Dean Harry Kellar dies
• No. 109: Membership Cards Nearing 1000 Number
• No. 110:...

• No. 87: Sixteenth Annual Banquet, Society of American Magicians; Signor Blitz Before Abraham Lincoln / Oscar S. Teale
• No. 88: Breslaw, one of the great mystifiers of the eighteenth century / Harry Houdini
• No. 89: Breslaw (continued)
• No. 90: Philadelphia, a historical seventeenth century magician / Harry Houdini
• No. 91: Tributes to John William Sargent; Philadelphia (continued)
• No. 92: Ladies' Night
• No. 93: Hell Gate to Golden Gate
• No. 94: Trewey - an Appreciation / Henry R. Evans
• No. 95: Frizzo - Master Magician / Harry Houdini; A Comparison of the Oldest Magic with Modern Illusions ...

• No. 75: Our Fifteenth Annual Dinner; William Davis Leroy; Mrs. Francis J. Martinka
• No. 76: Magic and Magicians - past and present - in Australia and New Zealand / Robert Kudarz
• No. 77: Magic and Magicians in Australia and New Zealand (continued); Houdini in "The Grim Game"; Impressions of a Night with Dr. Wiljalba Frikell / Frederick Eugene Powell
• No. 78: Dissertation of Cagliostro / G. G. Laurens
• No. 79: Jonathan Harrington / Edwin Fay Rice
• No. 80: Professor Hoffmann, Angelo Lewis, The brightest star in the firmament of magical literature / Harry Houdini
• No. 81: Does Sir Conan Doyle's...

• No. 63: Our Fourteenth Annual Dinner; Golden Gate Assembly; Passing of Paladino; The Mishaps of a Mystic / Edwin Fay Rice
• No. 64: Kit Clarke, Veteran Manager of Magicians Dies
• No. 65: The Life and Five Years Before the Public, of Robert Nickle, the World's Prestidigitateur
• No. 66: One of Our Members at the Front; The Princes of German are Shaking Dice for the United States / Herbert Quick
• No. 67: Kit Clarke and His Contempories / C. Fred Crosby
• No. 68: Kit Clarke and His Contempories / C. Fred Crosby
• No. 69: Katterfelto: One of the Most Interesting Characters in the History of Magic....

• No. 55: Mainly about magicians; Battles of Famous Mystifiers / Harry Houdini
• No. 56: A Historical Event - Kellar's Farewell; Battles by Famous Mystifiers (continued) / Harry Houdini
• No. 57: John Henry Anderson - Speaks for Himself; Edwin Fay Rice - a retired past master of magic; About the Magic Wand / G. G. Laurens
• No. 58: The Story of the Gift Shows / Kit Clarke; Houdini's Vanishing Elephant
• No. 59: An American Magician Who Died in an English Poorhouse / Harry Houdini; Mind Reader W. Irving Bishop's Mother Passes Away; A Paradoxical Perplexity: Dr. Samuel C. Hooker's Phenomenal Presentation...

• No. 51: Banquet Supplement
• No. 52: Robert Heller
• No. 53: Houdini wins dispute with Rigoletto
• No. 54: Outwitting Herrmann's Manager

1st edition 1917, PDF 22 pages.

• No. 41: The Houdini Library / Oscar S. Teale
• No. 42: Houdini in state prison
• No. 43
• No. 44: Morse the Mystificator; Alliance of Magicians
• No. 45: By-Laws revision
• No. 46
• No. 47
• No. 48
• No. 49: Alexander Herrmann
• No. 50: On the Value of Research / Oscar S. Teale

1st edition 1916, PDF 44 pages.

• No. 34: John Philip Quinn; MacAllister, the celebrated Wizard and Magician; Prof. Charles Huot
• No. 35: Houdini; The Wizard of the North; A Reminiscence; Magic
• No. 36: Anthony Martinka; The Rising Cards; Juggling for Exercise; Love's Necromancy; Ten Little Magicians
• No. 37: The Fakir of Oolu; Magic Number; Are You a Magician?; An Expose
• No. 38: The Rising Cards; Robert Nickel; The Chinese Magician
• No. 39: Frank Peppler Knight; Augustus F. Hartz; Prof. E. C. Taylor; Hunter and the Pipe
• No. 40: President Sees Houdini Escape from Water Tank; What Dr. Wilson says about the annual banquet

• No. 22: Minutes of Previous Meeting; Vacation Time is Over; Real Magic; Judge Not
• No. 23: Minutes of Previous Meeting; Secretary's Column; The Harmless Necessary Knocker; Harry Kellar
• No. 24: What is There in it for Me?; Laurant describes a magician's profession
• No. 25: Be Not Weary in Well-Doing; The Magic of Over One Hundred Years Ago; Prof. Hoffmann; Originator of the Non-Assisting Clock; Bust of Horace Goldin
• No. 26: Some Valntines in Limerick Lines / Uguess Hoo; Robert Heller
• No. 27: Long-Distance Messages; From Professor Charles Huot
• No. 28: Ye Editor Speaks; Magicians Fool Each...

Note that numbers 11 and 12 were never published.

• No. 1: Amendment to the By-Laws
• No. 2: Signor Antonio Blitz
• No. 3: The Elevation of Magic
• No. 4: Official Report of the SAM
• No. 5: Will Goldston, our London Representative, chats about his career
• No. 6: Richard Van Dien, Secretary of the SAM
• No. 7: Elmer P. Ransom; Introspection
• No. 8: Charles Roltare
• No. 9: Dr. Albert M. Wilson; The Tenth Annual Dinner; A Question of Priority
• No. 10: An Exposure
• No. 13: List of Members of the SAM
• No. 14: The Social; A Game of Life (poem)
• No. 15
• No. 16: Ladies' Night of the SAM
• No. 17: A Reminiscence...

• No. 1: Our Policy; Magic is Dead!; Representatives; $5 For a Name; Jealousy; Annual Banquet; Our Entertainments
• No. 2: Conjuring by Electricity / G.G. Laurens
• No. 3: Professional Ethics; Jack Norworth; Werner Says; Many Thanks
• No. 4: Our Minister Magician; Extra Copies; The Growth of Flowers; Leroy's Letter; Annual Big Magic Show; Annual Banquet; Illustrous Wilson; Our Lyceum Magicians; An Invitation; The SAM Magicians
• No. 5: Marvill Magician; Keep It Up; Come Again; The SAM Magicians; The Social Session; Supplement
• No. 6: A Slight Correction and Reminiscence; Originality; Did It Ever Occur...

A legendary periodical now for the first time available in digital form. The digital edition is a Lybrary.com exclusive. If you see it offered anywhere else, you know it is a pirated edition, most likely far inferior in quality and completeness.

Magick started on July 17th, 1970, and ceased publication on November 12th, 1993. It spans 23 years, 496 issues in 19 volumes. More than 1400 effects from several hundred of the best minds in mentalism, on more than 2400 pages. The list of contributors is staggering. Below is just a small sampling from the several hundred contributors. You will find...

Each volume of Magick comes with its own volume index. This index is the compilation of all these indices into one combined index. But it is not just the index you are getting here. You will learn a lot about Bascom Jones through various articles by people who knew him. Included is also a bonus section with several routines that could have appeared in Magick.

• Preface and Acknowledgments / Andrew Pinard
• Bascom Jones: 1924-1994 / Robert Bluemle
• Untitled / Max Maven
• Center Axis / Barrie Richardson
• Wordsmith & Warrior / Lee Earle
• Spinning Straw / Richard...