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(20th July 1869 - 13th April 1936)

Born in Columbus, Ohio. He became one of the most famous 20th century magicians. Thurston's biggest break was being chosen as "successor" to Harry Kellar, Dean of American Magicians. Thurston weathered the changing tastes and economic conditions of the 1920's into his retirement in the mid-1930's. His commitment to the finest advertising pieces has left a legacy of amazing high-quality posters chronicling his entire career, as well as custom-minted coins, clever dream interpretation books and advertising tie-ins. Thurston also used scaling cards, custom printed playing cards with publicity photos and advertising; he would "scale", or throw, the cards with...

The identity of this man was unknown for more than 110 years and subject to heated debates in the magic community. We are now certain that S. W. Erdnase was Edward Gallaway. For more details see The Cardsharp and his Book by Chris Wasshuber.

Edward Gallaway was born on July 1st 1868 in Delphos, OH, and died May 9th 1930 in Chicago, IL. He learned the printer's art at the Delphos Weekly Herald. His career would take him across the United States with various employments in the print industry, including Bentley-Murray & Co., R. R. Donnelley and James McKinney & Co, as well as his own startup companies which included the rather short lived newspaper Payne Weekly People founded in 1889 during...

(4th December 1871 - 14th August 1959)

Born in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. Stage and pen name of John Gerard Rodney Boyce, originally aka 'Jean Hugarde', later aka 'Chin Sun Loo'. Inspired in 1880 seeing Haselmayer show. Learned a week later reading Robert-Houdin's Secrets of Magic, then Hoffmann's Modern Magic. Debut in 1896. Pro since 1900. Moved to USA in 1916, working vaude 1916-18 and in own magic theater in Luna Park (at Coney Island) 1919-29 when retired in Brooklyn to write and edit magic. Named 4th SAM Dean of Magicians in 1951. SAM Hall of Fame.

(1906 - 3rd July 1962)

Born in California, USA. Newspaperman in Oakland. Semi-pro magician, specialized in card magic of which he was a master. Invented "Braue Addition", "Braue Reversal", "Rear Palm" (in 1935), "Homing Card" (1948), etc.

... a tank full of water) were his most famous onstage escape illusions. Houdini again changed direction after 1913, when his mother died. Heavy with grief, Houdini turned to spirit mediums in an effort to contact his mother, and was shocked to find that the mediums were nothing more than frauds using magic tricks to con their victims. Furious, Houdini launched a passionate crusade to expose spirit mediums by actually performing their "miracles" and then exposing them as a part of his stage show. Houdini died unexpectedly in 1926 on Halloween from peritonitis. Houdini had been suffering the symptoms of appendicitis for several days when he was punched in the stomach several times by a McGill...

(23rd February 1890 - 15th June 1960)

Born in Delavan, Illinois. Inspired at age 11 seing White the Magician. Learned at age 14 from travelling salesman. Naprapathist (a form of homeopathy) and semi-pro magician. Then pro magician.

Originally hired as illustrator for a magic course to be written by Walter Baker, he was given the entire job when Baker defaulted. Thus, beginning in 1927 as a series of 60 mail-order lessons, he produced the influential Tarbell Course. Illustrated Hilliard's Greater Magic. SAM President 1949-50. SAM Hall of Fame.

Invented over 200 effects, including color-changing handkerchief (c1905), Chines Laundry Ticket (by 1906), Tarbell Rope Trick (c1919), and Tarbell...

(19th June 1806 - 11th March 1875)

Born in Vienna, Austria. Learned magic by 1828. Government bureaucrat. Amateur magician, then semi-pro from 1854, then full-time pro since 1865 (when he retired from government job).

Invented Envelope Card (1847), Shell Coin (by 1847), Book Test (early 1850s), Everywhere and Nowhere (c1860), Black Art Table (1872), Slit Glass (by 1875), Spring Balls (by 1875), probably Flags of All Nations (by 1875), probably Flag Pole (by 1875), Card Frame, Card Star, probably Floating Wand, Dancing Cane, Mirror Glass, and probably the Small Packet Trick.

(22nd February 1907 - 12th January 1942)

Born in East Waverly, New York. Born Theodore John Squires, adopted by Stanley Anneman, Ted adding the second 'n' in 1930. Inspired at age 10 watching schoolmate do the Ball and Vase. Learned at age 14 when bought a Gilbert magic set. Debut c1925 at age c18 with the Doc Kries medicine show. Pro mentalist. Invented "Window Envelope" by 1931 and "Flat Rabbit" in 1937. Pet publicity stunt: "Bullet Catching". Voted one of the 10 Card Stars in 1938, although he was uncomfortable with sleights. Voted into the New York 'Inner Circle' by 1940. Founded-edited The Jinx 1934-41 and The Sign of Exceptional Magic 1935-35.

Best known for his contributions to...

... name of Angelo John Lewis, a barrister (since 1861 - see Angelo J. Lewis of the Chancery Bar by Thomas A. Sawyer) and writer. Amateur magician since learning in the early 1860s from a book and then lessons from Hellis (in 1873) and Charlier. In 1873 he undertook a series of articles titled 'Modern Magic' for Routledge's every boy's annual, which launched his career as the most prolific and influential magic author and translator until modern times. SAM Hall of Fame.

You will find here a huge amount of magic tricks, illusions, moves, sleights, techniques, principles and concepts, starting from the earliest descriptions in the 16th century to the latest hot magic tricks performed by the likes of David Copperfield, Criss Angel or David Blaine. Regardless of if you want to find out more about Houdini or Erdnase, learn the best card tricks and methods from 'The Professor' Dai Vernon, or Roberto Giobbi, or study the classics as well as the latest developments in mentalism, this is the page to bookmark. Make sure to also drill down into the subtopics to find what you are looking for.

(9th April 1850 - 26th September 1910)

Born in England. Sports writer. Amateur magician. Learned from The Secret Out. Sachs became an Honorary Vice-President of the Magic Circle in 1906 and in 1907 became a Member of the Inner Magic Circle. He was a contributor to the pages of the Magic Circular.

(1887 - 21st February 1928)

Born in Tennessee, USA. Stage name of George Silver. Pro Lyceum magician and cardman.

(22nd December 1839 - 18th May 1917)

Born in Cheltenham, England. Founded the great Maskelyne dynasty of English magicians. He got his start exposing the spiritism performance of the Davenport brothers. His performing partner was George Cooke. He opened the Egyptian Hall in London, a showplace for magic and illusion performances, and operated it for thirty years. In partnership with David Devant, he then opened St. George's Hall, a similar venue. A feisty personality, he was involved in two nasty and noteworthy lawsuits. The first involved a claim that Maskelyne had not exactly duplicated the feats of a spirit medium and was therefore not entitled to the challenge money offered. The second...

If you have seen a David Roth, Michael Rubinstein or Shigeo Futagawa perform with coins, you know what kind of miracles are possible with these shiny objects. You will find in this category must read classics like Bobo's Modern Coin Magic as well as the latest hot effects by Daniel Garcia or Michael Wild.

Mentalism (also called "Mental Magic") involves you demonstrating unusual, supernatural or highly-developed mental, cognitive or intuitive abilities. Performances may involve amazing acts of precognition, divination, clairvoyance, telepathy, mind control or psychokinesis. As a mentalist or psychic, you may also perform hypnosis, memory effects and lightning-fast mathematics. Ted Annemann is one of our most frequently-read authors...but don't forget to check out our other ebooks by important mentalists and psychic entertainers like Bob Cassidy, Leo Boudreau, Dale Hildebrandt, Al Mann, Larry Becker, Timothy Hyde, Burling Hull and a host of others. We're constantly adding new ebooks, so please...

Zach Allen is currently a junior at Sacred High School in Massachusetts. He has been performing magic for seven years now, and semi-professionally for the last three. He performs mainly walkaround and close-up work as well as the occasional show. He aspires to work as hard as he can in magic and it will always be a part of his life.

... They might have more stage hands and bigger stages, but the principles and methods are well known and you can learn about them. And concerning escapes, nobody has reached more popularity than Harry Houdini. Even decades after his death his name still is familiar and people know who he is. His magic was lousy his escape work and public relations acumen are unmatched. David Blaine tries to take Houdini's place, but boy does he have a long way to go to reach the master.

(1841-1910)

Pen name of Max Allihn. Government minister at Weissenfels-an-der-Salle. Amateur magician.

(? - 1962)

Artanis, real name Joe Sinatra, was a gambling specialist rather than a magician. He was friend and contemporary of Vernon, Horowitz, and Cardini. His death was unusual. He was challenged to a running race, which he won, and then dropped dead of a heart attack.

Lybrary.com specializes in magic, juggling, games, and gambling ebooks. However, we do offer ebooks and other downloadable products in a host of other categories which are all grouped and listed here in the Non-Fiction category or under Fiction.

(27th September 1885 - 16th November 1965)

Legendary American stage magician. Born Harry Boughton, he started as one half of a vaudeville comedy act with his brother, Pete Bouton. Along with his long stage career, he co-founded Blackstone's Magic Co. with Percy Abbott in the 1929. He is credited with creating classic routines for the Dancing Handkerchief, the Vanishing Bird Cage, the Buzz Saw, and of course, the Floating Light Bulb. Many feel that he was the best example of what a magician should be. He was succeeded by his son, Harry Blackstone Jr.

(11th February 1910 - 12th September 1996)

Christened with initials only. Born in Texarkana, Texas. This American's unusual name is legitimately come by, being his French immigrant great-grandfather's legal contraction of Beaubeaux to accomodate his new neighbors. Inspired by seeing Eugene Laurant on the Chatauqua circuit. Taught first tricks at age c14 by Ed Reno, Eugene Laurant, and a travelling salesman. Studied the Tarbell Course in 1927. Pro close-up and kid-show stage magician since c1928, having given nearly 14,000 shows throughout the USA, but mainly in Texas and the central states. 1978 AMA Literary Fellowship. Lectured throughout the States, mostly at school assemblies.

... or if you just can't get enough to read, magazines are the best resource. Many famous magicians of the likes of Dai Vernon, Nate Leipzig or Ted Annemann left their early traces in journals. Few pleasures compare to reading old conjuring journals. The ones I can offer you here are some of the best magic magazines of all time. And comics - what can I say - they have to be seen to be appreciated.

If old magazines are not for you and you rather want to read a current up-to-date magic magazine then check out Magicseen. It has a great mix of interviews, effects, reviews, and news.

(31st August 1942 - )

Born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. Interested since 1950 when played role of a magician in school play. Electrical engineer and patent agent in Alexandria, Virginia. Semi-pro mental magic since 1960, aka 'Kronin' 1963-79.

He is the man who has more than any other explored the magic applications of the de Bruijn cycle also known incorrectly as bracelet codes or grey codes.