Great, Tony! Now if someone can just come up with a photograph of Norman Hazeldene to complete his biography:


Scroll down to Hazeldene

Is this the same Norman who wrote "Successful conjuring for amateurs?"

No,

That was Norman Hunter.

Mark

Spellbinder
Please ammend - as I said above I never knew Norman. He was a neighbour, but not next door. Had he been I would have known him for certain. Thanks.

I've phoned around various contacts, checked out phone booka and the like and there's no trace of any family.

No one has a picture of him. He wan't a recluse or anything. Like me, he never mixed. When you're a pro and have things which are yours you tend to be careful.

Too many people will steal from you. Odd isn't it?

The thieves always 'borrow' ideas, routines, verbals.

Thos who have things 'borrowed' always say STOLEN.

The eaasiest way is not to let people see.

That's perhaps why so many pros are most comfortable with other pros from unrelated aspects of the business. I like to talk to people from circus, or from the horse and farming world.

Horses and I go back a very long way.

Tony,

The additional information and insight you shared about Hazeldene and others was very fascinating.

Thank you!!

Regards, Mark Damon

Mark Damon sent me some information from Abracadabra which verified that a photo of Norman does exist somewhere.

Adil of Prestatyn apparently sent a photo of Norman to Associate Editor Donald Bevan of Goodliffe's Abracadabra Magical Weekly, August 30, 1975 (Vol. 60 No. 1544 P. 157) in which it is mentioned, but it seems they had no way to reproduce photos for Abra, so it was not published. If either Adil of Prestatyn or Donald Bevan are still around, they may know where to find the photo.

Edwin Hooper's Obituary notice for Norman in an earlier edition of Abra (P.95) states: "Will Goldston devoted a whole chapter to Norman in one of his locked books." So that's another clue that needs to be tracked down by someone who owns the Goldston Locked Books.

Thanks for all your help, Mark and Tony, for helping to set the records straight for future generations of magicians who may want or need to know this stuff.

I'll talk to Donald this week sometime. They've recently moved office so there's just a chance it may have turned up - or maybe slung out.

Hi Mark,
I'm wondering what you can tell me about Anthony Norman? His book is one of my favorite card books, and I have always wanted to know more about him, but I have never run across any information.

Wish I could help you out, but all I know (or could find) is that his real name was Norman Binns, and that he wrote Basic Card Technique. Maybe some of our friends from "across the pond" can help us out on this one?

Regards, Mark

Here's a photograph of "Norman the Wizard" (R.N. Menge) from The Linking Ring, May 1953.



This other photo (from Linking Ring Sept 1944) is from the brief partnership of U.F. Grant and R.N. Menge ("G & M").



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