I can't help but post this, and I know I am not the first, and won't be the last, but if you are a magician of any sorts then this collection of books HAS to be in your library, the information contained within is far better than any trick you can purchase.

My mom thought that too.
and so she bought a set for my dad from Jay Marshall.
in the 1970's.

Ironicly we didn't learn that he contributed a trick
to Vol 6 to Harlan and he sketched at the Round Table
and spelled his name wrong.


so maybe in some ways... not everyone "HAS" to have
it in their library. But it is good for any magician
to use as reference materials since it was created as
a mail order magic course.

"When I want a new trick, I read an old book."

Clay, you are spot on. Some of the best advice on performing magic is in Hocus Pocus, Junior.. Some of the later books seem to be written by people who are trying to explain the simple wording of some of the sleights in that book.

I agree too.

The good news is that so much of the good stuff will remain unsullied by the newbies because it is in BOOKS and not on a DVD or YouTube.

Another good point...

Who is the author? A search on Amazon gave me a fictional book on witches.

^^ The name of the author of this book (first published in London in 1634) will depend on who you ask. Some folks believe that a guy named William Vincent wrote it; others do not or think it unlikely that Vincent was the author. Along with that debate is the discussion about the correct title of the book: is it Hocus Pocus Junior or The Anatomie of Legerdemain? My vote is for the latter, but in any case this book has nearly always been referred to as Hocus Pocus Junior in our literature.

I don't know where else it is, but it's certainly here (PDF) for $7:

http://www.lybrary.com/hocus-pocus-junior-p-239.html

*jeep!
--Grandpa Chet

I personally believe the title is "The Art of Legerdemain Discovered."

There is also now an ORIGINAL Tarbell's Course in Magic available. It is a single volume (900 page) book that contains the original 60-lesson course. Later, Harry Lorayne wrote what is now known as volume 7, and another gent put together other writings of Tarbell to create volume 8.

If anyone wants a copy of the single-volume text, PM me.

I love this sort of short stories. I don't know why but it seems to make magic more intimate

... and I'm a big fan of the Tarbell Course.

The material in the six volume set was not exactly the same as the material in the sixty lesson course. The material in volume 8 was put together from the ORIGINAL Course by Steve Burton and Richard Kaufman.

The six volume course was published by Tannen's. They omitted material that was proprietary to other magic companies, such as Abbott's, and substituted material of their own. Steve and Richard took the material that Tannen's had left out and constructed volume 8 from it, with some additional material, such as advertising copy, etc.

Steve also published The Tarbell Companion, The Tarbell Study Guide, and The Tarbell Volume 8 Notebook. Steve did the magic community a terrific service by compiling volume 8 and writing the additional guides. I have one of the first copies of volume 8, which Steve autographed to me.

Ironically, the publication of volume 8 was aided somewhat by the fact that EZ Magic had purchased the rights to the Tarbell Course from Tannen's. They had no axe to grind with any of the producers of any of the material that had been left out of the original version.

Serendipity -- gotta love it!!!

IMHO, you should have all 8 volumes of the Tannen's/EZ Magic series, as well as the supplementary material by Steve Burton, as well as the original course, which can be purchased on a CD-ROM or by download from Lybrary.com.

Thank you, Bill, for the nice words. We also used Tarbell's Post Graduate Course to create Volume Eight. These were in actuality lecture notes that Tarbell called "post graduate" when he toured various clubs and conventions. It seems that Tarbell was the first to do this (lectures with notes) and thus created the current trend of magic lectures of which we are so fond.

Steve, do you have any of "The Tarbell Volume 8 Notebook's" left. I would be very interested in one. you can PM me.

thanks,

Mark

I did get a copy of the "Tarbell Companion" from you and am very grateful.

My first mentor, STUART ROSS, (1902--1949)was a professional magician all his life and had been associated with Doc Tarbell in promoting the original course. A year after Stuart died, I was able to buy all his props and books from his mother. ($50.00!) The original course was included. About 15 years later, I loaned Tarbell to a young magician. He drowned in a boating accident, and his wife apparently threw out his magic props and books, --and MY Tarbell.

In the '70s, I bought DORNY'S copy of the original Tarbell. A few years later, I foolishly sold it to the late Chuck Stanfield.

Incidentally, Stuart's show was almost entirely from the original Tarbell! Vanishing wand, Tarbell c/r rope, card in orange, sucker silk to egg, Misers Dream, card flourishes, etc. He also did Ten cards across, but he used the routine from John Northern Hilliard's book. He also used the comedy Passe Bottles. He had built a version of the Thayer Super Vanish Extraordinary, which he featured. I donated the Super Vanish to Bob Lund, and it's now on display at the museum in Marshall, Michigan. I later donated his coin pail (a tin lard pail painted with aluminum paint) his passé bottles and his vanishing wand to Bob Lund. Mike Claxton has the hollow egg and, I believe, the Tarbell rope gimmicks.

I especially appreciate Bill Palmer's detailed history of the Tarbell Course!



Ross also worked as "manager" with Ed RENO and MacDonald BIRCH. At one time in the '30s, he had teamed with a man named Lieber and they toured as a team.

Another incidental: WHEN KARRELL FOX DIED, HE HAD SOLD HIS ENTIRE LIBRARY, EXCEPT FOR HIS OWN BOOKS -- AND THE RICE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SILKS -- AND THE TARBELL COURSE!!!

I've got a collection of thesebooks myself, first and 3rd printing, mixed with one of them even signed by Tarbell himself. The information in this course is priceless!

In the early '70s, I bought volumes I thru 6 of TARBELL from Jay Marshall, I--V were autographed presentation copies to Verne Uker. The VI was autographed by the red haired magic dealer (Lou Tannen). Someday, I'll mail the VII to Harry Lorayne and ask him to sign it.

I had first seen the Tannen edition when Vincent Malmstrom loaned me his copies. in the mid '40s. I was about 14. Vincent was modest. He didn't tell me that he had a ROUTINE in one of them. (Vol. VI--ORGAN PIPES PRODUCTION. I read those books 'COVER TO COVER'.

Yes, the patter suggestions and some of the presentations are somewhat archaic, but the principles (and variations)are worth their weight in PLATINUM.

Karrell had "sent" a young magician to do a Christmas mall show in Ohio. The kid arrived and immediately phoned Karrell. "Quick! ship me the MODERN CABINET! --They want me to produce Santa!" Karrell replied, "To ship all that plywood would cost more than you are making for the job! Go to one of the fabric stores or the department store and buy a couple sheets. Sew them together and do the MYSTERY OF KING TUT (Vol II)". The kid did. Having read Tarbell, this young magician more than satisfied the client, and that's what it's all about.

Here's a bit of trivia on the good Doc: Harlan Tarbell was a nudist. He often performed at various nudist camps along the southern shore of Lake Michigan, in Indiana. One of the Chicago magicians once asked him: "Doc! Where do you pin the pull?"

Far too many of the young (and, old, too)magician wannabees, only buy "off the shelf" props, "by" someone. Great books like Ken Weber's (MAXIMUM ENTERTAINMENT) Dariel Fitzkee's trilogy(SHOWMANSHIP, MISDIRECTION, THE TRICK
BRAIN)Henning Nelms' (MAGIC SHOWMANSHIP)don't "tip the work" on effects", so they are ignored. --Even as great as those books are, THE TARBELL COURSE should be the "first book"!

Dick:

I didn't know there were nudist camps along the southern shore of Lake Michigan in Indiana....let's go through there next time we go to Colon together...I'll bring my camera............