So you think you know books? Have a try at these questions and test your IQ as a magic history bibliophile. The answers to at least 8 of these questions can be found in print, online, or in the books themselves. I'll post the answers in a couple of days.

I've always loved magic trivia (even though I'm really bad at it), so for fun I thought I'd post ten trivia questions concerning magic books.

1. What is the earliest English-language bibliography published which is devoted to conjuring books? Who compiled it and when was it published? (1 point)

2. How many printings of Jasper Maskelyne's Magic - Top Secret were done? (2 points)

3. What is the earliest English-language history published which is devoted to legerdemain? Who wrote it and when was it published? (1 point)

4. Name the earliest English-language (auto)biography where deluxe, trade and paperback editions were issued in the same year. (2 points)

5. What's the title of the earliest magic book known to describe pulling a rabbit out of a hat and what year was it published? (1 point)

6. What year was C. Lang Neil's The Modern Conjurer first published? (1 point)

7. True or false: there's a bibliography of card tricks in Maskelyne & Devant's Our Magic. (1 point)

8. Fill in the blank: there were at least __ printings of Milbourne Christopher's The Illustrated History of Magic. (1 point)

9. Name the magic history title published by John Mulholland in 1945 (not a magazine article but a separate book). (1 point)

10. True or false: Tom Sawyer is the author of books on magic history. (1 point)

Some of the questions are easy, some less so, and some are really difficult (in my opinion).

The only one that I even think I have an answer for is number 6: 1902.

Rick

Thanks, Rick!

C'mon guys and gals out there, is this post really that bad or uninteresting? Take a crack at these questions. I KNOW that some of you out there can make a serious dent in these questions.

And in the hopes of something happening on this thread, I'll say that Rick's answer is ... CORRECT! (Many collectors think the year was 1903.)

Clay,

The writing staff of Jeopardy could probably use your help right about now. Man, those are some tough questions!

I'm no Ken Jennings, but here are my guesses anyway:

1. William Ellis Stanyon, A Bibliography of Conjuring & Kindred Arts (1899)

3. Thomas Frost, The Lives of the Conjurors (1876); Hardin Jasper Burlingame, History of Magic and Magicians (1895)

5. Louis Comte, Voyages et seances anecdotiques de Monsieur Comte (1816); Louis Comte, Nouveau manuel complet sorciers (1829)

7. True (pp. 181-193)

9. The Early Magic Shows

10. True. Thomas Alan “Tom” Sawyer is an attorney, historian, and bibliographer. Pen name “Arthur Dodge”. Authored many books on magic. Publishes Aphelion, a magazine devoted to magic history.

Let the derisive laughter and head shaking begin.

8. The answer is 1 - as there probably was at least 1 printing.

Well I guess nobody cared... sniff.

Here are the answers:

1. Henry Ridgely Evans, 1897, as an appendix to Hopkins' Stage Magic. Craig's answer was correct to the extent that Stanyon's bibliography was the first to be published as a stand-alone publication.

2. Two printings were done, which is a bit surprising considering how how hard this title is to find.

3. Craig's answer is correct (Frost).

4. Kellar's A Magician's Tour (1886). The deluxe edition had bevelled edges on the cloth binding and all page edges were gilt.

5. Craig threw me a curve on that one - and he may be right. I was not aware of the titles he references. My question was intended to be limited to the English language, in which case the first book I know of was A.B. Engstrom's The Humorous Magician Unmasked (1836).

6. 1902, as Rick correctly answered.

7. True, as Craig wrote.

8. Samuel must have been trained as a lawyer (that's intended as a compliment Samuel, not an insult), for his answer is, of course, correct. I am aware of at least three printings of this book.

9. Craig is correct.

10. True, and Craig has provided accurate information in his answer.

Craig wins the dubious prize, and Samuel gets the Wag Award for his answer.

Thanks for reading.

Number 1. The Discoverie of witchcraft by Reginald E Scot. year 1584

Dear The Magician: The answer is above: Henry Ridgely Evans, 1897, as an appendix to Hopkins' Stage Magic. Craig's answer was correct to the extent that Stanyon's bibliography was the first to be published as a stand-alone publication.