Issue 23 - November 08
PDF e-Book download available from www.lybrary.com
Price: £7.50 ($15.00)
Mention the name June Barrows Mussey to a random group of
magicians and blank stares will be all you get.
Whisper the name Henry Hay to middle aged magicians and watch as they
become dewy eyed recalling how they learnt their first magic tricks from Hay’s
Amateur Magician’s Handbook!
Arguably the most popular and best selling magic book ever, once upon a time The
Amateur Magician’s Handbook was to be found in every library in the land .
. . and I dare say many still have it on their shelves.
For reasons that can be found in this downloadable
collection, June Barrows Mussey adopted the alias of Henry Hay for the many
books that he wrote and translated, the best known of which is of course the Amateur
Magician’s Handbook. Written in 1950, it was continually expanded and
improved in three further editions of 1965, 1972 and 1982. As well known as the
book is, very little is known about its author, even his real name, and many
assumed that he was English although he was an American who from 1950 lived in
Born in 1910, he was, as this collection of letters
reveals, a remarkable young man. At the age of 13 he travelled across the
From childhood he corresponded with one of the greatest
magicians of all time T Nelson Downs and became friends and business partner
with the great John Mulholland. A genius at languages he translated books into
seven other languages, started his own publishing business and of course wrote
several books of his own! When he
finally went to college at 16 he was an incredibly well travelled young man who
had visited most of
It’s surprising that for a writer with such a colourful
start in life more isn’t known about him. With so many other interests
however, he never became a full time magician and as can be seen from a letter
to a budding young magician asking for guidance on turning professional, he
advised well against it!
This downloadable collection of 127 pages includes letters
between JBM and Nelson T Downs, his mother and friends, magic related articles
as well as sleights and tricks by JBM. It reveals a rare insight into the magic
world of 1920s and 1930s
Together with its unpublished photographs it brings June
Barrows Mussey to life and this publication should fill a gap and enlighten
magical historians as to who this intriguing magical author was. This isn’t,
however a well ordered hard backed biography that you can proudly add to your
library shelf. You will need to be more than mildly curious about an almost
forgotten amateur magician to rush for this assorted collection of letters and
articles that by contrast will keep magical historians fascinated for hours.
Henry Hay’s influence was far reaching, not least of which it seems that
without him, the
What's Hot:
An insightful collection of material helping to bring to life an almost
forgotten figure in magic who influenced many through his writing.
What's Not: Purely for the historically passionate
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