johnson rare books & archives, ABAA (15 results)

Spiral bound. Condition: Very good. First Edition. "The Man With The Million Dollar Hands" explains his routine for the Three Shell Game. Garcia (1927-93) was a frequent guest on TV talk shows including The Dick Cavett Show and David Suskind, often performing magic and sometimes revealing the scams of crooked gamblers from the streets of New York. Edited by George Schindler. Illustrated by Ed Tricomi. Octavo: 84 p. Spiral bound in the original pictorial paper-covered boards. Some mild toning and wear along the extremities; otherwise very good.

Seller Inventory # 77053

Hardcover. Condition: Very good. Third Edition, enlarged to include two additional chapters by Dai Vernon and Dr. Daley with 34 illustrations by Clayton Rawson. In this definitive work on card technique, step-by-step instructions teach the correct methods for the basic manipulations and the more advanced flourishes. Hugard and Braue explain such basic manipulations as the palm, the shuffle, the lift, the side slip, the pass, the glimpse, the jog, and the reverse. They detail various false deals, crimps, and changes and the more advanced execution needed for forces, fans, and the use of the prearranged deck. Also presented is a wide variety of tricks, including discoveries, self-working tricks, one-handed tricks, stranger cards, and such individually famous tricks as the four aces, the rising cards, and the Zingone spread. Octavo: xxiv, 474 p. with 318 illustrations by Donna Allen. Original red cloth binding, with silver titles. Instructions for Bob Ungewitter's "Out of This Universe" technique are handwritten on the rear flyleaf. Mild fading along the spine and extremities of the boards; otherwise very good.

Seller Inventory # 77049

Hardcover. Condition: Very good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very good. First Edition. Inscribed by Karrell Fox on the front flyleaf. The popular American magician intersperses his memories as a performer with explanations of many of his tricks and illusions. Profusely illustrated. Quarto. Original red cloth binding, with gilt titles. Mild bumping to the corners and tips. The dust jacket is clean and bright.

Seller Inventory # 72253

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. First Edition. "A 'different' card book, giving the 19 basic card effects, the 16 basic sleight-of-hand accomplishments and details on what is required to become an expert with cards. Included is a completely rewritten explanation of Buckley's THIRTY CARD PROBLEMS, including explanations and illustrations of the necessary sleights, supplementary suggestions, presentation ideas, observations, comments and advice on acquiring facility in advanced card techniques." Octavo: 171 p. with illustrations by the author. Original black buckram binding, with gilt titles. A fine copy.

Seller Inventory # 75859

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. First Edition. Limited to 1,000 copies. Excellent treatise on a variety of shuffling techniques. Octavo: 103 p. with textual illustrations. Original green cloth binding, with gilt titles. A fine copy in a fine dust jacket.

Seller Inventory # 76742

Hardcover. Condition: Near fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near fine. First Edition. "For nearly a century, the methods of S.W. Erdnase have been studied, practiced and written about by countless card experts. In The Annotated Erdnase, Darwin Ortiz has augmented all of that material with his own original theories and provocative analysis. Darwin's comprehensive annotations can be used as an index to card magic in print. Students of crooked gambling methods will be particularly interested in Darwin's extensive commentary on the 'Card Table Artifice' section." Quarto: 270 p. with numerous textual photographs and figures. Original red cloth binding, with gilt titles. Light bump to the fore-edge of the text block and to the bottom corner of the rear board, respectively. The dust jacket is clean and bright. Near fine.

Seller Inventory # 77050

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. Michael Palazon (illustrator). The most complete single reference book on card magic, with more than 1,000 new illustrations by Michael Palazon. Edited by Eliot Cutler, with a preface by Bill Malone and an introduction by David Ben. Tall octavo: 538 p. Original blue cloth binding, with gilt titles. A fine copy in a fine dust jacket.

Seller Inventory # 74878

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. First Edition. Triggered by the discovery of more than 160 long-lost photographs of Dai Vernon's hands that were taken in 1961 specifically to illustrate his legendary annotations for The Expert at the Card Table by S.W. Erdnase, this lavishly produced volume is as close as one will ever get to a personal session with the Professor. Introduction by David Ben. Edited by David Ben and Michael Albright. Quarto: 378 p. Original green cloth binding, with bronze titles. A fine copy in a fine dust jacket.

Seller Inventory # 76165

Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. First Edition. A compendium of cons, hustles, prop bets and bar betchas, cheating methods with cards and dice, crooked carnival games, and other matters phony and fraudulent. Written in a fanciful style around the conceit of a fictional character, Freddy the Fox, whose remarkable abilities and exploits are often included in detours from the various explanations, it features photographs by Tom Gilbert, Carl Mercurio, Simon Lovell, Steve Lerner, and Todd Robbins and sequential art by Alan Wassilak. Quarto: [xxxiv], [422] p. Original blue buckram binding, with gilt stamping. A fine copy in a fine dust jacket.

Seller Inventory # 77052

Hardcover. Condition: Very good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very good. First Edition. "Bill Simon has achieved an astonishing mastery of the medium. His mind is constantly probing for new and subtler moves, and bold effects which break fresh paths in the card jungle. In this book he has given generously the fruits of his thinking and experience. The result is a book almost certain to become one of the basic texts of modem card conjuring" (Martin Gardner). Octavo: 181 p. with 96 illustrations by Stanley Jacks. Original orange cloth binding, with black titles. Minor bumping along the extremities of the boards, with some general shelfwear to the dust jacket; otherwise very good.

Seller Inventory # 76292

Hardcover. Condition: Very good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very good. First Edition. The standard reference work, regarded by many as the best magic book ever published. Octavo: ix, 341 p. with 316 illustrations by Francis J. Rigney. Original red cloth binding, with gilt titles. The dust jacket is toned along the extremities, with a bit of minor edgewear; otherwise very good.

Seller Inventory # 76168

Hardcover. Condition: Very good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very good. First Edition. The complete Card College series, an acclaimed course on sleight-of-hand card magic by the renowned Swiss magician. "The first four volumes of Card College provide a broad foundation of manipulative and psychological tools for the performance of expert and entertaining magic with playing cards." The fifth volume features 34 professional-caliber routines that have astounded audiences the world over. Translated from the German by Richard Hatch. Illustrated by Barbara Giobbi-Ebnother. Tall octavo, five volumes. Original gray cloth bindings, with black stamping. Light toning the extremities of the dust jackets; else very good or better.

Seller Inventory # 76167

Hardcover. Condition: Very good. First Edition. Presentation copy, inscribed by Ricky Jay to Eric Idle on the title page. Square octavo: 111 p. with numerous illustrations, including several in color. Original pictorial boards; issued without a dust jacket. Some minor shelfwear; otherwise very good. Adapted from the author's popular "Jay's Journal of the Air" radio series, this work features one-page anecdotes of mind-bending performers (limbless jugglers, banjo-picking birds, Anglo-Texan saxophone-playing siamese twins) paired with engravings, mezzotints, and broadsheets from the author's remarkable collection. Includes an introduction by David Mamet. From the library of revered English actor, comedian, musician, and writer Eric Idle, accompanied by a letter of provenance. Idle (b.1943) is a founding member of the British comedy troupe Monty Python, as well as the parody rock group The Rutles, and is the writer of the music and lyrics for the hit Broadway musical Spamalot.

Seller Inventory # 75733

Hardcover. Condition: Near fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near fine. First Edition. Inscribed by Ricky Jay to Eric Idle on the half-title. Small quarto. Original brown paper-covered boards, with decorative bronze stamping. A near fine copy in a near fine dust jacket with some light fading along the extremities. A gathering of all sixteen issues of Jay's Journal of Anomalies, with significant new material and illustrations. In delectably deadpan prose, Jay (1946-2018) explores the history of bizarre entertainments, from dogs stealing acts from other dogs to an anthropological hoax involving the only survivors of a caste of ancient Aztec priests. He also explains how wags since the sixteenth century have cheated at bowling, delves into the ancient relationship between conjuring and dentistry, and chronicles the exploits of ceiling walkers and human flies. From the library of revered English actor, comedian, musician, and writer Eric Idle, accompanied by a letter of provenance. Idle (b.1943) is a founding member of the British comedy troupe Monty Python, as well as the parody rock group The Rutles, and is the writer of the music and lyrics for the hit Broadway musical Spamalot.

Seller Inventory # 75562

Hardcover. Condition: Near fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Very good. First Edition. The author's first book, a stylish parody of self defense books that demonstrates how ordinary playing cards can be used as a means of protection. Jay (1946-2018), the revered American stage magician, actor, and writer, was regarded as one of the leading sleight of hand artists of his era. Tall octavo: [96] p. with numerous textual photographs and illustrations. Original tan cloth binding, with black titles. The dust jacket is price-clipped, with some very mild edgewear; else very good or better.

Seller Inventory # 75741