Mine has been sitting in a warehouse since Saturday morning. It finally moved a half hour ago and will be here tomorrow. That's why it's good to always have other crap coming in. IMHO
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I buy + trade for Houdini, Hardeen or escape artist items. Want items from the big names in magic.
Thank goodness this one isn't crap! I cannot express how much I love this book. The graphics are stunning and the content is even better. Now I need a pocket version to take with me to the DMV tomorrow. I still can't figure out how they can print and deliver it so cheaply. It would cost me more to ship it to Mike, Jim and Ricky for signature than I paid for it. Amazing.
WOW! Without even opening the shrinkwrap, it's worth the 99 bucks! You really can't imagine the size till you pop the carton open. So far, it's a winner.
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I buy + trade for Houdini, Hardeen or escape artist items. Want items from the big names in magic.
Registered: 01/17/08
Posts: 22
Loc: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
I still feel guilty. It was so obvious the postman was very, very curious to know what the hell was in that heavy parcel. By probably a kind of job-related disability I have kept it a secret and told him he did not want to know it. Anyhow he would not have believed me if I had told him it was just a booklet.
As luck would have it, a 2nd-hand bookstore near me sells 18" Brodart covers cut to length from a roll, quite reasonably priced. (http://www.bookbuyers.com/ if you care.)
DrDanny: May I please ask, which of the bookbuyers store did you get your custome Brodart from, and what length of the Brodart do you need for the book? (They don't have an email on that site to ask questions)
Anyone know why the authors specifically chose to end it in the 1950's as opposing to going all the way to 2000. It would have been really great if it included the more modern history as well - thus becoming the ultimate chronicle of magic.
What's 50 years when going all the way back to the 1400's ;-)
Anyone know why the authors specifically chose to end it in the 1950's as opposing to going all the way to 2000. It would have been really great if it included the more modern history as well - thus becoming the ultimate chronicle of magic. . .
“I felt that, visually, it was a natural place to end. Performing venues changed quite a lot with television; there was a period of regrouping within the magic community, assessing where best to perform, how best to perform, what to perform. And in consultation with Mike and Jim, we agreed that seemed like an appropriate place to stop.” Editor Noel Daniel as quoted in M A G I C Magazine, November 2009, pg 39.
(FWIW, for those interested in the book, the above referenced article gives a candid look into the massive amount of work it took to bring this project into fruition--truly a labor of love and not likely to be repeated in our lifetimes.)
Registered: 07/22/01
Posts: 6343
Loc: Southern California
Mike's price at the conference was $160. I suspect that there will be some shipping added on. But there is one thing you can get by buying it from Mike Caveney that you cannot get from Amazon: His autograph. Now, all that having been said, I’m not certain that he has any left: Interested buyers should contact him.
Registered: 07/18/01
Posts: 12213
Loc: Washington DC
Mike sold out all the copies he had at the Conference in LA. He, Jim, and Noel Daniel all signed the copies purchased there. Ricky Jay refused to sign any books.
^^^ Actually, perhaps Jay understands that people who write short introductory pieces have no business being credited as a co-author of a book and thus signing it (see thread title as an example, but it's not the only time that Jay has inexplicably been credited as a co-author).
Registered: 07/18/01
Posts: 12213
Loc: Washington DC
I'm remembering all the times, as a college student and in my 20s, that I went to readings by John Cheever, E.L. Doctrow, Ann Beatie, and many more and they happily autographed their books. Norman Mailer's son was living in the same NYU dorm as me, and I asked him (Mailer, not his son) if he would sign one of his novels and he did--quite happily. They weren't penalizing everyone because a few people might try to sell the signed books at book fairs later on (this was, of course, before eBay existed).
I can't think of a single instance where an artist has refused to sign a copy of their work for me when I asked. Maybe I've been lucky, or know instinctively who not to approach, but anyone I've asked has been most accommodating. (No, I never asked Ricky Jay....)
^^^ For me, it’s part of making and keeping a connection – however tenuous – with the author. I realize most do not share my great enthusiasm for books, but I really enjoy meeting or talking with an author and getting to know why he/she wrote the book, etc., and I ask for an inscription as a way of memorializing the interaction. And I try to do this with all authors, famous or not so famous. I remember driving nearly four hours each way to the boonies of northern California to meet Vincent Gaddis, who wrote The Wide World of Magic. By that time, he was old and frail, but he was thrilled to have a visitor show interest in him and his (then) 30 year old book. We spoke for several hours and he kindly inscribed my copies of his book. So, as the years pass, whenever I look at his book, some great memories come to mind. IMHO, that’s the best thing about getting a book inscribed.
A columnist once wrote, "One of the hazards of being a published author, is going into a used book store, and finding copies of your books, that you have inscribed to relatives and friends."
Registered: 01/17/08
Posts: 3291
Loc: Westchester, NY
Originally Posted By: John LeBlanc
Punishing the majority for the sins of the few seems to have become de rigueur. I don't accept that as reasonable.
Unfortunately that's part of being an adult in a society which claims to have representational policy. You buy the product and endorse its manufacturers in one transaction. In short you buy the sin to show how much you love the sinner.
No stones thrown or turned.
But what does this have to do with the latest offering from those who value our history enough to preserve some of its art in a coffee table book?
But what does this have to do with the latest offering from those who value our history enough to preserve some of its art in a coffee table book?
A well known figure in our weird little world participated in the production of a magnificent book that has high value to the history of magic, and refused to sign his name inside the cover of one or more of those books. I have several important books that have signatures in them; they add value to the history of that book.
Registered: 01/17/08
Posts: 3291
Loc: Westchester, NY
Not much on that form of sympathetic magic here though if you ask them nicely when they visit you they'd likely oblige by writing a note in your copy of that book.
Registered: 07/22/01
Posts: 6343
Loc: Southern California
Originally Posted By: John LeBlanc
Punishing the majority for the sins of the few seems to have become de rigueur. I don't accept that as reasonable.
There are those who see only the negative sides of things just as there are those who see only the positives: Both are equally frustrating. (For an over the top example of the later, see Alec Baldwin’s brilliant turn on the show “Friends” where he plays a character that is annoyingly positive about everything.)
Those with a more pragmatic and balanced outlook can criticize all they want, but it will do no good: It is what it is. Complaining about it only fuels the fire; particularly among those with a pessimistic viewpoint.
But what does this have to do with the latest offering from those who value our history enough to preserve some of its art in a coffee table book?
A well known figure in our weird little world participated in the production of a magnificent book that has high value to the history of magic, and refused to sign his name inside the cover of one or more of those books. I have several important books that have signatures in them; they add value to the history of that book.
It is true that celebs (magic and otherwise) have no obligation to sign things for fans or even acknowledge them. They don't "owe" us anything. Some fans' boorish behavior and lack of respect for the privacy and sensibilities of celebs often engender the chilly receptions they sometimes receive. Furthermore, sometimes (just like us) they are having a bad day, and their resultant lack of cordiality may have nothing to do with the request at hand.
What I have found, however, is that the vast majority of magic celebs are often rather accomodating if they are approached in a respectful, not overly-familiar manner, at an appropriate time and setting. (There are, of course, notable exceptions to this, but I don't worry about those--if they'd rather not be bothered, I don't deign to bother them. That's not to defend unwarranted churlishness, but I figure: why waste time trying to talk to someone who wants to act like a jerk?)
In short, if you treat them the way we would want to be treated, they tend to respond in kind.
