If you don’t have access to the print edition of the article, it is available electronically here.

The research center holds a vast trove of correspondence between a great number and variety of magicians. One section of the collection comes from William Zavis and is especially valuable for research purposes because he generally kept copies of his outgoing correspondence along with the letters he received. Further, Mr. Zavis worked as a US Foreign Service Officer for the United States Information Agency, or USIA, which meant he was stationed in a number of different countries, making his correspondence decidedly rich in its variety of locations and number of correspondents.

View Exhibition

Ricky Jay is featured on a recent 60 Minutes piece, titled “Scams: Pigeon Fever”, to discuss the nature of scams and human gullibility. Mr. Jay explains why experts in certain fields are more likely to be hoodwinked, demonstrates the blind faith people put in authority, and cautions against anything that seems too good to be true. Additionally they have a scene in Mr. Jay’s library where we get to see some excellent pieces from his collection as he discusses some prominent historical scams.

Watch the whole piece above or watch the excerpts featuring Mr. Jay below:

Watch CBS News Videos Online

A new magic event looms on the horizon! Magic: The Science of Wonder is a new museum exhibit which is going to be shown in Texas at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Featuring many notable performers, including John Carney and Richard Hatch, as well as a plethora of artifacts, video, props, and other potentially intriguing displays, this exhibit holds some promise. It aims to showcase the interrelationship of science and magic by not only demonstrating some perplexing effects but also introducing some of the subtle and crafty methodology magicians use to enhance their illusions.

They have also provided video clips of John Carney and Richard Hatch performing some particularly elegant magic:

Watch Richard Hatch’s beautiful routine with the Cups and Balls:

Watch John Carney as he does one of the most dazzling effects with coins ever conceived:

Street performer David Rosdeitcher has developed a most unusual talent. He has committed ZIP codes and their associated locales to memory and can tell you instantly where you are from when given the ZIP code. His initial street performing talent was juggling, and he developed the ZIP code memory feat when he moved to Boulder, Colorado, and found, since there were already some very talented jugglers performing in the area, he needed something new to help set him apart from the other entertainers.

Mr. Rosdeitcher’s earlier street performing had brought him to many different towns around the United States, and he was able to use his knowledge of the landscape to help him remember all the different ZIP codes, aided by the fact that they do have some logic to the way they are designated, i.e. the numbers start low on the East Coast and get higher as you move West. As the act proved successful, he started spending more and more time memorizing ZIP codes as well as pertinent facts about each location. Mr. Rosdeitcher has also taken to traveling abroad in order to expand his repertoire and currently can even perform the feat with many foreign countries’ postal codes and even say something in the person’s native language!

Our director, Bill Kalush, was on hand to witness one of Mr. Rosdeitcher’s performances. Bill was sure that he was going to see the Zipcode Man stumped, as he was in the company of Lennart Green, one of the premier masters of magic in the known and unknown universe and also a resident of Sweden. Both were shocked when Mr. Rosdeitcher, immediately upon hearing Lennart’s ZIP code, correctly guessed the magician’s place of residence (Gothenburg).

If you are interested in learning more about Zipcode Man, check out the interview he did with NPR (transcript available here): NPR Interview

Find more information on this event here.

Additionally, there is a catalog available for the exhibition which might prove a suitable substitute for the actual experience if need be: catalog.

A surprisingly beautiful demonstration of the esoteric art of sand painting by Kseniya Simonova, performed for Ukraine’s Got Talent. It’s a wonderful piece fluid and graceful. The morphing of one image into the next can be startling and rather magical. In fact, sand painting and magic share some history, as there have been numerous performers who featured both in their acts.

One of these was S. S. Henry, known for his “Vanishing Goat”, who, in addition to sand painting and magic, featured rag painting, smoke pictures, and chalk cartoons. Incidentally, Henry taught sand painting to Melba Dew, wife of magician Danny Dew, and the two of them performed an act together showcasing both of their talents.

For those of you that are interested, and can travel through time, here is an Abbott’s advertisement from the Sphinx purporting to give all the secrets away for just $3! (click image)

Each bust is handcrafted using methods and materials faithful to those used a hundred years ago when the original was made. The bust is just over a foot tall and the detailing is impeccable. Only 100 were made, so we feel very fortunate to have obtained the copy we did. Mr. Bard obtained the bust directly from Houdini as a gift. Later on, a young Jim Baldauf befriended Mr. Bard, who was then in his eighties, and was given this rare artifact as a gift. Additionally, he also received some other memorabilia, including a stage coat designed, made, and worn by Bess Houdini. It is through Mr. Baldauf that these spectacular reproductions are being offered.

The Secret Life of Houdini was one of the factors inspiring Mr. Baldauf to take on the task of reproducing these fascinating pieces due to the references to Jim Bard, and he has been kind enough to donate part of the proceeds from the sale of these to the Conjuring Arts Research Center.

Those that are interested can find more details here: Viking Magic