MAGICAL NIGHTS AT THE THEATRE:A Chronicle
By Charles WallerEdited by Gerald Taylor
We purchased a goodly quantity of books from Owen Magic Supreme when they closed their Azusa location in Fall of 2020.
This brand new copy of MAGICAL NIGHTS AT THE THEATRE was in storage in the loft at Owen Magic for decades. Although theremay be a tiny bit of shelf wear to the dust jacket, it has been protected in the publishers plain paper wrapper since it was shipped to Owen from Australia in the early 1980s.
Each copy is numbered and signed by editor GERALD TAYLOR. 256 pages of text, 32 pages of b&w illustrations on coated paper stock. Bound in black cloth hardcover with silver stamped title on spine. Published in 1980 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. With pictorial dust jacket with a publisher sticker affixed to cover in corner indicating it is a numbered first edition.
Author Charles Waller was well known to the Owen/Thayer business as some of his earlier books were published by Thayer and a number of his creations were built and sold by Thayer or Owen through the years. This book is Waller's chronicle of performances of magic and allied arts in Melbourne, Australia from 1854 to 1948. Book includes an eight page name index to performers. Many of the magical greats performed on the stages & other venues of Melbourne including DANTE, OKITO, NICOLA, CARDINI, MALINI and many others. Many of these performers acts are described in detail. Others are described briefly.
A book which should be in every magical historian's library.
Side note: Many copies of this book were distributed in the United States by Lee Jacobs. Unfortunately, Lee had a habit of rubber-stamping his name and address on the title page of books he sold. These copies from the Owen Magic inventory are NOT marred by stamping or markings of any kind. These copies look like they came out of a time machine sent back 30 odd years to retrieve brand new copies.
A sample copy is shown in the photos. The copy number of the copy you purchase will be different.