£1,625
Rare Books, Manuscripts, Maps & Photographs - Including the Trevor Dawson Magic Collection | 613
Auction: 30 September 2020 at 11:00 BST
Chatto, W. Facts and Speculations on the Origin and History of Playing Cards, 1848, half calf gilt;
Hutton, C. Recreations in Mathematics and Natural Philosophy, 1840, original cloth, rubbed;
Timbs, J. Things not generally known. 1856, rebacked;
Wells, D.A. Science Popularly Explained. [c.1856], original cloth, rebacked with green morocco;
The Boys Journal. Vol. 1, 1864, half calf, worn; and vol. 5, 1865, cloth, rubbed;
Mayhew, H. The Wonders of Science. 1862, rebacked;
Maskelyne, J. Modern Spiritualism. F. Ward [1876], original boards, rubbed;
Cockton, H. The Life and Adventures of Valentine Vox the Ventriloquist. [c.1878], half calf;
Hone, W. The Table Book. 1878, contemporary red half morocco, slightly rubbed;
Houdin, R. The Secrets of Conjuring and Magic. 1878;
Queenie Queers. Buffalo (c.1880), original boards, rebacked;
Hoffmann, Professor. Modern Magic, G. Routledge [c.1880], original cloth, rubbed, Margaret Yates Magic Library bookplate;
Sachs, E. Sleight of Hand. [c.1880], rubbed;
Jennings, J. Theatrical and Circus Life. Topeka, Kansas, [1882], half morocco, rebacked;
Ashton, J. Chapbooks of the Eighteenth Century. 1882, worn;
Sacks, E. Sleight of Hand … Legerdemain, 1885;
“Berkeley”. Card Tricks and Puzzles, [1890];
Tissandier, G. Popular Scientific Recreations, worn;
Strutt, J. The Sports and Pastimes of the People of England, 1898;
Collins, S. Deceptive Conceptions in Magic. [c.1900], signed, original boards, rebacked;
Hercat. Chapeaugraphy, Shadowgraphy and Paper-Folding, 1909, signed “Le Vega” on title-page, wrappers bound in;
Erdnase, S.W. Artifice, Ruse and Subterfuge at the Card Table. Chicago, [undated], blue quarter morocco, wrappers bound in; another copy, red half morocco, undated [but "1923" in ink on title, and pencil note on endpaper "1902, no 'USA' on copyright page"; another edition. 1934, half morocco, wrappers bound in, 1953; another copy. Facsimile edition 1975, most with FACSIMILE wrappers bound in;
England, J. The Expert at the Card Table (Bibliographical Work), 2012;
Sawyer, T.A. S.W. Erdnase: Another view, 1991, wrappers bound in;
Hercat. Card Tricks and Conjuring up to Date. 1903, wrappers bound in;
Burrows, J.F. Some New Magic. [c.1904], wrappers bound in;
Neil, C. After Dinner Sleights and Pocket Tricks. 1906, modern cloth retaining original covers;
“Oudini”. Secrets of the Great Mysteries now Revealed, [c.1909], wrappers bound in;
Otto, A. The Beginner’s Guide to Conjuring, 1910, wrappers bound in;
New York Public Library. Catalogue of the Saram R. Ellison Collection of Magic and other books, photocopy in leather-backed folding box;
Hermann, Professor. Hermann’s Art of Magic. [c.1915], later cloth;
Sperber, editor. A Real Miracle, 1990-2000, 19 issues or special issues in a folding cloth box
Provenance: From the collection of the Late Trevor Dawson
Note: By profession, Trevor Dawson was a Commercial Chartered Surveyor; he was the founder and partner of a multi-office practice in East Lancashire. However, his hobby since being a teenager had been Magic, and for over forty years he was a member of the Magic Circle and The International Brotherhood of Magicians. In his early years he was a semi-professional magician and later performed close-up and cabaret magic. His interest extended to his own writings on the theme on magic: he published original tricks in most of the leading magazines and was a historian, lecturing in the UK and America. Later in life, In 2012, he authored Charles Dickens – Conjurer, Mesmerist and Showman, and in 2015 wrote another book: Signor Arvi – The Forgotten Illusionist.
Trevor Dawson was a keen and diversified collector, particularly of books, as represented in this Sale. Magical objects, equipment and ephemera can also be found in amongst his collection. The works from his library range from a 1655 edition of Henry Conrnelius Agrippa’s Fourth Book of Occult Philosophy (see lot 183) to modern, limited edition works on magic tricks. Indeed, a range of magical equipment can also be found here.
Trevor Dawson was married for 56 years with three children and three grandchildren. He died on July 14th 2017, aged 82.