A member of the Magic Circle and The International Brotherhood of Magicians for over forty years, Trevor Dawson was a keen and diversified collector of books on magic alongside objects, equipment and ephemera. We are delighted to present his wonderful collection to auction in our Rare Books, Manuscripts, Maps & Photographs sale taking place on 30th September.
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 Cornelius Agrippa’s Fourth Book of Occult Philosophy to modern, limited edition works on magic tricks. Indeed, a range of magical equipment can also be found included in our 30th September auction of Rare Books, Manuscripts, Maps & Photographs.
Highlights from the collection include Henry Cornelius Agrippa’s Fourth Book of Occult Philosophy, Daniel Defoe's A System of Magick and Jacques Ozanam's Recreations in Mathematics and Natural Philosophy.
