The Davenport Collection
- a growing resource on magic and entertainment history

Brian Lead

Please find below the articles and talks created by Brian Lead
Lost Empires revisited

Lost Empires revisited

J.B. Priestley’s book Lost Empires, published in 1965, looks back on the life of the fictitious magician Ganga Dun before the First World War. In his talk given at the British Ring Convention in Eastbourne on 24 September 2015, Brian Lead revisits the book to review the magic in it and how closely it matches the reality of a magician working at the time. Read on to learn why Brian believes that Priestley had a good working knowledge of stage magic and instinctively understood the subtleties and problems of its presentation.

Roberta Byron 1917-2002

Roberta Byron 1917-2002

Roberta visited Britain as an American teenager in 1931 with her parents and sister. Her charm and quality of magic made quite an impact, not least at the first convention of the I.B.M. British Ring in Cheltenham. In Britain she is largely unknown today, and Brian tells the story of how a photograph resulted in a journey of discovery to find out more about this talented young lady. Join Brian on his quest for more information below.

Things You May Not Know About Hoffmann

Things You May Not Know About Hoffmann

Hoffmann (Angelo Lewis) wrote a great deal, and a great deal has been written about him over the years. This short, illustrated article by Brian Lead contains interesting information about Professor Hoffmann, his output of books and how he was regarded by the world of magic.