Links
Please find a list of recommended links:
Tam Shepherd’s Trick Shop
Tam Shepherds is the name of Davenports shop in Glasgow. The shop is over 100 years old and is an institution in Glasgow, famous for its tricks, jokes and novelties.
Arthur Lloyd
This is a wonderful site on music hall and theatre history. It covers a wide area and is dedicated to Arthur Lloyd by his great grandson Matthew Lloyd.
British Music Hall Society
The website of The British Music Hall Society. The club holds its own archives and the website gives links to YouTube to view fascinating clips of acts.
Roy Hudd Music Hall Collection
This website contains spreadsheets which allow British playbills and song sheets to be searched for specific performers.
Conjuring Arts
The Conjuring Arts Research Center is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of magic and its allied arts.
Magicpedia
This is a free encyclopedia, dedicated to preserving the history and techniques of magic.
Magic Poster Gallery
Magic Posters
NN Magic
These are three great sites for those interested in posters of magicians.
American Museum of Magic
The museum, open to the public, is based in Marshall, Michigan, USA and holds an incredible collection.
Maison de la Magie
Based in Blois in France, this museum focuses on the life and magic of Robert Houdin. A visit includes a live show and much more besides, for example an excellent selection of optical illusions.
Musee de la Magie
A museum of magic in the heart of Paris, complete with automata, optical illusions and a live show.
Magicana
This is the digital home for ‘Magicol’, a magazine for those interested in the history and collecting of magic. In addition to the magazine, the wide ranging website contains a great deal of interest.
The Ephemeral Collector
The magical collection of Marco Pusterla in the form of an occasional blog.
Ye Olde Magic Mag
Edited by Marco Pusterla, the magazine comes out four times a year. It covers a wide range of topics of interest to magic historians and collectors.
Collecting Magic
An occasional blog about magic items collected by Philip Treece.
ZZZAUBER
A blog by Jan Isenbart in German and English covering many aspects of magic history in an illuminating and entertaining way.
Stiftung Zauberkunst (The Magic Art Foundation)
This interesting Foundation in Germany has the aim of being a centre of magic with a public museum, a magic theatre, a large library and an extensive archive of magic, along with other facilities. The website will also show you how to access the lexicon http://www.zauber-lexikon.de/ which is available for use by magicians. It contains editorial articles on people, ideas, publications and other topics of magic.
A Tribute to John Giordmaine
This site curated by John Pellatt is a welcome tribute to John Giordmaine (1898-1974), a well loved and respected magician based in Toronto. In providing a tribute the site also provides a fascinating window not just on Giordmaine, but on magic life in Canada during a large part of the 20th century. The site works well on a computer or laptop, but has not been customised for a smartphone.
The Jerry Slocum Collection of mechanical puzzles at The Lilly Library
This excellent collection is the largest on line resource for mechanical puzzles.
Martin’s Magic Collection
An informative, well organised site that covers magic tricks and magic books.
Project: Maskelyne
This site by James Green focuses on Jasper Maskelyne. It includes information about Jasper’s war exploits as well as his life in general.
Magic at War
A blog by James Green which considers the amazing stories of how magicians helped fight World War Two 1939-1945.
The Puzzle Museum
Anyone with the slightest interest in mechanical puzzles should visit this superb site curated by James Dalgety.
The Magic Detective
Dean Carnegie is the man behind The Magic Detective Blog and The Magic Detective Podcast. He covers a wide range of magic history topics and has a particular interest in Houdini. Clicking on his site will lead you to his blog and his podcast.
Die Zauberhistorie – The Magic History Project
This website is curated by Georg Walter. It includes articles on magic history covering a wide range of topics.