Potter & Potter Auctions
Live Auction

Sleight of Hand - The Jeff Busby Collection

Sat, Aug 19, 2017 11:00AM EDT - Sun, Aug 20, 2017 11:00AM EDT
Lot 86

Csuri, Frank. The Csuri Legacy.

Estimate: $1,000 - $2,000

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$30 $10
$100 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $200
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$20,000 $2,000
$50,000 $5,000
$100,000 $10,000
Csuri, Frank. The Csuri Legacy. Compiled 1950s. An apparently unpublished multi-volume work by Csuri, comprised of notes, indices, and illustrations describing nearly all of the great stage illusions and many intricate marketed magic tricks and props of the early- to mid-twentieth century. Seven volumes collect the secrets, instructions, and sometimes building plans for illusions by Thayer, Abbott's, and others, methodically categorized by effect and theme. Other volumes collect the secrets behind various "small apparatus" tricks including livestock effects, card tricks, rope magic, liquid tricks, and flower magic. Separate compilations of the effects of U.F. Grant (two volumes), Ed Massey, John Snyder Jr., and Jim Swoger complete the archive. Most effects complemented by original pen-and-ink illustrations (presumably by Csuri), many of them executed in great detail. The entire archive neatly organized in 16 ring binders, comprising approximately 2,000 pages of text and illustrations. Associated instruction sheets, advertisements, and ephemera accompany the notes. A unique undertaking and massive trove of information and secrets. Possibly a personal project or unrealized dream of Csuri's, many of the volumes in this "legacy"- the Massey collection, for example - appear nearly ready for publication. Of the hundreds (if not a thousand) of entries, many were clearly gleaned from published instruction sheets or ads; of the scores of illustrations in the notes, most are based on the popular magic catalog art of the era. Regardless of Csuri's intentions, the resulting "legacy" offered here remains a remarkable accomplishment and important collection of conjuring secrets.

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