The Magical ChatterBox
A Blog by Sid Lorraine
The Magical ChatterBox
A Blog by Sid Lorraine
Coming from the Customs house after collecting one of these purchases, I always passed the Japanese Magic and Novelty Store. One day, I took my latest magical acquisition and showed it to Mrs. Whitlam, the proprietor, explaining that this sort of thing was much more magical than the Japanese wooden puzzles.
I left one of the Quackenbush circulars with her and that, I believe, was their first introduction to the magic being sold by mail. The follow up was that, within a few months they acquired a small stock of ten-cent card tricks like Deland’s Phantom Cards and Disappearing Spots, The Ball Vase and, eventually, The Multiplying Orbs.

The first magician was an American who had worked with the Lyons Magic Company, of Philadelphia. The year was about 1917 and this young fellow was a fine demonstrator and he was extremely kind and helpful to me. His name was Bob Sherman. The same Bob Sherman who years later had a magic shop in New York and, eventually, established The Shermans Magic Company of Bridgeport, Conn.

Ross Bertram

Doug Henning
Sharing the secret world of magic with The Japanese Magic & Novelty Store.
POSTED: Wednesday, October 21, 2009
The Makings of a Magic Shop
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