 The cover of the first issue | |
| Frequency | Monthly |
|---|---|
| Founder | William J. Hilliar |
| First issue | March 1902 |
| Final issue Number | March 1953 597 |
The Sphinx (subtitled: An Independent Magazine for Magicians) was a monthly magic magazine published in Chicago from March 1902 through March 1953 by William J. Hilliar. [1]
The magazine was started in Chicago by William Hilliar and moved to Missouri in 1904 when a Kansas City physician, A. M. Wilson, took over as editor (Vol. 3 No. 8). The number of pages per issue varied from twelve to fifty or more. [2] [3] [4] [5]
In 1906, Houdini started his own magazine Conjurers' Monthly Magazine in competition to The Sphinx, but they went out of business after only two years. [6] [7]
The 28 years of Dr. Wilson's ownership, the magazine covered one of the golden ages of magic. Vaudeville was at its height, bringing a variety of magicians from all over the world to the larger cities of North America.
The Sphinx has a long history of association with the Society of American Magicians (S.A.M). In November 1902, it became the 'Western Organ' of S.A.M. In March 1909 it became the 'Official Organ' of S.A.M. From October 1927–February 1942 and July 1947–June 1951, S.A.M's M-U-M periodical was published as part of The Sphinx. [8]
When Wilson died in April 1930, William Larsen had entertained hopes of taking over The Sphinx. Instead, that honor went to John Mulholland of New York. [9]
Annemann's attempts to buy The Sphinx in 1938 can be seen in his Jinx magazine. [10]
Some of the many contributors over the years were: Theodore Annemann, Al Baker, Milbourne Christopher, Joseph Dunninger, Robert Harbin, Ed Marlo, John Scarne, Harlan Tarbell and Martin Gardner (his first publication, at age 16).
A complete set would contain 52 volumes, 597 issues, and almost 17,000 pages. [11]
A double lift is a sleight of hand maneuver used by magicians in card magic. It is a method by which the identity of the top card may be kept secret by lifting the top two cards as one, making it seem as if only the top card is picked up. Similar techniques may be applied to more than two cards to perform a triple or even quadruple lift. The term was coined by Theo Annemann.
The Society of American Magicians (S.A.M.) is the oldest fraternal magic organization in the world. Its purpose is "to advance, elevate, and preserve magic as a performing art, to promote harmonious fellowship throughout the world of magic, and to maintain and improve ethical standards in the field of magic." To promote these endeavors the S.A.M. presents awards and fellowships in recognition of outstanding achievement in the Art of Magic.
Genii, The Conjurors' Magazine is the largest selling magazine in the world devoted to magic and magicians. It is a monthly magazine first published in September 1936, currently edited by Richard J. Kaufman and owned by Randy Pitchford. The magazine is based in Washington, DC.
Al Baker was a professional magician. Al Baker was an inventor of many tricks that he marketed including his Dictionary Test, Al Baker Slates and his version of the Rice bowls. Many of his silk magic effects were included in Rice's Encyclopedia of Silk Magic. Al Baker opened a magic shop with Martin Sunshine in Times Square. Al Baker also regularly contributed to The Sphinx and other magic magazines.
Jean Hugard was an Australian professional magician.
Karl Fulves is a magician and author and editor of publications on magic, including the Pallbearers Review.
William Ellis Stanyon was a professional magician and magic dealer in London.
John Ramsay was a Scottish magician. He has been described, by Alex Proctor, former President of the Scottish Conjurers' Association, as a "magician's magician, who loved to trick fellow conjurers".
Richard J. Kaufman is an author, publisher, illustrator, and editor of books and magazines in the field of magic.
John Mulholland was an American magician, author, publisher and intelligence agent.
Henry Ridgely Evans (1861–1949) was an American amateur magician and magic historian.
Ron Wilson was a professional magician, and winner of the Academy of Magical Arts Magician of the Year award in 1971.
Al Cohen was the owner, and a well-known demonstrator of magic tricks, at Al's Magic Shop in Washington, D.C.
The Jinx was a magic periodical edited and published by Theodore Annemann from October 1934 – December 1941. It was originally a monthly magazine but began weekly publication with no. 61 in October 1939. It has been described in M-U-M as "one of the greatest magazines ever published" and in The Linking Ring as "probably the greatest magic magazine of all time". Many publications have since followed the format of The Jinx. The complete magazine has been republished by Lou Tannen as a three volume facsimile.
Hugard's Magic Monthly was a magic periodical published June 1943 – April 1965. The magazine was created and edited by Jean Hugard until his death in 1959, when Fred Braue took over as editor. After Braue's death, the magazine continued to be published by Blanca López until its final issue, number 245. A significant portion of Martin Gardner's Encyclopedia of Impromptu Magic Tricks was originally published in Hugard's Magic Monthly.
Mahatma was a monthly magic periodical founded by George Little, which was published March 1895 – February 1906. According to Alfredson and Daily, it was "the first English language magical serial of any substance". With the September 1902 issue, it became the official magazine of the Society of American Magicians. Mahatma was printed in the back of New York City's Martinka's magic shop.
A Bibliography of Conjuring Periodicals in English: 1791–1983 is a book by James B. Alfredson and George L. Daily that attempts to catalogue all issues of English-language magic periodicals known to reside in major collections. It lists almost 1500 periodicals. Alfredson and Daily's previous work, A Short Title Check List of Conjuring Periodicals in English, listed about 900 periodicals. Father Stephen A. Fernandes supplemented Alfredson and Daily's work in 2000 with Magic Magazines of the Second Millenium, which contained 400 periodicals published 1791–2000.
Magigram was a magic magazine published by Supreme Magic in Bideford, England from September 1966 – February 1995. It started as a bimonthly magazine but became monthly in September 1971. It was edited for its whole run by Ken de Courcy. A complete file contains 306 issues and over 20,000 pages.
Bruce Cervon was an American magician who was best known for his close-up magic, both through performance and invention. He published a series of books and helped to create a permanent record of the magic of Dai Vernon through The Vernon Chronicles, Dai Vernon's Ultimate Secrets of Card Magic, and Bruce Cervon's Castle Notebooks.
