A Wizard's Wanderings from China to Peru

Holden, John Watkins

Published by Dean & Son, London, 1886

About this Item

Small 8vo. Hardcover. Pp. 176. Very good condition. First edition. Cloth-bound spine with illustrated card cover. Slight shelf-wear, worn around the corners and faint warping to the back of the book. Includes bookplate on front end-paper from George Johnson's Private Collection. Portrait frontispiece. Pages clean and unmarked with light foxing and occasional creasing in the corners. On the back of the frontispiece, a newspaper clipping pasted on the page, dated 1914, detailing John Watkins Holden addressing the editor of The Daily Mail. John Watkins Holden was a professional magician for 40 years, who took lessons from Prof. Hellis and in earlier days had called himself The Bohemian Magician. He gave his first appearance at Hope Hall in 1877 in Liverpool. He became known as "The Queen's Magician", because he gave a command performance for Queen Victoria at Balmoral Castle on Saturday, May 24, 1879, on her 60th birthday. He also appeared before the Prince and Princess of Wales, at the Crystal Palace in Sydenham, entertained Indian sultans and the Mikado of Japan, as well as kings and queens in such remote places as the Sandwich Islands. Dr. Holden was able to continue to perform limited engagements until he was almost 70 years of age. Seller Inventory # 036384

Bibliographic Details

Title: A Wizard's Wanderings from China to Peru

Publisher: Dean & Son, London

Publication Date: 1886

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Very Good

Edition: 1st Edition