The Sphinx Golden Jubilee Book Of Magic: A Selection of Tricks from the Pages of the Magazine (Signed and Inscribed by John Mulholland to Bill Bixby)

Compiled by Milbourne Christopher; Introduction by John Mulholland

Published by Sphinx Publishing Corporation, New York, 1951

About this Item

First Edition (SD). You may experience a little magic in owning this book because it is signed and inscribed by the famous magician John Mulholland to none other than The Incredible Hulk himself, Bill Bixby. The inscription reads: 'For Bill Bixby whose magic I like-- with the hope that he will find this magic of other magicians of interest. With good wishes, John Mulholland.' As you can see in the photo he included a little drawing of a rabbit below his signature. 'John Mulholland was an American magician, author, publisher and intelligence agent. He learned the art of magic as a teenager with John William Sargent, President of the Society of American Magicians. Mulholland was a professional magician for two decades. He ran one of the first magic workshops and was the editor of the magic trade magazine The Sphinx beginning in 1930. Mulholland was also a close friend of Harry Houdini who he said 'once told me that he considered no man to be a magician until he was able skillfully to perform the cups and balls.' In 1939, Mulholland was the only foreign officer in the British Magical Society, and by that time had studied his craft in 42 countries. During World War II, he wrote a spellbook for soldiers. His collection is now owned by David Copperfield. Mulholland left his editorial position at The Sphinx in 1953, officially due to health problems but in reality it was a cover for him to work for the Central Intelligence Agency. During the Cold War, he was paid by the CIA to write a manual on deception and misdirection. Copies of the document were believed to have been destroyed in 1973, however they later resurfaced and were published as 'The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception.' ' As an actor, Bixby was also well known for his roles in The Courtship of Eddie's Father (winning an Emmy for Lead Actor) and My Favorite Martian. For many years he was one of the most popular actors on television with roles on more than sixty different how television series, winning several other acting awards and Emmy nominations. He is also remembered as a frequent panelist on many game shows, particularly Hollywood Squares and Password. In 1973 he starred in a TV series called The Magician. And as 'an accomplished amateur magician himself, he hosted several TV specials in the mid-1970s which featured other amateur magicians, and was a respected member of the Hollywood magic community, belonging to The Magic Castle, an exclusive club for magicians.' This book is in very nice condition. You can see the covers in the photos. They are very clean, one tiny spot on the spine. The gilt lettering on the front is nicely bright, on the spine it is fairly bright. The covers have very little wear, a tiny crease near the spine's bottom edge, a white surface scratch on the rear. The cover edges and corners are in very good shape. The book is solidly bound from cover to cover, no cracks or spaces at any of the junctures, nicely tight covers. The pages are exceptionally clean. Scrolling through, I'm not finding any soiling. I'm also not finding any creasing. There are no markings. No attachments of any kind. And the aforementioned signed inscription is the only writing to be found anywhere. As you would expect, there are great many illustrations. They are all in excellent condition. Seller Inventory # 005272

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Sphinx Golden Jubilee Book Of Magic: A ...

Publisher: Sphinx Publishing Corporation, New York

Publication Date: 1951

Binding: Hardcover

Illustrator: Sid Lorraine

Condition: Very Good

Signed: Inscribed by Author(s)

Edition: 1st Edition