(MAGIC) Archive and library of American magician Leslie Gues

Sale 2404 - Lot 176

Price Realized: $ 2,000

?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price

Estimate: $ 1,200 - $ 1,800

(MAGIC.) Archive and library of American magician Leslie Guest. 205 items in 2 boxes (1.4 linear feet); condition generally strong. Vp, 1911-70

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Leslie Pierce Guest (1898-1981) was a professional magician who was most active in the 1920s and 1930s, when he was based in Cincinnati, OH. He then remained involved in the Society of American Magicians and the International Brotherhood of Magicians, sometimes serving as an officer or editor. This archive includes some of Guest's personal papers from his career in magic, such as his original typescript "Book of Directions"; a file of correspondence dated 1921-33; "Les Guest's Personal Re-Type Book" containing typescripts of various tricks; a volume of press notices, 1922-32; and promotional material from 1931-35. Also included are a substantial library of 77 trick book pamphlets and more than a hundred other typescripts and other magic-related publications by other authors, many of them inscribed personally to Guest. Highlights include Canfield's Gambling and Confidence Games Exposed (New York, 1911) and Houdini Exposes the Tricks Used by the Boston Medium Margery (New York, 1924). A complete run of the first five annual convention programs of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, 1926-30, includes a 1926 program with more than 30 magician signatures. A complete inventory including pamphlet titles is available upon request.