NEW BOOK OF CARD TRICKS
By Hernandez
1909
First printing of this charming little book of magic tricks, produced by beloved Baltimore publishing house I. & M. Ottenheimer.
$65.
Founded in 1890 by teenage brothers Isaac and Mose Ottenheimer (19 and 14 respectively at the time), I. & M. Ottenheimer made its name publishing postcards and inexpensive joke books. The brothers gathered their material by “sneak[ing] into burlesque houses” and vaudeville shows (THE BALTIMORE SUN), where they scribbled down the jokes that got the biggest laughs and the acts that stole the show. The rise of I. & M. Ottenheimer coincided with the increasing popularity of stage magic, and they soon expanded their publishing repertoire to include titles such as the NEW BOOK OF CARD TRICKS (as well as decks of deals “magic” cards to be used while executing the tricks therein). This is a particularly nice example of a very ephemeral work.
First edition. Baltimore: I. & M. Ottenheimer. 5'' x 4''. Original color pictorial wrapper. Illustrated in black and white. 64 pages. Wrappers with light edgewear, mild rubbing. A bit of foxing to first and last leaves. Solid. Very good plus.
Read more: Graeme Browning, “BEST SELLER In its 101 years, family-run Ottenheimer has published it all, from vaudeville jokes to Bible verses,” The Baltimore Sun.
Product code: Every Man Their Own Houdini: 1909 First deals Printing of New Book Of Card Tricks