Research Catalog

Title

The magic magic book : an inquiry into the venerable history & operation of the oldest trick conjuring volumes, designated "blow books" ... / adorned with original renderings from the ateliers of these esteemed delineators of artistic impression: Vija Celmins, Jane Hammond, Glenn Ligon, Justen Ladda, Philip Taaffe, William Wegman ; embellished with ancient iconography from the collection of the author of this curious compendium, Ricky Jay.

Author

Jay, Ricky.

Publication

[New York, N.Y.] : Library Fellows of the Whitney Museum of American Art, 1994.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

• BookLab (Firm) bnd
• Castleberry, May.
• Celmins, Vija, 1938-
• Hammond, Jane, 1950-
• Keleher, Daniel.
• Ladda, Justen, 1953-
• Ligon, Glenn, 1960-
• Miller, Leslie, 1957-
• Patrick Reagh Printers. pop
• Reagh, Patrick.
• Stinehour Press. prt
• Taaffe, Philip, 1955-
• Wegman, William.
• Whitney Museum of American Art. Library Fellows.

Description

1 box (2 v., 1 portfolio) : ill. (some col.); 27 cm.

Series Statement

Artists and writers series ; 11th

Uniform Title

Artists and writers series ; 11th.

Alternative Title

• Magic, magic
• Magicmagic

Subjects

• Artists' books > United States
• Toy and movable books > Specimens
• Magic tricks
• Blow books

Genre/Form

• Artists' books – United States.
• Blow books.

Note

• "The edition is three hundred copies, numbered one to three hundred. Ninety copies are reserved for the collaborators and sixty are reserved for the members of the Library Fellows. The first eighty copies are accompanied by an additional suite of prints"--Colophon of text vol.
• Title from t.p. of text vol.
• Deluxe edition consists of a volume of illustrated text by Jay describing the history of the "blow book" (a trick book containing several series of images on tabbed pages that may be flipped in such a way that different sequences of images appear and disappear); a volume that is a blow book, containing series of ill. by Celmins, Hammond, Ligon, Taaffe and Wegman; and a portfolio containing prints used in the blow book.
• "The edition was organized by May Castleberry. The text volume was designed by Patrick Reagh and Ricky Jay and edited by Susan Green; the blow book was designed by Patrick Reagh, Ricky Jay, and Leslie Miller, with May Castleberry. Patrick Reagh set the letterpress text. Leslie Miller proofed the original graphics for the blow book at the Grenfell Press in New York, and the prints were editioned by Leslie Miller and Patrick Reagh at his shop in Glendale, California ... The offset lithography was printed by the Stinehour Press. Dan Keliher [i.e. Keleher] cut and collated the sheets for the blow book at the Wild Carrot Letterpress in Hadley, Massachusetts. The box, with a cover designed by Justen Ladda, and the binding are by BookLab, Austin, Texas"--Colophon.
• Portfolio contains 11 prints: 2 prints apiece by Celmins (wood engravings), Hammond (photoengravings), Ligon (text-based photoengravings), Taaffe (relief prints) and Wegman (reproductions of photos.) and 1 unsigned print. The first in each pair is signed in pencil by the artist and the second is edition-numbered.

Language (note)

• Blow book includes instructions "To operate the magic magic book," in English, French, German and Spanish.

Binding (note)

• Each vol. in black paper covers; portfolio of black paper. Issued in a black cloth-covered clamshell box with design by Justen Ladda on covers, impressed in metallic red and silver.

Call Number

Spencer Coll. Amer. 1994 10-187

Author

Jay, Ricky.

Title

The magic magic book : an inquiry into the venerable history & operation of the oldest trick conjuring volumes, designated "blow books" ... / adorned with original renderings from the ateliers of these esteemed delineators of artistic impression: Vija Celmins, Jane Hammond, Glenn Ligon, Justen Ladda, Philip Taaffe, William Wegman ; embellished with ancient iconography from the collection of the author of this curious compendium, Ricky Jay.

Imprint

[New York, N.Y.] : Library Fellows of the Whitney Museum of American Art, 1994.

Series

Artists and writers series ; 11th

Artists and writers series ; 11th.

Local Note

Spencer Coll. copy is no. 48; initialed in ink by Ricky Jay and signed in pencil by the 6 artists, on p. opposite colophon.

Local Note

Prints in portfolio in Spencer Coll. copy edition-numbered 48/80.

Language

Blow book includes instructions "To operate the magic magic book," in English, French, German and Spanish.

Binding

Each vol. in black paper covers; portfolio of black paper. Issued in a black cloth-covered clamshell box with design by Justen Ladda on covers, impressed in metallic red and silver.

Local Note

Accompanied by prospectus ([4] p.).

Place of Publication

United States New York (State) New York.

Added Author

Celmins, Vija, 1938- Illustrator

Hammond, Jane, 1950- Illustrator

Ligon, Glenn, 1960- Illustrator

Taaffe, Philip, 1955- Illustrator

Wegman, William. Illustrator

Castleberry, May.

Reagh, Patrick. Book designer

Miller, Leslie, 1957- Book designer

Ladda, Justen, 1953- Binding designer

BookLab (Firm) Binder

Stinehour Press. Printer

Patrick Reagh Printers. Printer of plates

Keleher, Daniel.

Whitney Museum of American Art. Library Fellows.

Cover Title

Magicmagic

Spine Title

Magic, magic

Research Call Number

Spencer Coll. Amer. 1994 10-187