Circuses/Amusement Parks/Magic/Magicians from Gargoyle Books

Chronicle Books, 1987. First Softcover Edition 4th Printing. Soft cover. As New. Sinick, Gary. Lavishly illustrated tribute to the art of the carved animals that used to grace carousels around the world, a tribute to a lost art & vanishing entertainment form. In 127 pages with full-color photographs on nearly every other one, following textual descriptions of same.… Read more about this item

New York, New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1956. First Edition First Printing . Hardcover. Very Good/VG-. The "world's number one expert on gambling" in the mid-20th century reveals "all the inside tricks used by cheaters at dice, cards, roulette & other games of chance,'' as well as "startling disclosures about hypnotism, extra-sensory perception, & other mental effects." In… Read more about this item

London, England: George Newnes Limited, 1942. First Edition Later Printing . Hardcover. Very Good/Good. Henry, Thomas. Book #19 in the Just William series of 38 books featuring the one & only British boy William, the "tousle-headed, snub-nosed, hearty, lovable imp of mischief...who harasses his unfortunate family...while delighting his young admirers" for over half a century (1920s-1970s). In 252… Read more about this item

New York, New York: Atlantic-Little Brown, 1962. First Edition Later Printing 5th or later Printing. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. Von Schmidt, Eric. Enchanting children's book about a family of traveling magicians, in 151 pages with pen-and-ink drawings throughout (& DJ art) by Eric von Schmidt. This was the author's first book for young readers, based on his own interest in… Read more about this item

New York, New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1930. First Edition First Printing . Hardcover. VG-/G+/No Jacket. Fascinating expose of the secrets behind Harry Houdini's celebrated escapes, drawing on information from his private notebooks as revealed by his widow, Beatrice, & Bernard M. L. Ernst of the Society of American Magicians. In 317 pages with pen-and-ink illustrations throughout.… Read more about this item

Woodbury, Minnesota: Llewellyn Publications, 2009. First Edition Later Printing 5th or later Printing. Soft cover. As New. Leading ceremonial magician & educator on the occult arts shows how to use the sexual secrets of ancient Magickal documents & texts to enhance your own sexuality & your partner's experiences. In 378 pages with illustrations. A FIRST EDITION, 8th printing,… Read more about this item

Red Wheel/Weiser, 2003. First Thus 3rd Printing. Soft cover. Fine. First published in 1860 in Paris, this new edition from 2001 (a 2003 printing) brings the work of French magician Eliphas Levi to new readers. In 384 pages, including Index, well-illustrated with original drawings throughout, Foreword by the new publisher, Preface to the English Translator by occultist Arthur… Read more about this item

New York, New York: Outerbridge & Dienstfrey, 1971. First Edition First Printing . Hardcover. Near Fine/Good+. A humanistic case study" of John Merrick, who, though he began life "wholly wretched" with a severe bone & skin disorder & was cruelly exploited as a freak in various circuses, nonetheless triumphed & emerged as a "loving, gentle, dignified human being"… Read more about this item

Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.: Follett Publishing Company, 1963. First Edition, 2nd Printing 2nd Printing. Hardcover. Very Good+/No Jacket. A tour of the circus, both in the ring & behind the scenes, for young readers, in 39 pages, brightly illustrated throughout. Original Dutch text translated into English. A FIRST EDITION, Second Printing, from 1963 (NOT the later reprint), this hardcover… Read more about this item

New York, New York, U.S.A.: MacFadden-Bartell Corporation, 1967. First Mass Market Paperback Edition . Mass Market Paperback. Good. The first full biography of the man behind the myth, answering once & for all the question, "Did Houdini work his escapes by some supernormal power?" By the author of the noir classic, "Nightmare Alley." In 263 pages with an… Read more about this item

Los Angeles, California: Brooke House, 1976. First Edition First Printing . Hardcover. Fine/Fine. Lavishly illustrated history of clowns from the ancient Greeks to modern circuses, in 184 pages, with photos in both black-and-white & color. A FIRST EDITION, first printing from 1976, this oversized hardcover (9" x 12") is in Fine: Looks nearly Brand New & never opened!… Read more about this item

Cambridge, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 2005. First Edition First Printing . Hardcover. Fine/No Jacket. Being a true account of wizards, their ways, and many wonderful powers as told by Master Merlin. Oversized hardcover quarto has brilliantly decorated paper-covered boards, unpaginated. Condition is Fine, just a tad less crisp than Brand New! Completely clean, binding straight & secure, pages bright… Read more about this item

Grosset & Dunlap, 1951. First Edition First Printing . Hardcover. Very Good. Children of all ages can experience all the thrills of the mid-20th-century American circus! A FIRST EDITION, First Printing from 1951 (with appropriate publisher's code & date) this oversized hardcover book (like a Big Golden Book) has glossy decorative paper over boards with a semi-funny/semi-creepy clown… Read more about this item

London, England: Hutchinson Junior Books Ltd., 1980. First British Edition . Hardcover. Fine. Lustig, Loretta. Pop-up book for children offers scenes from the circus, including clowns, animal acts, the trapeze act, lion tamer, & more! Illustrated by Loretta Lustig, paper engineering by Ib Penick. Unpaginated. Orig. published in the US in 1979, this is the First British Edition,… Read more about this item

NorthSouth, 2003. First American Edition . Hardcover. As New. Enchanting children's story about Eve, a young magician with this magical book, which opens/reads both front to back & 'round again! Translated from the original German, orig. published in Switzerland in 2003 as "Das magische Buch,'' this is the First English-language edition, First Printing, from that same year. Tall,… Read more about this item

La Jolla, California, U.S.A.: Green Tiger Press, 1983. First Edition First Printing . Soft cover. Fair. Cline, Paul. Another brilliantly illustrated book from the small Green Tiger Press in La Jolla, CA, with both black-and-white sketches & full-color illustrations by author Paul Cline. The small drawings adorn most of the book's 58 pages, while the full-color ones (each… Read more about this item

Moscow, USSR: Progress Publishers. First English Language Edition . Soft cover. Very Good+. Lebedev, V.. Illustrated children's story about the Russian circus, first published in the former Soviet Union (USSR),translated from the original Russian into English. Unpaginated, with full color illustrations on every page. No dates in book, but others from this publisher that are similar are c.… Read more about this item

Racine, Wisconsin: Whitman/Western Publishing Company, Inc., 1973. First Edition First Printing . Soft cover. Near Fine. Activity book lets children build their own three-ring circus with paper cut-outs, with accompanying record featuring circus sounds! Breathtakingly Near Fine condition! Obviously stored away since purchased Brand New in 1973 when it first came out! Oversized softcover book has front &… Read more about this item

Paris, France: Wally Findlay Galleries, 1978. First Edition First Printing . Soft cover. Good. Simbari, Nicola;. Tribute to the circus by acclaimed Italian artist Nicola Simbari, whose sketches & full-color paintings are interspersed with black-and-white photographs. Introduction in French by Jean Richard, Paris, June 1978; no other text. Oversized square softcover has white paper wrappers with gilt lettering… Read more about this item

Ringling Bros. & Barnum & Bailey, 1984. First Thus . Soft cover. Near Fine. All New Ringling Bros. Circus Centennial Edition from 1984, with colorful photos & stories of the varied performers, acts, clowns, & animals. Compiled by the Feld family, who had just recently (1982) reacquired ownership of the circus. Oversized (folio) softcover, unpaginated, is in Near… Read more about this item