Koran

1930 · Best.-Nr. 590792 — 1930. Unbound. Very Good. A small archive of magic related ephemera magazines and photographs. Included is a composition book repurposed as a scrapbook containing just over 70 business cards and 15 letterheads of various magician illusionists and ventriloquist; 18 magazine and magic catalogs published in the United States and England during the 1920-1940s; and four photographs of performers. Overall about very good with the rear cover and several pages of the composition book detached; moderate chipping and wear to the various magazines and photos with some edgewear. The notebook was compiled by Herbert. C. Koran a ventriloquist from Long Island New York. While not much could be found about him he appears to have been active during the 1930s and 1940s. He tipped-in the business cards and letterheads of fellow performer of the day largely from the New York-New Jersey area but with examples of half a dozen from as far away as Texas Illinois Ohio Wisconsin West Virginia and Winnipeg Manitoba in Canada. Among the performers of note are Bill Frazee James L. Holmes Ted Collins Eddie Clever Joseph Ovette Allan Lambie Roba Collins Eugene Pronk Ned Fraile Don and Thelma Greenwood Larry Shean and Gerald Heaney who has Inscribed his card to Koran. A number of the performer appear to have been members of The Conjurers Club of Trenton New Jersey an included 10” x 8” photograph of someone demonstrating a trick to a small group of men appears to be of this group. Additional material includes various American and British magazines/catalog including two copies The Seven Circles which was published by William Gibson and Harry Blackston; two copies of The Magician Monthly from A.W. Gamage an English game and sports good store; seven issues of The Crystal a newsletter issued by the aforementioned Conjurers Club and a photo and illustrated folding card of Swivello a.k.a. magician Harry W. Swivel. A nice collection of Depression-era magic-related of the New York-New Jersey area. unknown