Restrictions on Access
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Preferred Citation note
UCLA Catalog Record ID
Immediate Source of Acquisition note
Processing Information
Biography/History
Scope and Content
Arrangement
Title: Willys A. Myers collection of material about magic
Collection number: 972
Contributing Institution:
UCLA Library Special Collections
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
3.6 linear ft.
(9 document boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1900-1960
Abstract: Willys A. Myers was a U.S. Vice Consul in the first half of the twentieth century. Also an amateur magician, he collected
a number of materials related to magic and magic tricks, covering the years from around 1900 to around 1960. This collection
contains letters, instructions, books, catalogs, magazines, newspapers, programs, and promotional items on the subject of
magic. Among these materials are both commercial items that Myers collected, and items addressed to or written by Myers himself.
Language of Materials: Materials are in English.
Location note: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library Special
Collections for paging information.
Creator:
Meyers, Willys A.
Restrictions on Access
Open for research. STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact UCLA Library
Special Collections for paging information.
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Property rights to the physical object belong to UCLA Library Special Collections. Literary rights, including copyright, are
retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright
and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where UCLA Library Special Collections does not
hold the copyright.
Preferred Citation note
[Identification of item], Willys A. Myers Collection of Material about Magic (Collection 972). UCLA Library Special Collections,
Charles E. Young Research Library.
UCLA Catalog Record ID
Immediate Source of Acquisition note
Gift of Willys A. Myers and Peggy Christian.
Processing Information
Processed in the CFPRT by Alexandra Levitan in 2014 with assistance from Jillian Cuellar.
Biography/History
Willys A. Myers was a member of the United States Foreign Service. He served as a Vice Consul in Veracruz, Veracruz, Mexico
in the 1920s, and in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico in the 1930s. He was also an amateur magician.
Scope and Content
This collection consists of letters, instructions, books, catalogs, magazines, newspapers, programs, and promotional items
on the subject of magic and magic tricks. The collection offers descriptions of magic tricks as they were marketed for sale,
as well as detailed explanations of how some magic tricks were performed. Many of the included publications also mention original
prices for the tricks and items sold. Several publications are associated with specific shops or vendors, such as the Thayer
Magic Company and Silk King Studios, or with specific organizations, such as the International Brotherhood of Magicians. Other
included materials promote specific magicians or shows. The collection's coverage of magic publications, and especially of
catalogs and magazines, is more extensive than its coverage of performers, and it does not contain a great deal of promotional
material for any one magician. The highest concentration of promotional material for a single individual is for the Great
Sorcar. Some of the material, including letters and plans for magic tricks, also reflects collector Willys A. Myers' own interest
in and practice of magic. The collection covers the period from around 1900 to around 1960.
Arrangement
This collection has been arranged in the following series:
- Series 1: Correspondence, circa 1930s-1950s
- Series 2: Plans and instructions for magic tricks, circa 1930s-1960s
- Series 3: Publications and ephemera, circa 1900s-1960s
The materials have been arranged by format, and then chronologically within each series.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Magic tricks--Archives.