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Willys A. Myers collection of material about magic, 1900-1960
972  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • 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

    UCLA Catalog Record ID: 4232771 

    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.