Description
Effect: As Ken’s Baking Company flourished and took him on travels around the country, Ken found he needed a new area of relaxation and diversion from the daily grind of business. While on a trip to Chicago in the 1970’s, he happened upon a Magic Collectors meeting. This was a gathering of magic historians and collector’s that enjoyed the history, posters, and apparatus from the golden age of magic. The die was cast for the start of one of the largest and most historical collections of magic in the world.
Meeting a gentleman, who had procured many of the remnants of the Circus Museum of Sarasota, he began to learn more about the important apparatus and ephemera from days long ag0. The Circus Museum was a failed attempt by John Ringling North to house the most important magic collections of the premier magic collectors of the day. Men like Dr. Samuel Hooker, Charles Larson, Thomas Chew Worthington III and John McManus mean very little to average person. But they had assembled some of the most important historical pieces of magic in the world. They tried to insure that their collections would endure beyond their years but it was not to be.
Enter Ken Klosterman. Starting with a nucleus of the 1200 items from the Circus Museum, he has continually added and upgraded the collection so that is now encompasses over 4500 pieces of apparatus, 36,000 pieces of ephemera which includes letters, photos, program and scrapbooks, 150 complete bound sets of different magic periodicals, over 1500 posters including many stone lithographed posters and a library of over 10,000 books.
Located in Loveland, Ohio, the major portion collection is housed beneath this home in an abandoned mine 83 feet 6 inches beneath the surface in a temperature controlled environment on his large thoroughbred horse farm. Thoroughbred horses were his wife’s, Judy’s hobby and Ken has kept the farm going; still hoping for that big Kentucky Derby winner.
The collection houses items from the early superstars of magic. Names like Alexander Herrmann, Harry Kellar, Karl Germain, Howard Thurston, Harry Blackstone and many others mean very little to people today unless they are associated with magic. Non-magicians recognize names like Houdini, Copperfield and maybe Penn and Teller, but beyond that other names mean little to them. Beyond that they can appreciate the craftsmanship that was used to produce many of these unique pieces of magical apparatus. Old world craftsmanship that is simply not found today. Yes, there are also artifacts of Houdini, Copperfield and Penn and Teller in the collection.
“What is Ken’s favorite item?” Well, that is like asking which child you love the best. Every item has it own appeal and story behind it. Ken can tell you where it was acquired and the provenance to the item. Provenance is very important to Ken as he traced the documentation that authenticates who actually owned and used these props.
One of the more important props in the collection is Robert Houdin’s Light and Heavy Chest. In magic, this is like the “holy grail”. Louis Napoleon and the French Government called Robert Houdin out of retirement in 1857 to help put down a rebellion in the French colony of Algeria. Using this box to sap the strength from strong warriors so they were unable to lift it up the box but a child could, he convinced the chieftains that France and his magic was stronger than theirs. He literally stopped a war with this small box.
Ken’s collection has been featured in the Smithsonian Magazine and on numerous television shows including “Mysteries at the Museum” and “World’s Greatest Magic”. In the World’s Greatest Magic show, Robert Ulrich and Ken recreated the “Light Heavy Chest” for a modern audience proving that great magic endures the test of time.
As the collection grew, it simply outgrew the mine storage area. Portions of the collection are now housed at his Georgetown home called Whitehall. Georgetown, Ohio was the boyhood home of General U.S. Grant. At this location, there is a restored 1842 antebellum mansion and a four-story stone gristmill. The house contains many of the more important items in the collection as well as one of the premier collections of crooked gambling devices. The gristmill has many of the larger illusions in magic set up for viewing.
Ken has carefully cataloged and researched every item in the collection. Within a fully searchable database, every detail of each item has been recorded and made accessible with a click of computer keyboard. The entire database will eventually be located in the cloud so it can be used and enjoyed by people for years to come. In this way, Ken hopes to perpetuate the information and knowledge that he has worked to assemble over the past fifty plus years.
Pebbled green cloth with gilt stamping on front cover and spine. Illustrated, 381 pages. Includes DVD.
Contents:
Foreword by John Gaughan xi
An Appreciation by Leo Behnke xiii
Preface xv
ORIGINS OF THE SALON
A Collector’s Path 1
Thomas Worthington, Osiris, Thurston, and Memorabilia of the Greats 15
Charles Larson, Enthusiastic Magic Amasser 27
John .I. McManus, King of the Collectors, and Louis Levassor, Who Preceded Them All 35
Charles Kalish and the CMS Collection 41
Creating the Salon 51
SELECTIONS FROM THE SALON
Introduction 83
I. Objects of Wonder
Oldest of All
Magdalen Wooden Lock 86
Cups and Balls 89
Engraved Cups 9°
Milton I Henderson’s Cups 92
Bamberg Bonus Genus 94
Automatons 97
The Writer 100
Minstrel Magician |O3
Clown Conjuror IO4
Street Magician IQ6
Peacock 108
Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin
Crystal Cash Box 112
Light and Heavy Chest 114
Mystery Clocks
Aerial Clock n8
Johann Nepomuk Hofzinser 122
Millet Bell 124
Crystal Ball Casket 126
The Twenties 128
Card Rise Box ¦3°
Magic Cards B4
Flower Growth Vase 136
Fountain of Love Goblet 138
Rose Mirror 140
French Magic Set 142
II. Magic of the Golden Age
Alexander Herrmann 146
Cones and Vase 148
Center Table 150
Decapitation Illusion 152
Die Box 154
Funnel and Awl 156
Cards and Flowers 158
Chung Ling Soo 160
Birdcage Production 162
Harry Kellar 164
Center Table 166
Vanishing Lamp 168
Devil’s Head 170
Handkerchief Pistol 172
Harry Houdini 174
The Little Messenger 176
Tramp Chair 178
Traveling Case and Lock Picks 180
Blooming Rose Bush 182
The Flight of Time 184
Card Star 186
Margery Bell Box 188
Imro Fox 190
Pigeon Coffers 192
Bran or Confetti Vase 194
Brooks Trunk 196
Carl Willmann 198
Satyr’s Head 200
Card Frame 202
Magic Kettle 204
Talking Skull 206
Karl Germain 208
Flower Growth 210
Clock Dial 214
Card Sword 217
Butterfly 218
Magical Mocha 220
Appearing Birdcage 222
Egyptian Water Jars 224
Frederick Eugene Powell 226
Golliwog Ball 228
Coin Tray 230
Nest of Boxes 232
T. Nelson Downs 234
Coin Ladder 236
Vanishing Birdcage 238
Theo. Bamberg – Okito 240
Pigeon Vanish 244
Original Rising Cards 246
Card Rise Box 248
Howard Thurston 25°
Aerial Fishing Pole 253
Bartl Vanishing Birdcage 254
“Houdin-Herrrmann” Vanishing Birdcage 256
Watch Box 258
Floating Ball 260
III. Devices of Ingenuity
Carl Brema 264
Card Lyre; Table to Cane 266
The Mysterious King 268
A. P. Neyhart Card Rise Houlettes 270
Charles Larson Card Wheel 274
David P. Abbott 276
Talking Teakettle 278
Thayer Voice from the Great Beyond 282
Abbott Magic Novelty Company 284
Virgil the Magician 286
Talking Skull 286
Blackstone Magic Co. Bathing Beauty 288
Servais Le Roy 292
Spirit Bell 294
Larson Spirit Bell 296
The Great Raymond 297
Duck Pan 298
Charles Carter 300
Inexhaustible Beer Keg 302
Nicola 304
Nosegay to Baby 306
Petrie-Lewis Company 308
Dell O’Dell 3I0
Sand and Sugar 312
Appearing Lamp 314
Duck Pan 316
Thread-It 318
Snake Basket 318
Rarebit Pan 320
Dr. Jaks 322
Book of Mysteries 324
Ade Duval 328
Rhapsody in Silk 330
Edward Massey 334
Sawing Through an Arm 336
McDonald Birch 338
Mysterio 340
IV. Pieces of Curiosity, Puzzlement, and Pleasure
Card Lantern 346
Plume Changing Tube 348
Coin Mirror 35°
Silk Production Pedestal 352
Prediction Chest 353
The Phoenix 354
Special Effects Table 356
Lithographs
Balabrega 358
Evanion 360
Helmann 362
Mildred Novelty Co. 364
George W. Stock 366
William Wood 368
Index
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