Description
Effect: Though his business was in operation for just ten years, Merv Taylor revolutionized the making of magic. Today, “Taylor Made” tricks are regarded by performers and collectors alike as some of the finest ever constructed. And yet, even though Taylor was the man who made the best props in magic, when asked about them said, “We may make junk, but it’ll last a lifetime!”
Taylor was also an outstanding performer in his own right, and this new book chronicles not only his life and times (and his eventual ownership and opening of the first magic shop at Disneyland, where Leo Behnke, the author, worked for a time), but the way in which Taylor changed the fabric of magic manufacturing for the better by using new techniques and construction schemes to design and build among the finest props ever conceived. Included are color photographs and detailed descriptions of nearly every Taylor-made product to come off of his assembly lines and the methods behind the magic.
Also recorded are “one-off” props built by Taylor as special orders, giving real insight into the abilities of the Taylor manufacturing team, which could apparently create nearly anything mechanical and magical required by a professional performer – to an exceptionally high standard. Red cloth over black boards, with an embossed Merv Taylor seal in silver, red, and black affixed to the front cover, simulating the look of the classic Merv Taylor boxes used to package the company’s legendary products.
The first part of the book is the biography of Merv and his Magic, starting with his life as one of twelve children coming out to Los Angeles at the age of eight. The first chapter covers his life of learning skills of machining metal and wood, sometimes creating models for movie studios, and then his fortunate introduction into the world of magic. The years of designing and building magic props that looked better than the usual magic shop apparatus, and some of the movie magic he made are also brought to light. Then the great opportunity knocked on his door with the shops in Disneyland.
The second part of the book consists of the instructions, photos, ads and comments about the magic that came out of the Merv Taylor company. Three or four pieces of his inventory left no trail in the history but all others are here, 87 in total., including the complete Gambling Demonstration put together by Bob Haskell.
Portrait frontispiece, illustrated, 273 pages. Limited quantities available. A must for every lover of vintage magic props and collectors of Merv Taylor’s apparatus.
Contents:
EARLY LIFE
TAYLOR-MADE
MOVIES AND TELEVISION
DISNEYLAND
EXIT
HIS CREATIONS
Candle-Lite
Card Sword
Cashacheck (Mad Money)
Chinese Sticks
Dalton Boys
Deep Freeze (also see Quick-sickle)
Dollars and Sense
Double Quick Coke
Dove Pan (same as Chafing Dish and Dovette Pan)
Flash Houlette
FL-MT Glass
Foo Can (Delia Ware Foo Can)
Foo-Lota
Funnel
Funnel (Production Funnel with the “Isley” Valve Control)
Gambling Demonstration (Merv Taylor’s Gambing Demonstration, Cheating at Cards)
Giant Dwarf
Hades (Sure-Fire) Fire Bowl
Haskell’s Diminishing Cards
Haskell’s Money Machine
Here and There
Himber’s Cigarette Case
Himber’s Fifth Dimension
Himber’s Vanishing Coke
Himber’s Wonder Box
Jimmie’s Ghost Tube
Jumpin’ Jack
Leon’s Glass Penetration
Improved Leon Glass Penetration
Milky Way
Mixamaster Cocktail Shakers Combination
Now You See It (originally Stranger Than Fiction)
One-Card Pete
Orb-Eternal Linking Rings
Paddles – MT
Pad-O-Rang
Pass the Salt (Time Flies)
Penetrable Glass
Pormor-Filmor Combination
Production Bird Cage
Quick-Sickle
Razor Blades (Prof. M.T.’s Razor Blade Trick)
Seein’ Spots Card (Spot Card, Nu-spots)
Nu-Spots Version
Rabbit in the Hat Version
Simplex Dove Vanish
Slow Motion Card Vanish
Smoke! Smoke! Smoke!
Spirits Barrel
Split Deck
State Line
Tambor
Ten Little Indians
Thirst-Go
Ultissimo
Vest Pocket Square Circle
Wand From Purse
Wine and Water
Wot Hoppen
Wrist Chopper (Prof. M.T.’s Magic Blade)
Deluxe Guillotine
“Professional” Arm Chopper
Bang Gun
Billiard Ball Climax
Brief Table
Canary
Cigarette Loader
Cigarette Production Steal (Cigarette Dropper)
Cigo-Producto
Coin Dropper
Heckle Gun
Jumbo Turning Card
Load Bag
Lucite Table
Mangled Rings
Milk Pitcher
Nail Thru Finger
No-Force Card Forcer
Salt Shaker
Seance Hand
Sugar Shaker
Su-Table
Swallowing Sword
Thimble Holder
Tru-Drink Concentrate
Wands
Bloomin’ Candle
Broom Illusion
Canary Catching Act
Card Dagger
Crystal Nest of Boxes
Cups and Balls
Elect-Ro-Cute
Flat Beer
Hot Diary
Incubator
Magic on Parade Series
Substitution Trunk
Tricky Cane
“You Asked For It”
The Merv Taylor Listing
Early Objects
Merv Taylor Magic
Accessories
INDEX
Contents: magiccastle.com - click for details