Keys to Magic's Inner World by John Booth

This book is a window into the history of magic collecting in the United States. You will learn about the earliest collectors and collections as they evolved and morphed into the present industry. 

No magician or collector's library is complete without this unique book, hobbyist or professional. It is about the apparatus you use, the publicity paper that brings success to pros, the knowledge and history you need, without being tongue-tied in talking magic to laypeople or colleagues.

It takes you into a glamorous inner world of magic that has developed within the outer realm of performers and illusions. It has its own conventions, dealers, literature, and magazines. It is for the starting collector, young or old, of playing cards, autographs, business cards, photos etc., and those adventuring deeply into apparatus, books, posters, and ephemera.

You visit the magic museums and private collections of leaders in this fascinating fellowship across America. Many collections occupy only two or three shelves, a few scrapbooks or a drawer in the owner's home, while others engulf homes, warehouses, and private museums.

Being a collector is mostly the pleasure of hunting and victory! Collectibles have soared in value. This book offers guidance in choices you can't afford to miss.

How to bequeath, sell, auction, or buy a big or small collection wisely, without regrets. The book also includes many new photographs of collections and collectors that have come into existence or expanded in the last quarter century.

First Softcover Edition. Written by Dr. John Booth, with additional writing by Meir Yedid. Published by Meir Yedid Magic in 2025 (hardcover published in 1999). 202-pages, with many photographs, 6"x9", softcover, saddle-stitched.