Well now the World Cup, the tennis and the cricket is over. The nights are drawing in and the football season is about to start. OK, maybe I am being a bit pessimistic sitting here writing this in tee shirt and shorts while the temperature outside is in the 80s. But it is time to start putting aside thoughts of summer holidays and thinking about some magic. As I think I have mentioned before, The Bradford Magic Circle library has some fantastic books available to you the members and this summer we have acquired a masterpiece. It is a two volume set – ‘Early Harbin’ and ‘Harbincadabra’. Robert Harbin As you probably know Robert Harbin, (real name Ned Williams), was an inventor of tricks and illusions and a charming softly spoken performer. He is generally regarded as the man who made the transition from the great illusionists of the past to the modern magicians we know today. He was the first person to make a success of magic on TV in Britain starting in 1940 when he was able for the first time to bring magic to people’s homes and entertain huge audiences establishing his name as one of the pioneers of television magic. He was particularly remembered on TV for his presentations of paper folding (origami) items. Perhaps the best-known of his illusions was "The Zigzag Girl", a development of "Sawing a Woman in Half", where he actually removed the centre section of the box into which the woman had been put. Sadly, Robert Harbin died on 12th January, 1978, at St. Mary’s Hospital, London at the comparatively early age of sixty-eight. However he has left behind a wealth of published material written for many publications. The two books that the Circle library have acquired reprint some of the articles published in various journals and booklets between 1929 and 1965. (‘Early Harbin’ covers 1929 to 1942 and ‘Harbincadabra’ covers the years 1947 to 1965). Of course Harbin’s published output was far greater than the 246 tricks presented in these volumes. He went on creating magic until his death in 1978, but at least they bring together tricks and ideas that he published in many smaller publications. The books are richly illustrated with diagrams detailing apparatus that can, in most part, be home made. Harbin himself said that he was not a craftsman. I urge you to read these two excellent volumes, they are full of practical tricks and clever magical thinking. If someone has got there before you and they are already out on loan, come and let me know and I will make sure they are saved for you on their return. Magic from the Library Watch It!! This month’s trick comes from Scarne’s Magic Tricks (Book number - BMC30) EFFECT Two numbers on the face of a watch are added together by a spectator. From the sum, the performer, with only a moment's concentration, announces the two numbers. In the same way, the smaller of two numbers opposite each other on a watch face is subtracted from the larger, and the performer announces the result. PRESENTATION Ask a spectator to remove his watch, look at its face and mentally add any two opposite numbers together. Ask him to announce the result. Concentrate a moment and then announce the two numbers he added. Immediately ask him to repeat this and mentally to add any other two opposite numbers, and again announce the result. You again immediately tell him the numbers he added. Now, without allowing time for anyone to analyze this procedure, ask a spectator to subtract mentally two opposite numbers, the smaller from the larger, but not to announce the result, just to concentrate on it. Almost immediately you tell him the correct figure. EXPLANATION (has been removed to retain its secrets) Hope you can have some fun with this. Well we have great autumn ahead of us with many excellent events scheduled for our Friday evening meetings, and don’t forget to book your tickets for the Annual Dinner. It will be a fantastic evening for you and any friends or relatives you want to bring along. Tell Henry Norris how many tickets you want. Do it now before they all go. | 
