How big is your library? 🤔 Not that I'm judging you by size, but in this video, I'm discussing why you need a large magic library - what it can do for you, tools to get the most out of it, and how you should feel about all those unread books on the shelf! 😱 📚 🎭

What percentage of your library have you read? 🧮🤷‍♂️

https://youtu.be/nZt01bwDxZU

I think in my case, I started out grabbing bargain used books here in the for sale section of the Café'. I would often get one to 3 at a time (or more in cases like all 5 Card College books as a set). Often, within a month, I would find more that I wanted at reasonable prices so it got to the point that I just couldn't read them all. Often, the books I bought showed no signs of being more than skimmed (might see a pattern here).

There is also an art to reading "most" magic books. I do not find them easy to read and comprehend like a novel or a self help, sci-fi, fantasy, poetry... They are more like technical guides / textbooks (many at college level or above IMO). I do not remember where, but I did once see a good YouTube video on "how to read a magic book" that had helpful hints. Many of my books, after a good skim to a decent read-thru, I plan on going back one day and have notes as well as bookmarks on the "stand out" stuff I want to revisit.

My journey into books came from my first hospitalization for Cancer in 2011, before that, I only had a couple fairly common books that I had only skimmed or referenced different effects within. I was fortunate to have a mentor early on and just never needed "independent study" (a very wrong assumption looking back). Anyway, while in the hospital, I was able to purchase many inexpensive PDF versions of book from places like Lybrary.com, Conjuring Arts and L&L Epub (as well as a few others. By the time I had my second hospitalization in 2013 for a major relapse, I had started to build a more physical library. Steven Keyl's www.magicbookreport.com really got me interested in reading more physical books do to his great demo vids of his favorite effects from the books he reviewed (too bad it is no longer actively updated or added to).

The timing on this particular subject (today's video: "You Need A Large Magic Library") has some "creepy" timing. I talk a lot to a teenage magician from my club and just today I was remarking (while looking up references on a Cull Force for him to research the history) I mentioned how many of my books I still have not read, or only skimmed and he remarked the same.

I agree that Denis Behr's resource is invaluable and I also like
https://www.conjuringcredits.com/doku.ph......ead_cull
another great companion to Denis Behr's great site.

Thanks for sharing your story, Poof-Daddy! I'm glad to here about the serendipitous timing of my video. Sometimes the right thing comes into your life at the right time. Have a great week!

Thanks Jeff for your video ! I really liked the concept of "anti-library" : I think we can see these unread books as the promise of delightful readings to come. News ideas or brillant theories just wainting for us.

However, it seems that the process of building a magic library is a very personal one. We, individually, buy books, just for home and occasionally we lend some of these books to our closest (magician) friends. Aside from magic circles or projects as the Conjuring Art Centers, there's no such thing as "public magic library" ?

There are "Magic Books" in the public library. Most are fairly beginner books and of the few I have checked out over the years to browse thru, there were not very "usable" effects that don't already have several better variations in print or on video.

I have a large magic library. None of the books are unread.

You're right, it's often an individual pursuit, constrained by various resources, which led me to start my channel to help magicians allocate said scarce resources. But, it helps to have friends with large libraries. 😁

Good luck with your pursuit. The fun is in the journey...

Yes, you're right. I remember that my local public library had an old copy of Jean Hugard's Encyclopedia of card tricks. I was a kid, and it was pure gold for me at that time !

Where I live, the National public library has a very interesting collection of magic books (Derren Brown, Christian Chelman..), and some of theme are out-of-print. You have to ask for an access as a researcher.

I’ve a lot of books. I would say I’ve read 20 % of my library. And despite so much thousand hours dedicated to magic books, I’ve studied only a few %… I’m fascinated by all the knowledge I have to discover through my anti library. And I can still study the notes taken about the already studied stuff, taking other notes in the process. And on and on…

Thank you to Jeff Kowalk, for introducing me to the concept of the "antilibrary". I don't have to feel guilty anymore - I'm not just a hoarder, afterall.

As someone who is fortunate enough to have a large library (north of 3000 volumes), one of the reasons I created it is to have it as a resource I can share with others. I routinely offer other magicians access to it and am surprised at how few take me up on it. I have come to wonder if a lot of magicians like the idea of reading magic books and intend to do so but then never do it.

One of the largest libraries in our art is the one at the Magic Castle. On any given night when I am able to get there, I only see 3 or 4 people at most actually using the materials rather than talking to a friend. Some of those are who are using the material are at one of the video stations--not that there is anything wrong with using videos.

As far as public or semi-public magic libraries go, there are some options albeit not all easily accessible:

--Brown University in Providence, RI has a collection of about 6,000 volumes that was left to it by an alumnus. It is likely the largest university collection out there, at least in the US.
--The library at the American Museum of Magic in Marshall, MI has about 12,000 volumes.
--The holdings ar the Library of Congress are varied and tend to be older titles, but have some depth.
--The University of Delaware has a large collection of magic books in their Warner Perry Collection as I understand it although I don't know the scope of the holdings.

There are also significant holdings, I believe, at the NY Public Library, the San Francisco Public Library, the University of California at Berkeley, and at Cornell University. If you live in Australia, the collection at the State Library in Victoria is supposed to be epic.

Brilliant, thank you. Antilibrary, fascinating. I, too, love books and have quite the library and love to dig in and read and think. Your analysis of magical literature is always welcoming. Downright therapeutic, in fact. On the unread books, I told my wife that if I die with unread books, I'm still happy knowing I supported the creators and helped them to make a good living. And the books will go to others who will enjoy. So, yes, sometimes I doubt I'll finish every book, but I know by spending my dollars I am making a statement.

I am a beginner and I indeed have a large library now .. thanks to you and David
I have to start reading the materials I bought.

This is a very interesting thread.

Does anyone know of a library, either public or private, that aims to collect every magic book being printed?

Regarding Umberto Eco's concept of the "antilibrary," this is essentially what a library is. While your personal library might consist only of books you've read, most large libraries are collections of books that no one person could ever read in their entirety.

Being printed as in everything that comes out starting today? Or anything that has ever come out?