Too Good to Be True? IU Acquires Legendary Magic Collection

A practical home for a remarkable collection

“David Ben’s collection is remarkable, and it could only have been assembled by someone who has been immersed in the world of magic for decades as a performer and scholar, and who has the connoisseurship to select the finest copies of the most important books, along with some of the most interesting and significant manuscripts,” said Joel Silver, Director of the Indiana University Libraries Lilly Library.   

Inspired by Harry Houdini, who bequeathed his massive collection to the United States Library of Congress, Ben always contemplated finding a lasting home for his own collection where it would remain accessible for future generations. It was, however, the Lilly Library’s 2023 acquisition of the personal and research archives of the illustrious magician, writer, and actor Ricky Jay that first brought the Indiana rare books library to Ben’s attention, motivating him to reach out to gauge their interest in his collection.

A selection of magic books in the David Ben Collection

“The fact that the Lilly is interested in, and is unafraid of the allied arts, creates an opening for exploration in an underserved area of academic study,” Ben said.  “It was important for me, having spent a lifetime putting this all together, to try to keep it together. When I saw Ricky Jay’s work went to the Lilly, I thought that was a real commitment by an institution.” 

After a discussion with Silver, Ben determined IU was the best place for his life’s work.  Not only is the Lilly Library committed to public access – there are no academic or residency requirements to use the materials – there is also a shared vision for the possibilities the study of magic offers scholars and academic communities.  

“I'd really like to work with the Lilly to make it an epicenter for the study of magic as not only a performing art, but to recognize all the other intellectual branches that flow out of this,” Ben said. “There is magic and cinema, magic and psychology, magic and science, magic and literature. My collection contains all of this.”

As a central figure in the professional magic community, Ben has a unique view of the people who embrace its fundamental principles. 

Forging a future for magic's past

“There are many academics who have a great love of magic who are starting to incorporate that in their teaching and areas of expertise,” he noted.

Scholars who visit the Lilly Library in the upcoming years will encounter a collection 50 years in the making with materials spanning the late 19th century through the early 21st.  For scholars, performers, and historians alike, the materials may read like a wish list. 

Just a few highlights still being unpacked from the 250 boxes acquired by the Lilly Library from David Ben include:

• A first edition of Grand Exposé of the Science of Gambling, 1860, one of only 7–10 in existence.
• A first edition of The Expert at the Card Table, 1902, a classic and highly influential book on card manipulation, cheating, and sleight-of-hand.
• Personal notebooks and information from master magicians and creative thinkers including Sid Lorraine, Stewart James and most notably legendary magician Dai Vernon.
• Approximately 250 paper silhouettes by Vernon, many signed, including a rare, signed silhouette of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, as well as others depicting Ed Sullivan, D. W. Griffith, Cary Grant, Jimmy Durante, and more. Vernon’s personal scrapbook of his silhouette-cutting tour is also included.
• An extensive collection, assembled by Tom Ransom, of Edwardian and Victorian conjuring books in pristine condition, as well as signed copies of the core magic books of the 20th century, including works by performers, writers, ghost writers, and artists.
• Virtually complete files of major magic periodicals from the 1890s to the early 21st century, including every issue of “The Sphinx” from 1901–1952 and “The Linking Ring” from the 1920s to present. British publications from the 1900s to present day are also represented.
• Thousands of photographs documenting magicians and their magic throughout the 20th century including hundreds of images of major performers shot and annotated by Arto Airaksinen (each inscribed with the name of the performing artist and the location) and original negatives by Hollywood photographer, writer and magician William Woodfield (1928-2001).
• Ephemera such as playbills, newspaper clippings, and advertising material including the James B. Findlay and Msgr. Vincent Foy collection of hundreds of magic-related postcards from the 1900s and onward.

Scholars will also appreciate the depth of materials related to deception in gambling, card playing, divination and the history of spirit mediums. 

A selection of gambling and spiritualism books in the David Ben Collection

“If there is money to be had, there is going to be deception,” Ben explained. “This collection has books that discuss both on how to deceive people and how to safeguard yourself against deception.”   

Ben is excited about potential for both historical and social science research regarding the ways people in difficult times seek answers, and the ways in which bad actors respond to that with specific techniques of manipulation.

A puzzling pairing

Puzzles are another area of shared focus between David Ben and the Lilly Library. Indiana University holds what may be the world’s largest public collection of mechanical puzzles, thanks to collector and donor Jerry Slocum.  After 20 years of stewardship, the Library and its curator of puzzles are still unlocking new possibilities for impact.  Ben’s collection includes a complete collection of “Chaos” magazine, published by Winnipeg’s Mel Stover, which featured puzzles and related content, as well as puzzle-related materials that document the thinking and creative discoveries of writer Stewart James.

“Puzzles are important because the root of all magic is curiosity, and a puzzle is a curiosity that ignites the imagination. Magic is really about problem solving,” Ben said. He believes challenges offered by both puzzles and magic inspire new ways of thinking for those pursuing not only an education in business, but any future career that requires framing an issue and making decisions towards its resolution. 

Summoning patience

One challenge for scholars and performing artists alike will be the patience and expertise required for the Library to catalog the hundreds of boxes in the collection.  While illusions depend on speed and surprise, making a collection of this scale available depends on time, expertise, and care. 

“It takes a great deal of time and specialized knowledge to process and describe a large and wide-ranging collection such as this, and all of us at the Lilly Library are committed to making this collection as accessible and useful as possible to what we hope will be a wide-ranging group of people, from Indiana University students and faculty to the general public and the international magic community,” Silver explained.

Ben was not surprised to learn time was needed to prepare the collections for research. After all, he has spent decades organizing the materials in his care.

“The commitment by the Lilly Library to devote the talent of its people and some of its resources to put magic on the map as an intellectual pursuit at the highest level, that’s the first step,” said Ben.  “And the second step,” he added, “is the staff of the Lilly Library infusing it with their own special magic.”

Learn more about the people behind the Lilly Library Collections: