Lot 496: (SIX SIGNED BOOKS FROM DUNNINGER S LIBRARY)

496. SIX SIGNED BOOKS FROM DUNNINGER'S LIBRARY Great lot of six books from Dunninger's library, each bearing an original signed ink drawing by the illustrator of his book Dunninger's Magic Tricks, eccentric American artist of fantastic images, MAHLON BLAINE (1894-1970). Blaine's intricate line work often centered on exotic, suggestive or occult subject matter, representative of the artist's own mysterious life, he confounded interviewers, misleading them with invented tales of travel and high adventure. On The Living Buddha by Paul Morand, Henry Holt & Co., 1928, a sketch of a horned creature in a tweed suit, inscribed to Dunninger; on The Adventures of Sinbad the Sailor & The Adventures of Baron Munchhausen, Three Sirens Press, New York, a sketch of an oldtime sailing ship, to Dunninger; on Satanism and Witchcraft by Jules Michelet, Walden Publications, New York, 1939, a portrait of the fictitious G. Christopher Hudson (the pseudonym Blaine used for his art in The Maniac. A Realist Study of Madness from the Maniac's Point of View), inscribed to Dunninger, with dustjacket; Bushwhacking, by Hugh Clifford, Harper & Bros., New York, 1929, a rendition of a swordsman in a headwrap, to Dunninger; another copy of the same book, with sketch of two native women beside a shaded stream, to Dunninger; and Black Majesty, by John W. Vandercook, Literary Guild, New York, 1928, with dustjacket, bearing a fine drawing of a black fieldhand carrying her hoe as she walks down a path, also to Dunninger. Conditions vary, generally very good, three with Dunninger's bookplate, also based on a striking, exotic Blaine illustration. An association of magic and mystery! Six books total. From the estate of JOSEPH DUNNINGER (1892-1975). Dubbed "the Amazing Dunninger", he was one of the most famous and proficient mentalists of all time, a pioneer performer of magic on radio and television, and close friend and associate of Harry Houdini, with many lots directly related to Houdini. Dunninger showed a prodigious skill at prestidigitation as a child, and was encouraged by his family to pursue the art. By age 16, Dunninger had already made a name for himself as a mentalist with a vaudeville tour on the wildly popular Keith-Orpheum circuit. He soon became sought-after for private performances, including those for prominent personalities such as Theodore Roosevelt and Thomas Edison. Everywhere he performed, Dunninger garnered amazement by his ability to read minds. Though this incredible ability was the perfect target for skeptics and nay sayers, Dunninger never claimed to have any psychic gift. He waged war against fraudulent mediums and "mind readers" throughout his life, and repeatedly offered the sum of $10,000 to anyone who could prove that he used props or "stooges" in his act. He even claimed that he could raise that reward to $100,000 should he be proven a fake. The style of Dunninger's act went ways in dispelling any doubts about his competency as a mentalist: shunning an elaborate set, he typically sat on a stool or in a chair aided only by a simple pad of paper and a pencil. He would doodle while he called out names, initials, or numbers thought of by some member of his audience. When audience members replied, Dunninger would spell out names, read social security numbers, or even serial numbers from dollar bills. He would reveal word for word phrases merely written by a spectator. He usually concluded a reading by asking "Are you thinking of the word 'amazing'? Is it in reference to me? Thank you very much". With the start of commercial radio in the 1940s, Dunninger was given a show in which he demonstrated hypnosis through radio. In the 1950s and 1960s he made frequent appearances on television alongside stars such as Lucille Ball, and authored numerous works. The following material from his estate is an intriguing look into the field of mentalism, illusionism and its historic and philosophical bases. Many of the books offered are rare and desirable in and of themselves, and, with the personal association to Dunninger and Houdini, show the influences and preoccupations of the two great magicians. The magic props, their eccentric appeal aside, show the proverbial "inner workings" of Dunninger's eclectic stage performances which dazzled thousands and ensured his legacy. Overall a wonderful offering. $400-600