On its face, this is a book about old books. And it is, in fact, just that - a book filled with essays about old books, as the subtitle puts it. "With All Faults" is an auctioneer's term for describing an old or rare book known or suspected to be imperfect.
The essays in this collection are based on the author's experiences as a book scout, collector, dealer, and publisher over the course of fifty years. But as Jim Steinmeyer's review in Genii puts it, Meyer's book is "disarmingly subtitled." Why? Because the author has played an important role in the magic world as a publisher of classic books on conjuring.
Steinmeyer goes on to say, "...while these 13 fascinating chapters are focused on creaky library shelves of curious books, they are invariably about the people who wrote them, published them, sold them, hoarded them, and loved them for various reasons. Because of David's career and interests, magicians will find that those library doors continually open to discover many of our dear friends: Jay and Frances Marshall, Bob and Elaine Lund, Ricky Jay, David Copperfield, Robert Parrish, Okito, Thurston, and Nelmar, among others."
This is a book magicians will most certainly revel in and relish, as they take in tales of the classic conjuring pulp publications of the early twentieth century, Robert Lund's pre-American Museum of Magic escapades with the works of Alister Crowley, Robert Parrish and Theo Bamberg's work to bring Okito on Magic into print, and the unusual career of Anthony "Nelmar" Albino, the curious Chicago publisher of magic periodicals and pamphlets.
Clothbound with dust jacket, illustrated with dozens of photos (including many of the aforementioned magicians and collectors), 7 x 10", 137 pages.
This brand new publication (released in June 2021) is exclusive to QTTE.
