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Yellow Perils: Difference between revisions

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[[Yellow Perils]] is the term coin by [[Patrick Playfair]] used to describe the bright yellow pictorial covered books produced by [[C. Arthur Pearson Ltd.]] from London in the early 1900s. Most of them were books on magic and other allied arts. Although Pearson had no real interest in magic, just selling books. The covers of most were bright and clean, the spines however were  more often than not ragged, crumbling or just plain missing. [[Image:YellowPerils.jpg|right]]
[[Yellow Perils]] was the term coined by [[Patrick Playfair]] to describe the bright yellow pictorial covered books produced by [[C. Arthur Pearson Ltd.]] of London in the early 1900s. Most of them were books on magic and other allied arts. Sir Cyril Arthur Pearson (1866 – 1921) was a British newspaper magnate and a prolific publisher who had no particular interest in magic, and in fact went blind by 1914, due to glaucoma. As an author he used many pseudonyms and wrote a number of instructional books on folkloric divination such as card-reading, and on puzzles, both under his own name and under the pseudonym Professor P.R.S. Foli.  


These books were originally very inexpensive at only one shilling or two shillings a piece. There was debate among magicians at the time if these books offered for sale primarily to the public were considered exposure. Professional magicians starting referring to them as "the yellow perils"  because their secrets were being made available so cheaply.
[[Image:YellowPerils.jpg|right]]


Raymond Ricard noted that there were 33 titles published, though not all were related to magic or the allied arts.
Pearson's books on magic were originally very inexpensive, at only one shilling or two shillings a piece. Most of them had yellow card-stock covers over-printed in black and red. There was debate among magicians at the time as to whether they were offered for sale primarily to the public rather than to the magical community and were therefore to be considered exposures. Professional magicians started referring to them as "the yellow perils" — a term derived from the xenophobic 19th century metaphor used to depict peoples of East and Southeast Asia as an existential danger to the Western world — because their secrets were being made available so cheaply.
 
Raymond Ricard noted that there were 33 titles published in this series over a period of about 25 years, although not all were related to magic or the allied arts.


These books now are highly sought after by some collectors.
These books now are highly sought after by some collectors.
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* [[Ventriloquism and Juggling]] by Harold C. King & E. T. John (1921)
* [[Ventriloquism and Juggling]] by Harold C. King & E. T. John (1921)
* [[Handkerchief Magic]] by [[Will Blyth]] (1922)
* [[Handkerchief Magic]] by [[Will Blyth]] (1922)
* [[Water Wizardry]] by Arthur Ainslie (1922)
* [[Water Wizardry]] by [[Arthur Ainslie]] (1922)
* Have You Heard this One? by Charles Vivian (1922)
* Have You Heard this One? by Charles Vivian (1922)
* [[More Paper Magic]] by [[Will Blyth]] (1923)
* [[More Paper Magic]] by [[Will Blyth]] (1923)
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* [[Broadcast Conjuring Tricks]] by  [[Cyril Shields]]  (1930)
* [[Broadcast Conjuring Tricks]] by  [[Cyril Shields]]  (1930)
* [[The Best Tricks and How to Do Them]]  by [[David Devant]] (1931)
* [[The Best Tricks and How to Do Them]]  by [[David Devant]] (1931)
* Pearson Puzzle Book by J. K. Benson
* Pearson Puzzle Book by J. K. Benson (1910)
* Pearson's Book of Fun, Mirth & Mystery by Mr X
* Pearson's Book of Fun, Mirth & Mystery by Mr X


Latest revision as of 06:19, 12 September 2022

Yellow Perils was the term coined by Patrick Playfair to describe the bright yellow pictorial covered books produced by C. Arthur Pearson Ltd. of London in the early 1900s. Most of them were books on magic and other allied arts. Sir Cyril Arthur Pearson (1866 – 1921) was a British newspaper magnate and a prolific publisher who had no particular interest in magic, and in fact went blind by 1914, due to glaucoma. As an author he used many pseudonyms and wrote a number of instructional books on folkloric divination such as card-reading, and on puzzles, both under his own name and under the pseudonym Professor P.R.S. Foli.

YellowPerils.jpg

Pearson's books on magic were originally very inexpensive, at only one shilling or two shillings a piece. Most of them had yellow card-stock covers over-printed in black and red. There was debate among magicians at the time as to whether they were offered for sale primarily to the public rather than to the magical community and were therefore to be considered exposures. Professional magicians started referring to them as "the yellow perils" — a term derived from the xenophobic 19th century metaphor used to depict peoples of East and Southeast Asia as an existential danger to the Western world — because their secrets were being made available so cheaply.

Raymond Ricard noted that there were 33 titles published in this series over a period of about 25 years, although not all were related to magic or the allied arts.

These books now are highly sought after by some collectors.

Titles [1]

References

  1. ↑ Yellow Perils by Raymond Ricard in Perennial Mystics No. 16 (2001)
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