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Poster published with permission of Norm Neilsen

Broken Wand - John Booth

Message from John & Tammy Calvert

We just heard from Norm Nielsen that John Booth passed away last Wednesday.

In January when we were in California, Bill McIlhany and his wife drove us to see John and his daughter. We met Dr Ragatz there and we all went out for lunch. John ate well and he even had a desert, somebody said he loved deserts. He was in very high spirits that day.

John Booth and John Calvert has been friends for many many years. They are both Leos and John Booth is one year younger than John Calvert. Their birthdays are within a few days apart.

John Booth was a prolific writer of magic and travelled the world making documentaries on film.

He wrote, "John Calvert has reached the mountain tops of existence and has opened windows through which we can peer." John Booth.

Thank you John for all you have done for the magic fraternity. Rest in peace. We love you.

Whaley's Who's Who In Magic
Copyright by Lybrary.com, reproduced with permission.
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Booth, Rev Dr John (William Nicholls), LittD, MIMC (Meadville, Pennsylvania: 7 Aug 1912- ) Inspired at age 10 by a magic set. Learned at age 14 from W.J. Armstrong ("Armah"). Semi-pro at 15 (in 1927). Edited-published Canada's second (after W.G. Edwards's Edwards Monthly) magic magazine, The Canadian Magician's Digest (1929, 3 issues). Organized the first Canadian magic convention (Hamilton, Ontario) 18-19 Apr 1931. Pro 1934-Mar 1940, as a prominent society, nightclub, & hotel magician. In 1938 also worked alternate venues as "Jancini". 1937 Sphinx Award.

Then an ordained Unitarian minister (1942 until retired in 1975). Part-time pro celebrity platform lecturer 1943-58, touring world-wide. 1977 AMA Literary Fellowship. 1983 SAM Hall of Fame. 1985 & 1988 H. Adrian Smith Literary Award; 1987 Magic Circle "John Nevil Maskelyne Prize".

Invented Pull-Down (late 1920s) & Booth's Baffling Block (1928). Wrote over 400 articles (since 1928) for Linking Ring, Sphinx, Genii, & Magicol. Also (since 1930) 12 books on magic: Super Magical Miracles (1930), Forging Ahead in Magic (1939, 154pp; reprinted 1944), Marvels of Mystery (1941, 146pp; reprinted 1946 & 1963), The John Booth Classics (1975, 252pp, being a reprint of the two previous books plus "A Conjurer's Reminiscences"), Psychic Paradoxes (1984, 243pp), Wonders of Magic (1986, 289pp), Dramatic Magic (1988, 243pp), Creative World of Conjuring (1990, 268pp), Conjurians' Discoveries (1992, 274pp), The Fine Art of Hocus Pocus (1996, 287pp), Extending Magic Beyond Credibility (2001, 272pp), Magical Mentalism. Also wrote books on religion, travel, & genealogy as "John Nicholls Booth": Fantastic Destinations, The Quest for Preaching Power, The Story of the Second Church in Boston. An index of his 1963-88 Linking Ring articles is Ben Robinson & Amy Janello (editor), Memoirs of a Magician's Ghost (1988, 243pp).

(Genii4/81;Bo#219,#320;Th;Mag;WWA1970-82; Ho;Wh)

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