On Thursday evening, October 9, 2025, The Averbook Magic Art Museum & Library hosted magic history author Jim Hagy, who returned to his native Cleveland for one evening to talk about his recent books. The Instant Illusionist and the Cleveland Bunch celebrates the amazingly large cohort of Clevelanders of the early 1900s who aspired to success as vaudeville era magicians. Animal Wizards: A Critical History of Magicians’ Most Trusting Assistants examines the experience of animals in the performances of magicians of the late 19th and early 20th century against a backdrop of evolving societal attitudes about animal welfare and animal rights. Animal Wizards, recently released before Jim's lecture was already receiving rave reviews in the magic press here in the United States and abroad.
A lawyer and law professor in real life, Jim Hagy has studied, written, and spoken about 19th and 20th century magic and magicians for more than 60 years. He grew up in the Cleveland magic community, where for more than 20 years he was personal friends with many of the vaudeville-era magicians who are the subject of his Cleveland Bunch book. He is now a regular columnist in Genii magazine, where his Sleightly Astonishing column explores the storytelling connections between magic’s past and today’s audiences. Jim has been recognized as a Member of the InnerMagic Circle (London) with Gold Star for more than forty years and is a recipient of the Milbourne Christopher Literary Award for Notable Contributions to the Art of Magic.
All seats were sold out for this event, and everyone enjoyed themselves. Copies of The Instant Illusionist and the Cleveland Bunch were given as gifts to all attendees and Animal Wizards were available for purchase which sold out. Jim signed every copy.
Jim’s talk was fantastic, and the attendees heard about some of the legendary magicians from Cleveland’s past. Several of the magicians in attendance themselves personally knew some of the magicians Jim spoke about. Not everyone who attended was a magician and they loved the lecture. Jim also talked about the use of animals in magic. Jim is an avid animal supporter and is very concerned about the humane treatment of animals in all areas. His book reflects this concern and was discussed in the lecture.
We want to thank Dave Neuman and Jim Kleefeld for assistance in helping to host the lecture and in setting up chairs for the audience beforehand and striking the setup afterwards. This was a big help.
All proceeds from the ticket sales and Jim's book sales were generously donated to the Averbook Magic Art Museum and Library! We are very grateful for his support and friendship. The costs of maintaining a museum, conserving and preserving precious artifacts is enormous. The help in defraying these costs is significant and much appreciated.
You can purchase a copies of his books at: https://quickerthantheeye.com/p/new/the-instant-illusionist-and-the-cleveland-bunch-dreams-of-a-vaudeville-life-23624 and: https://quickerthantheeye.com/p/history-biography/animal-wizards-an-insider-s-guide-30236
Here are some photographs in the museum after the lecture:
