Harry Ransom CenterThe University of Texas at Austin

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Magic

Poster from the Theater Arts Collection.

Poster from the Theater Arts Collection.

The McManus-Young Collection contains 2,500 books on the art and history of conjuring, sleight of hand and stage magic, hypnotism, spiritualism, and witchcraft. This is supplemented by other Theater Arts holdings, including Reginald Scot's Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584), the earliest work to contain a section on magic tricks and legerdemain. Related to this is a collection of books on spiritualism that belonged to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The Harry Houdini Collection contains posters, programs, correspondence, and books on conjuring owned by the magician.

 

The Fleur Cowles Flair Symposium 2008

Registration for the Flair Symposium, November 13-15, 2008, is now open. Registration is open to the public with a limited number of spaces available to students at a discounted price. Members of the Harry Ransom Center also receive a discount.

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The Mike Wallace Interview

Watch broadcast journalist Mike Wallace's interviews from the television program The Mike Wallace Interview. Wallace donated the show's footage on 16mm kinescope to the Ransom Center in the early 1960s. Most episodes have not been seen since they aired.

Watch the interviews

Beatnik Questionnaire

Where do you live: Squaresville or Beatnik Boro? Sunnyville or Crazyville?

Find out if you are a Beatnik