STUFF:  Is a beautifully designed and produced, large hard-backed book of top quality magic and contains detailed descriptions of several marketed props and routines many of which you will find offered on this website.  These include the Beta Wallet, the Breese-Mason Wallet, Cummupence, the Silver Retriever, the Golden Retriever and Pandora.  Eric Mason was not only a brilliant inventor and magician; he was a creative and talented illustrator. All of these qualities are reflected in a book which I highly recommend.   Price £20.00.

ERIC MASON AND HIS BOOK STUFF

My friend Eric Mason was born in 1921 and was a highly talented and exceptionally creative magician and illustrator. He was the Art Editor of Pabular magazine and illustrated countless books for me and several other publishers. He released many commercial magic effects including the Beta Wallet, the Breese-Mason Wallet, Cummupence, the Silver Retriever and the Golden Retriever and many of these effects are described in this book.

Eric used to share the spotlight with Fred Robinson at the Marlborough Arms public house near the Magic Circle on Monday evenings. There the alternative Magic Circle met and Eric was always ready to perform a seemingly impromptu miracle; seemingly impromptu because his pockets were always so jammed full of props that David Britland - another magical genius – once described Eric as, ‘Rattling with magic as he walked’.

He was a great sleight of hand performer and was so adept with coin sleights that he could back-clip an old English penny and hold a half dollar coin in the palm of the same hand. He used to throw the half dollar up in the air and as it landed back on his palm he would back-clip it and simultaneously release and display the penny concealed between the back of his fingers.

As far a spectator could see, Eric held a half dollar in his open hand tossed it up in the air and by the time it landed back in his hand it had changed into a penny. Early in his career, Eric and his wife Eileen lived in a caravan in Cornwall for several years where Eric spent his time designing, painting and illustrating. Unusually, many of his paintings were published in miniature form on matchbox covers.

The business man for whom Eric produced the matchbox cover designs was another true British eccentric and he used to arrive on horseback wearing a pair of shorts and riding boots when visiting the caravan to collect Eric’s matchbox artwork. What a sight it must have been! I miss Eric’s company greatly and even though he died in 1986 - more than twenty years ago - it seems as if it was only yesterday that he was in my Magic Lounge in London showing me one of his latest magical creations. Keep smiling Eric. You and your wonderful magic performance will never be forgotten.