Robert Harbin – The Magic of Robert Harbin

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This groundbreaking book unveils the secrets behind some of the most iconic tricks and illusions created by one of the greatest minds in magic, Robert Harbin.

In “The Magic of Robert Harbin,” readers can find detailed plans and performance rights for the renowned Zig Zag Girl illusion.

In August 1968, after Jim Sommers acknowledged that he had created the Zig Zag Girl without Harbin’s consent, Harbin decided to publish “The Robert Harbin Book of Magic.” This book provided the necessary plans for the Zig Zag, granting readers the right to construct and perform the illusion. To obtain the book, buyers were required to request a prospectus and sign a legal agreement to maintain confidentiality regarding its contents. The book’s owners were permitted to create illusions solely for personal use.

Only 500 copies were printed before Harbin ordered the destruction of the plates. Currently, The Magic Circle holds the rights to this work.

A limited number of copies were also sold to magic society libraries for £10, but these were not dispatched until two years after the initial release.

In the 1980s, unknown individuals, later identified as Al Mann and Craige Snader, illegally printed and bound several copies of the Harbin book in Mexico.

To distinguish the original from the bootleg versions, the authentic book features a small sticker on page 154 with text in the margin, starting with “This is confusing…”, whereas the counterfeit copies have the text printed directly on the page.

Another unauthorized version, a softbound photocopy, was reportedly produced by Gary Darwin.

The index of illusions featured in “The Magic of Robert Harbin” includes:

The Vanishing Vase and Flowers

(Note: The scan quality may not be ideal, but we must appreciate what is available. This appears to have been sourced from one of the aforementioned bootleg copies.)