Floyd Thayer - The Man and his Art

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Floyd Thayer - The Man and his ArtNumber sixteen in a series of Magical Pro-FilesAuthor: Fred Rickard7 by 10 inches 168 pages printed in full color on art matte paper 200 photograp hs Printed end-sheets The Story Behind the Book Fred Rickard was a long time fixture in the Southern California magic scene. He was a performer, historian, owner of a fabulous library, an employee at Merv Taylor’s and later at Owen Magic Supreme. For thirty-two years he was close friends with Floyd Thayer. I met Fred while I was still a teenager and he watched me grow as a performer and book publisher. In the mid 1980s, Fred started working on a book about Floyd’s life in magic which would include photos of the many wood-turned pieces of Thayer apparatus in his collection. Fred always said he wanted me to publish his book which I was more than happy to do. I never saw a finished manuscript and then, in 1989, Fred passed away. For the next thirty-six years, that’s where this story ended. In 2025, Gabe Fajuri was doing some work for the SAM Hall of Fame and I was helping out. The Hall of Fame Museum had spent more than twenty years in storage and the decision was made to sell some items. During a long day of digging, we unearthed a small, black, hand-written notebook. The title page knocked me for a loop: “Floyd Thayer - The Man and His Art by Fred Rickard.” The last page knocked me out of my chair: “This book will be designed and published by Mike Caveney in Pasadena, California.” I hadn’t seen my old friend for over three decades and here he was speaking to me from the grave. A promise made is a promise kept. The Book Because of Fred’s long friendship with Floyd Thayer, this is a very personal biography. The many stories recorded here are the result of countless hours Fred spent at the Thayer Manufacturing Company in downtown Los Angeles, at the shop and studio Floyd built at his famous home, Brookledge, and finally in Floyd’s last shop at his Pasadena home, where his career had started some fifty years earlier. To augment Fred’s manuscript, within the files of Egyptian Hall Museum, I found an article written by Fred about his life in magic, and another manuscript typed by Floyd about his own early life. No trace of the apparatus photographs were found but through the kindness of Jim Olsen, John Gaughan, and David Copperfield, I was able to photograph every one of the items Fred discussed in his manuscript. Furthermore, I have annotated the entire book and included more than 200 rare photos from Egyptian Hall Museum. The book contains 168 pages measuring eight by ten inches, printed end-sheets, and a cover and spine stamped with copper foil. This book is number sixteen in our long-running series of Magical Pro-Files. It is a feast for the eyes and I couldn’t be happier with the final result. A Recent Review “Who knew Fred Rickard was such a wonderful writer? For that matter, who knew Fred Rickard at all? I certainly didn’t and through his writing we're introduced to Rickard and his subject, his friend Thayer and Thayer’s work. It’s a gorgeous book filled with stunning photos (look no further than page 116). The detailed footnotes aren’t just academia, they really add color and detail that makes the book sing. A pleasure to read.” A. Boyce Show more