When you mention that you intend writing your biography you become the recipient of much advice – mostly from people who have seldom written a letter but they all know how you should go about filling the initial blank page.

I listen, of course, but pay little attention for in the back of my mind I recall Fred Allen’s approach to writing with helpful advice from John Steinbeck.

The advice was to try to remember people and things – disregard chronological organization. Don’t strive for literary style – just write what you know about yourself and everything will develop an order of its own. It’s a method I have unknowingly followed. Over the years I have been persuaded to give talks at the annual magic collectors meet in Chicago, discuss magical history at other gatherings and chat about advertising art and photography for organisations of magicians.

The late Peter Isaac was aware of this and early in 1980 he approached me with the statement that he always enjoyed hearing about my past history, experiences and the people I had met. He said “I’d like to capture it on tape. Here is my idea – I’ll visit you one day a week and tape an hour of material – I will provide you with the transcript and I will leave the tape. This will give you material as a basis – you can start writing the book and it will be fun for both of us.”

Knowing Peter, I was not surprised when he turned up around 1:00 pm.

It was lunchtime – so Rene made lunch and about 2 o’clock, the first taping session began. Well, the one-hour became a three-hour session. The following week Peter assured me that he’d be on time – he was, indeed, earlier. This time he arrived just before 12 – It was lunchtime again and the taping became another 3-hour session.

At the conclusion he apologized and said he thought it best to forego lunch – as much as he enjoyed it – complimenting Rene on the attractiveness of the sandwiches and tray arrangements – saying he always felt greedy by eating such an attractive layout. But he realized time was taken up with the meals and in the future he would arrive early and do a one-hour taping session. The following weeks did have earlier starting times but all seem three and four hours.

I should mention – each week when he arrived he presented me with a transcript of the previous week’s recorded material.

Altogether Peter provided me with 238 pages of my recollections. The last one was made in March 13, 1986. Peter died on May 2nd, age 36 - a brilliant young man – a clever inventive magician - who left this world much too young and too soon. I shall be forever indebted to him and for the many words that make much of this book an easier task for me.

The material that follows will, no doubt, be typical of the customary word rambling that I have used in my fifty or more years of column writing for magicians.

However, I hope my memories of past years will prove of interest to others and the varied ideas, tried and untried will be worthy of consideration for the programs of others.

Above all, I hope that some of the pleasure and enjoyment I have experienced will be shared by those who peruse the following pages.