Al Jaffee's Mad Book of Magic and Other Dirty Tricks

by Al Jaffee

There are many ominous sayings in the mystical realm of the magician. But most significant is the one that says, "It is grievous bad luck to pick up a book about magic and put it down withoug buying it." Not for the Customer, for the author.

For the customer it is joyous good luck.

But for those of you who never had good luck, and wouldn't know it if it hit you square in the face, this book is right up your alley. So get with it by learning your first bit of magic right now. It's called, "The dazzling disappearing coing trick." Your bookdealer will be more than happy to help you with this trick.

Amaze friends...astound neighbors...nauseate magicians.

Genres: Comics, Humor, Magic

194 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1970

About the author

Allan Jaffee was an American cartoonist. He was notable for his work in the satirical magazine Mad, including his trademark feature, the Mad Fold-in. Jaffee was a regular contributor to the magazine for 65 years and is its longest-running contributor. In a 2010 interview, Jaffee said, "Serious people my age are dead."
With a career running from 1942 until 2020, Jaffee holds the Guinness World Record for having the longest career as a comic artist. In the half-century between April 1964 and April 2013, only one issue of Mad was published without containing new material by Jaffee.
In 2008, Jaffee was honored by the Reuben Awards as the Cartoonist of the Year. Cartoonist Arnold Roth of The New Yorker said, "Al Jaffee is one of the great cartoonists of our time." Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz wrote, "Al can cartoon anything."

Reviews

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love MAD magazine, because it's always makes me think of staying home sick from school. Often my doting mother would provide me with a new MAD magazine to read in bed, especially when it was clear that I was actually under the weather and not faking. It was also fun to be privy to mildly risque material with full parental approval. Compared to what kids have access to these days, the fact that MAD could ever have been considered at all offensive by anyone is almost precious, but compared to my usual entertainment MAD might as well have been "Chock Full O' Beaver" magazine, and I eagerly read and reread whatever I could get my hands on. Thus, a perusal of MAD magazine always instills a feeling of getting away with something, regardless of how innocent its content might seem in comparison to pretty much everything else.

It used to be that the only bookstore in Maine was a local place called Mr. Paperback, an agreeable if not exactly expansive place to pick up magazines and bestsellers, and they used to have a whole section dedicated to MAD paperbacks, an area I flocked to but only ended up buying anything from once, and it was this Al Jaffee send-up of magicians. Along with Don Martin and Mort Drucker, Jaffee was always one of my favorites (he did the foldy and often pretty brilliant "make a funny picture out of a regular picture" things in the back cover). A master of both physical (exaggerated human posture was always one of MAD's stocks in trade, and Jaffee never drew anyone doing anything at all gainly) and verbal (his "snappy put-downs to stupid questions" were always a reliable source of easy chuckles, as "comedian" Bill Engvall must have realized when he decided to 100% rip them off) humor, Jaffee's articles in MAD were always a highlight for me, and to have a whole fat little book of them was a good treat, one that I returned to often.

If I ever have a camp, I think I'll try to stock it with as many old MAD paperbacks as I can track down. It seems like ideal, relaxing reading material for camp. Isn't it fascinating for you to know what I intend to do regarding the book inventory in my nonexistent camp?

[Brenda Conry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit of silliness from my younger days. (Much younger.) I believe I get more of the jokes than I had then.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

"For this trick, you will require almost two thousand fleas. They are strong and easy to train."
Obviously!
I read this book when I was 12 and it was the exact same brilliant then as it is now.

[FranklinTV · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember this being the funniest book in Year 6. And 40 years later, its still very good!

[Michael David · Rating 4 out of 5]

The trick on page 183-184 was savage.