The Magic Box

by Joseph Pintauro, Norman Laliberté (editor/illustrator)

One of four books originally published and sold as part of the box set entitled "The Rainbow Box," which came with a pretty collector's box, a poster, and this small square hardback as well as three others; one for each of the four seasons of the year. "The Magic Box" was intended by Pintauro to be the Autumnal book of the collection, and speaks to themes of everyday magic, spirituality and relationships with mixed media art by Norman Norman Laliberté.

Genres: Poetry, Childrens, Art

96 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1970

Reviews

[Jo-Anne Li · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life is magic. Death is magic.

Only nothing is not magic.

Life is the living you do

Death is the living you don’t do.

To be too unwilling to die is just as dangerous as being too unwilling to live

Here we are three million years too early in Grand Central a long time before home

You see no familiar face

All together now just people sailing on long journeys into the open kingdoms of each other

Wild rabbits never wonder at the weather nor do they ever care when treasure men meet on the changes of the shoreline for they are ghosts, & we walking passed them on cream silk

The wind blows off the breasts of sand & barefoot…”I am not really Julius Caesar,” he whispered & the wind blew through our smile.

When faces lose their names, our eyes come empty of all answers, what is left is deep down past smells of mother, & moons so old, a million Egyptian aunts have been holding hands forever

We walk toward the parking lot…& there is no man so young as we once thought we were.

So do not be down but save your dreams & if you feel about to die write your song & pass it on for soon comes a magic winter.

[Korine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading The Magic Box these days—or any part of the Rainbow Box series—is an expensive endeavor. You will either spend your time tracking it down at a library or a lot of your dollars buying a copy (and maybe both). With that in mind, I cannot say this is a "must-read." However, it is lovely, novel, and hopeful about death; think of something between The Slightly Irregular Fire Engine and counterculture poetry. It's the kind of book that I can't believe was released by a major publisher. If you have the opportunity to spend time with it, it's an excellent experience.

[Taussen Brewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

this series changed my life.

[Benjamin Niespodziany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Multimedia poetic collage of vintage graphics and magic.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book brings me so much joy. Found one day in a dusty old bookstore over 30 years ago & felt like I was reunited with an old friend. What a treat!