Gibecière: The Journal of the Conjuring Arts Research Center

Gibecière is a semi‑annual, peer-reviewed, journal published by the Conjuring Arts Research Center (CARC), a not‑for‑profit organization committed to preserving and interpreting the rich heritage of performance magic. Featuring rigorous research and exclusive translations of rare historical texts, Gibecière is an indispensable resource for academic researchers, library collections, and magic historians.

From its inaugural volume, published in January 2005 and replete with significant articles—such as “The Yawning Mouth” by Volker Huber, studies on arranged playing cards by Vanni Bossi, medieval cheating and organized crime by Robert Jütte, and a biographical piece by Ricky Jay on the Davenport Brothers—Gibecière has consistently offered pioneering scholarship.

Each issue delves into uncovering historical treasures: translations of long-lost manuscripts (like early acts of mesmerism, color-change sleights, and early Japanese magic), supplemented with iconographic support and thorough commentary. For example, Vol. 8, No. 1 (2013) reveals the Asti manuscript—with some of the earliest sleight-of-hand descriptions and force techniques—painstakingly transcribed, translated, illustrated, and annotated by leading scholars. Vol. 4, No. 2 offers the first English translation of Pablo Minguet’s seminal 1733 magic text, Engaños a ojos vistas, enriched with contextual essays by luminaries like Juan Tamariz and Stephen Minch.

Moreover, recent issues seamlessly integrate deep historical inquiry with contemporary scholarly analysis. For instance, Issue 38 (Vol. 19, No. 2, Summer 2024) traverses from a study of J. N. Maskelyne’s famously guarded “Box Trick” (and its litigation), to newly discovered facets of Giuseppe Pinetti’s performances, and the translation of one of the earliest European conjuring texts—an early 11th‑century Arabic work written in Cordoba.

Scholars, archivists, and librarians will value Gibecière for its depth of research, rare content, and the journal’s role in bridging academic rigor with the magic community’s unique historical artifacts. Its limited-run, non‑reprinted issues also make it a coveted acquisition for special collections and archives.

Editors

Stephen Minch and Maxwell Pritchard

ISSN: 1558-8149