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GERMAIN, Karl (Charles Mattmuller, 1878 - 1959). Germain the Wizard’s Diaries. An archive of 50 personal daily diaries and notebooks kept by this celebrated and artistic performer, spanning the 1890s to 1940s, and being a personal chronicle of the ideas, thoughts, tour dates, finances, and records of public and private performances of the Chautauqua and Lyceum magician dating to his earliest days on the stage until long after his retirement and transition from a career before the footlights to his second profession as a counselor at law in Cleveland, Ohio. Germain’s encounters with other magicians and entertainers are frequently chronicled, and among the well-known performers mentioned are Paul Fleming, Maurice Raymond, fellow Cleveland magicians De Jen and Sam Pereria, Tenichi, Buatier de Kolta, Paul Valadon, Chassino (the shadowgraphist), Frederick Eugene Powell at the Eden Musee (including a description of his program), Alexander Herrmann (noting his death in 1896), Imro Fox (“at Grand Opera House New York City”), Ed Maro (including an entry outlining his program), and other related conjurers, including a tantalizing entry on May 9, 1909 regarding one of Germain’s own shows: “Performance at Martinka’s. [In the audience were] Mr. Kellar Mme. Herrmann, Mr. Thurston, Mr. Rouclere” and on the following day, “To Thurston matinee…lunch with Mr. Thurston.” Further notations on subsequent days note that Germain spent time with Harry and Eva Kellar in Manhattan. Entries range in length from single words or phrases to longer descriptions of performances, personal matters, and travel schedules, lists of tricks in Germain’s repertoire (beginning in 1896), descriptions of effects he planned to perform, famous and/or inspiring quotations, etc. Several early entries appear in an unknown block-capital shorthand. Tiny sketches in Germain’s hand also appear, including one pencil drawing of a table leg for his famed Rose Growth, and perhaps a matching center table. Many diaries include accounting on the rear leaves of Germain’s finances (in detail). And a quantity bear the note in Germain’s hand stating, “If found, please return to K. Germain, 1429 Kenilworth Ave., Cleveland, Ohio” (and other Cleveland addresses). Germain also records ideas for patter, possible billings for his show, and other aspects of his performing career (on August 21, 1903 in Kentucky he writes, “First time 1 sheets were used,” a reference to his color portrait poster produced by the firm of J. Morgan Litho.). He also makes mention of personal occurrences, i.e. “Bad night…neuralgia,” notes one “bum” performance in 1899, records the titles of books he is reading, effects he is experimenting with, roles he wishes to play, and occasionally mentions significant world events; on November 10 and 11, 1918, his entry reads, “War ended at 2:50 AM our time. … Everybody mad with delight.” Later diaries include braille slips pasted on their title pages, or with braille messages punched into the title pages to aid Germain in identifying them, due to his blindness. Included with is a similar book completed in the hand of his sister and one-time assistant, Ida Germain, as well as a quantity of Germain’s pictorial bookplates, and a clipped offset portrait of the magician. Most of the diaries have had their outer wrappers removed, most likely by Germain, for ease of storage and transport, but with the contents in good to very good condition, and in all, a lengthy, revealing, and personal first-person record of the life, performances, and innermost thoughts of one of the most celebrated and artistic prestidigitators of his generation.