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Have you ever regretted not buying a book? I certainly do in the case of the Tenyoism set which was published by Richard Kaufman nearly 10 years ago now in 2015.
An extensive publication of two large book volumes with all the Tenyo items listed that were released from 1964 to 2015.
Two first (and only) editions were sold with a total of 1,000 books published. The regular edition (with 4 DVD's and 3 effects/tricks) which comprised of 900 copies and then a deluxe version of just 100 (with lots more extras and signed).
When I first discovered this book a number of years back, it was still on general sale and I often wished that I had bought one before it sold out. It seemed expensive at the time as on sale for around $250 plus shipping, but on reflection it was a bargain. It now regularly trades for a lot more. The book is of course rare, attracting high prices at action and on eBay. Trading hands for a lot of money. The difficulty is sourcing from a legitimate source. I even had a wanted add on my collectables page within this site for a while.
I decided to source these books via Philip David Treece who is a bookseller and publisher that runs the well known magic book store Collecting Magic Books. While I had attempted to find a copy for sale, as it is a lot of money, I would not trust some of the adverts that I saw. I knew that Collecting Magic is reliable and established company.
As I had bought books from David before and I contacted him last January to ask if he ever gets a copy, to let me know. Just last week, I got an email confirming that he now had a copy in stock and was I still interested? I thought for the rarity of the item that he was fair on the price as well. It was no more or less than I would expect to pay.
Fast forward a week and I now have the books safely in my hands, sent via Royal Mail tracked and signed service. The books being extremely heavy and well packed well by David. To protect the slip case, where part of the build is weaker, David was kind enough to bespoke pack to protect. I have never received such a well packaged parce.
Do take a look at this site as I highly recommend. Excellent customer service and David responds to you very quickly.
While my own Tenyo collection is very small, to have these reference book of all these items up to publishing date is amazing. While loving Tenyo, I have no intention of collecting all the items and buying the book made more sense. Though I expect to buy the odd new release.
The books are very well made. The two volumes printed in China on museum grade paper. Lovely to look at and own. They now sit proudly on my bookcase and I cannot wait to start looking through these volumes. The books are bound well and hardback as you would expect in red woven cloth cover. Though second hand, they are like new. The envelope with DVD roms and effects is also complete. Surprisingly, the effects have not even been open.
As reference books, this post is more about my first impressions than being a review. I will definitely be using them a lot but will never read cover to cover, it would take too long and needs to be in a desk or coffee table to read and browse. I cannot wait to start browsing through these volumes tonight as it will take an age.
First impression wise, what I can say is that each Tenyo item is described in great detail with lots of supporting pictures to bring the book and pages to life.
If you like Tenyo and can get a copy, I would highly recommended. It must have taken Richard Kaufman an age to write, edit and get printed.
After initial browsing, if I feel I have more to share and write about this new addition to my collection, I will of course post once I add to my collectables section within this website. As well as all the Tenyo releases, the book provides a lot of information about the Tenyo company.
I am always very careful with my collectables but this will definitely be a book that will always need handling carefully to avoid any damage.
If you have a copy or have any comments, please do so below.