August Roterberg

Infobox_Person
Name = August Roterberg
Background = close up magician
Birth_name = August Roterberg
nationality = German
known_for = sleight of Hand, card magic
Alias = August Roterberg
Born = birth date and age|1913|00|00|df=y
Hamberg, Germany
DateOfDeath = Dda|1928|00|00|0000|0|00
Occupation = magic shop owner
birth_place = Hamberg, Germany flagicon|Germany Born 1913
death_cause = natural causes
occupation = magic shop owner
death_date = 1928

History

August Roterberg (1867 - 1928) was born in Hamburg, Germany and emigrated to the United States around 1883 as a teenager. He started out selling magic by mail order, and then opened a magic store in Chicago. It was housed in the lobby of the "old" Palmer House Hotel. [cite web |url=http://geniimagazine.com/wiki/index.php/August_Roterberg |title= August Roterberg - MagicPedia Entry]

Roterberg really started the modern age of magic publishing. His books were the first in English, written expressly for magicians. Roterberg's books were published by a magic dealer specifically for sale in magical depots, rather than for wide distribution to the general public. [cite web |url=http://www.magictokensociety.com/catalog/item/919830/1019665.htm |title= August Roterberg - MT reference Library] He ended up selling his mail order business in 1908 to Ralph W. Read and his shop to Arthur & Carl Felsman in 1916. [cite web |url=http://www.lybrary.com/august-roterberg-m-99.html |title= August Roterberg - Lybrary.com]

Roterberg is best known as a magic inventor and is credited with inventing the "Multiplying Billiard Balls" trick. [cite web |url=http://forrestflanderscentral.typepad.com/photos/photos3old_magic_catalogs/aroterbergchicago.html |title= A. Roterberg catalog of Magic Tricks No. 11 ]

He eventually retired around 1917 and eventually moved to California, where lived until death.

Published Works

* The Modern Wizard (1895)
* Latter Day Tricks (1896)
* New Era Card Tricks (1897)
* Card Tricks and How To Do Them (1902)

See also

*List of magicians
*Magicians
*Card magic
*sleight of hand

External Links

*SeeMagicPedia
* [http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/I?varstg:1:./temp/~ammem_OhKr::displayType=1:m856sd=varshoud:m856sf=3b26676:@@@varst Photo of August Roterberg and Houdini]
* [http://www.lybrary.com/august-roterberg-m-99.html August Roterberg biography]
* [http://www.magicnook.com/forum/bioQRS.htm August Roterberg short biography]
* [http://www.magicpromotionclub.ch/Kurzbio%20R.htm German biography of August Roterberg]
* [http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/miscpics/0/1/7/doc/mp017146.shtml August Roterberg - American apparatus manufacturer]
* [http://forrestflanderscentral.typepad.com/photos/photos3old_magic_catalogs/aroterbergchicago.html A. Roterberg catalog No. 11]
* [http://magicref.tripod.com/booksjr/roterbergcardtricks.htm August Roterberg : Card Tricks and how to do them bibliography]
* [http://members.tripod.com/magicref/booksjr/roterberglatterday.htm August Roterberg : Latter Day Tricks bibliography]

Reference