Evanion collection on display at the British Library

The Guardian reports that the British Library has on display rare early magic items from the collection of Henry Evans Evanion, "royal conjurer and humourist." The library acquired the items from Evanion in 1895. This is the first time they have even been publicly displayed.

One course, the name Henry Evans Evanion will ring a bell with Houdini buffs. In 1904-05, Houdini acquired many of his rarest magic treasures from Evanion. Houdini's first reaction to seeing items from his collection was: "I remember only raising my hands before my eyes, as if I had been dazzled by a sudden shower of diamonds."

For the full story of Houdini and Henry Evans Evanion, check out my post from 2012: House of treasure.

For more on the British Library display, visit the British Library website. The exhibition is free and runs through February 12, 2017.

Related posts:

• House of treasure
• Houdini the bibliophile