This is a very clean, vibrant and bright copy of the now rare, and charming, children's book, Magnus The Mighty Magician, by Rudolf Lukes (illustrator and holder of the copyright) and George Theiner, Bancroft & Company (Publishers) LTD London, 1964. Printed in Czechoslovakia. This is, I believe, the only edition. On the final page, this book is listed as most recent with others in preparation (see photos, and others would follow with Magnus), so I am confident this is printed in 1964 -- when it was presented to me.

These were very fragile books due to the complexity of the construction of the moveable paper parts, and often the animal glue cloth bindings failed, as did the covers. In the hands of eager children, they were often torn. This one still has strong original bindings, no tears, and minimal wear. All the moveable parts work. Please see the photos, which show each spread -- ALL pages are depicted.

This was one of several books by this team between 1963 and 1965 and published by Bancroft. Lukes was a prolific Czech illustrator based in Prague, but I can't find much about him. George Theiner (1926-1988) was a well-known literary critic and writer who promoted Czech literature internationally. His family fled the Nazi annexation (post-Munich) for Britain in 1939, where his father joined the Free Czech Army. After the war, in 1948, Theiner returned to Czechoslovakia where he became a journalist prior to the Communist takeover. Thrown out of work by the new authorities for having grown up in the West and sent to the coal mines for three years, he eventually found work in the 1950s with the Artia publishing house before deciding to become a freelance translator of fiction in 1962. He returned to Britain after the 1968 uprising was suppressed by Soviet intervention. There he raised his family. He was also involved with the Index on Censorship, published six times a year starting in 1971. An annual George Theiner Award is given in his memory.

Note: This is a personal copy given to me as a child in 1964. It was kept in climate-controlled storage for about 40 years when I was overseas or in government service, hence its exceptional condition. Thus, original owner. Please see the photos.

Also: NEVER open these books fully, as you risk detaching the moving parts. I photographed it very carefully.

These were and are fun books. This is an exceptional example of this early and now very scarce work. A very nice collector's -- or archival - copy.