The Amazing Alma, page 2

On the slightly more mundane side of his career, Will Alma worked for the famous Andrade's magic shop in Melbourne, initially making card tricks such as 'Diminishing Cards' and 'Electric packs' then learning 'the many skills employed to manufacture the gimmicks'. In the 1930s he set up his own business, the Alma Magical Company which he operated until 1947. Eventually he could boast that he had 'made gimmicks for nearly every one of the big-time magicians to visit Australia - something that I am very proud of'.

In later life Alma applied his skill with 'gimmicks' to the construction of carefully detailed scale models of the apparatus used for many of the spectacular magical tricks. In some cases the mystique is somewhat compromised by the cuteness of the plastic dolls used as the hapless victims of the illusions - but these might be an appropriate representation of the typically glamorous female assistants who appeared on stage with the magicians.

When Will Alma retired in 1978 he continued to promote the history and art of illusion through his extraordinary collection of magicana. The W G Alma Conjuring Collection at the Library contains over 3300 books, 60 magazine titles, 1500 photographs, 250 posters, hundreds of research files on individual magicians, scrapbooks, programs, letters and other magic memorabilia.

The posters in the collection provide a fascinating record of the heyday of the great stage magicians who toured Australia in the early 20th century: 'Pharos - the Monarch of Magic'; 'The Great Jansen: America's greatest transformist'; 'Chung Ling Soo: the Marvellous Chinese conjuror' as well as Australia's own 'The Amazing Will Alma'. But the real magic is in the paraphernalia: the mirrors, lengths of silk, playing cards, cups and balls, curios, boxes and cabinets, magicians' tables and, of course, the silk top hat and wand.

Will Alma made an enormous contribution to magic by building up the collection and through his meticulous research. The donation of his collection to the State Library ensured that the information and resources he gathered will be kept together and conserved, will be built on through further additions and will be made available to future generations of researchers.