Harlan Tarbell was a stage magician and illustrator. In the mid-1920s publishers T. Grant Cooke and Walter A. Jordan planned a correspondence course in magic. They first approached Harry Houdini to write the course, he declined and recommended Tarbell who completed the 60 correspondence lessons and over 3000 illustrations by 1929. The course covered all forms and elements of magic. Tarbell placed an emphasis on training in the basics: ‘One must be trained in the mechanics, the alternate methods and be skilled in the presentation in order to meet any conditions which may arise’. The rights to the course were purchased by magician and dealer Louis Tannen in 1941, who published original lessons in book form with additional content. The course continues to be an important reference source for magicians, and from 2016 Penguin Magic began a video subscription version of Tarbell’s tricks performed by Dan Harlan.