Conjuring Arts Research Center

What Conjuring Arts Research Center does

Conjuring Arts Research Center (CARC) is a New York-based not-for-profit founded in 2003 dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of magic and its allied arts. The organization operates a 2,600-square-foot research library in midtown Manhattan housing over 12,000 volumes — including more than 1,000 books printed before 1900 and over 500 volumes from before 1700, with manuscripts dating to the 15th century — and a corresponding physical lending library distributed through partner stores Fantasma Magic and Tannen's Magic. Its digital counterpart, the Ask Alexander platform, indexes over 2.5 million pages of magic-related material and is described by the organization as the magic world's first dedicated search engine, offering tiered subscriptions from free to $49.99/month with translation into nearly fifty languages.

The business model blends subscription recurring revenue (Ask Alexander tiers and Charlier/Hofzinser/Erdnase membership packages) with episodic one-time revenue from limited-edition publications (e.g., 1,000-copy runs of the Volkmann history and NON PLUS ULTRA series), merchandise sales through Expert Playing Card Co., and — per the organization's own characterization — donations that fund community outreach such as the Hocus Pocus Project. Customer segments are persona-based and horizontal: professional and amateur magicians, historians and scholars, collectors, writers/media producers, and general enthusiasts, served globally through digital access and locally through in-person research appointments in NYC. Adjacent programs include the semi-annual scholarly journal Gibecière, the online Conjuring Arts University, the IMPOSSIBLE performance series, and the Hocus Pocus Project community outreach program; the Board of Directors includes internationally known figures such as David Blaine.

The organization is led by Executive Director William Kalush, with a staff of librarians, researchers, editors, and volunteers operating on a small headcount (11-50). No external funding rounds, acquisitions, or corporate parent are disclosed, and revenue figures are not publicly available. Technology integration is limited to third-party Google Translation; there is no disclosed AI/ML capability beyond standard digitization workflows.

Name

Conjuring Arts Research Center

Legal name

Conjuring Arts Research Center

Website

https://conjuringarts.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Conjuring Arts Research Center is a New York-based nonprofit founded in 2003 that preserves magic history through a 12,000-volume Manhattan library and the Ask Alexander digital database of 2.5 million pages, serving magicians, historians, collectors, and enthusiasts worldwide via subscriptions, limited-edition publications, and community programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Software Publishers (513210)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Humanities & Arts Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Scholarly Societies & Conference Proceedings Publishing (MPAJABAK)

Keywords

• Magic history research
• Rare book library
• Scholarly journal publishing
• Digital archive subscription
• Magician education services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Tiered membership packages including Charlier (Bronze Ask Alexander access), Hofzinser (Silver level), and Erdnase (Gold level) tiers, with special discounts and the journal Gibecière included.
2. Ask Alexander Online Access: Four-tier subscription model for online database access: Free (15,000+ pages), Bronze ($9.99/month, 600,000 pages), Silver ($24.99/month, 850,000+ pages), Gold ($49.99/month, 1,100,000+ pages).
3. Publications and Book Sales: Sale of limited edition books on magic history, including 'A History of the Art of Conjuring' by Kurt Volkmann, 'NON PLUS ULTRA: Hofzinser's Salon Magic', and 'Exemplars from the Ricky Jay Collection'.
4. Expert Playing Card Company: Sale of premium playing cards through the Expert Playing Card Co. subsidiary.
5. Donations and Grants: Hocus Pocus Project funded solely by gifts from generous individuals; organization operates as a nonprofit.
6. Research Appointments: Closed-stack library system requiring prearranged research appointments for access to physical collections.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Conjuring Arts Research Center is a not-for-profit organization that preserves and provides access to the history of magic through a 12,000-volume physical research library in Manhattan, a 2.5 million-page digital archive called Ask Alexander, and a portfolio of scholarly publications including the Gibecière journal and limited edition books. It also runs a free lending library in partnership with NYC magic shops, online educational courses through Conjuring Arts University, a community outreach program (Hocus Pocus Project), and a premium playing card subsidiary (Expert Playing Card Co.).

Product overview

Conjuring Arts Research Center operates as a non-profit organization offering multiple interconnected products and services centered on magic preservation and education. The core offerings include the physical library housing over 12,000 volumes and the digital Ask Alexander database with 2.5 million pages. Additional services include the scholarly journal Gibecière, the Conjuring Arts Lending Library for free book and prop loans, Conjuring Arts University for online masterclasses, and the community outreach Hocus Pocus Project. The Expert Playing Card Co. produces premium playing cards, while the CA OPAC provides public access to the library catalog. The organization was established in 2003 and maintains facilities in both New Hampshire and Manhattan.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ask Alexander: A digital search engine containing over 2.5 million pages of magic material, offering tiered subscription access (Free, Bronze, Silver, Gold) to books, magazines, and rare documents.
• Hocus Pocus Project
• Gibeciere
• Conjuring Arts University
• Conjuring Arts Lending Library

Quantifiable outcome

• Serving practitioners and enthusiasts worldwide with electronic access while maintaining a physical research presence in Manhattan

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fantasma MagiccoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 29 January 2015Fantasma Magic's owner Roger Dreyer generously offered to house and administer the Conjuring Arts Lending Library's apparatus collection at Fantasma Magic's store (421 7th Ave, entrance on 33rd St., New York City).
• Tannen's MagiccoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 29 January 2015Tannen's Magic owner Adam Blumenthal offered to house and administer the Conjuring Arts Lending Library's book collection at Tannen's Magic showroom (45 West 34th St. Suite 608, NYC).
• Expert Playing Card Co.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExpert Playing Card Co. (EPCC) produces 'the world's finest playing cards, for Experts by Experts.' Conjuring Arts maintains this as one of its projects.
• Cool HuntingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCool Hunting, a design and culture publication, featured Conjuring Arts in a video tour segment showcasing rarities from their collection.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• The House of Magic (Basel): Museum and venue in Basel, Switzerland operated by the Starbow Foundation, focused on the cultural history of stage magic with exhibits and a research-grade collection. Comparable as a European counterpart institution preserving magic heritage with public exhibitions.

Direct peers

• The Magic Circle: London-based private members' organization for magicians and psychic artists, founded in 1905, that maintains a research library and hosts performances and lectures. Directly comparable as a membership-driven magic institution with library collections and educational programming.
• American Museum of Magic: Michigan-based museum and archive devoted to the history of magic, holding thousands of posters, photographs, props, and documents. Directly comparable as a U.S. magic-specific archival institution preserving the same niche heritage.
• Magic Castle (Academy of Magical Arts): Hollywood private club for magicians and magic enthusiasts that hosts performances, lectures, and a library, with a mission to advance the art of magic. Directly comparable as a magic-community institution blending performance, education, and archival resources.

Others

• Penguin Magic: Leading online retailer and community for magicians offering instructional videos, tricks, and apparatus for sale. Comparable as a magic-industry commercial platform serving the same practitioner base, though focused on retail and video instruction rather than archival research.
• Tannen's Magic: Long-running New York magic retailer (since 1925) and channel partner that hosts Conjuring Arts' lending library book collection. Comparable as a magic-industry ecosystem participant serving practitioners, and directly tied to Conjuring Arts through partnership.
• The David Copperfield Collection (Copperfield's secret warehouse): David Copperfield's private warehouse in Las Vegas holds the world's largest collection of magic memorabilia and props. Comparable as a major private magic archive whose contents intersect with Conjuring Arts' preservation mission through endorsements and shared community.

Broad incumbents

• Smithsonian Libraries and Archives: Library system supporting Smithsonian museums and research, with deep holdings across cultural history including entertainment and performing arts. Comparable as a large-scale archival institution preserving cultural materials and providing research access, though vastly broader in scope.
• New York Public Library for the Performing Arts: Branch of NYPL housing one of the world's largest performing-arts collections, including materials on theater, dance, and popular entertainment including magic. Comparable as a major research library with performing-arts holdings, though broader in scope than Conjuring Arts' magic-only focus.

Emerging players

• Houdini Museum: Scranton, PA museum dedicated to Harry Houdini, featuring exhibits, memorabilia, and educational programming around a single iconic magician. Comparable as a magic-themed cultural institution with archival focus, though narrower in scope than Conjuring Arts' broader collecting remit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/conjuringarts
• Facebookfacebook.com/conjuringartsresearchcenter
• Instagraminstagram.com/conjuringarts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Conjuring Arts Research Center