The Aretalogy of Vanni Bossi
The Aretalogy of Vanni Bossi
I'm currently watching the gazillionth copy of "The Aretalogy of Vanni Bossi" dip below $20 a Penguin "Open Box" flash sale. I absolutely LOVED this book, and can't help but think something went horribly wrong on the business end of things - i.e., gross overestimation of market potential. Is it as simple as that, or did something else happen here? Genuinely curious...
"The gnomes' ambition is handicapped by laziness." Adapted from Charles Bukowski, and clearly evident at http://www.gnominal.com
- Richard Kaufman
- Posts: 27069
- Joined: July 18th, 2001, 12:00 pm
- Favorite Magician: Theodore DeLand
- Location: Washington DC
- Contact:
Re: The Aretalogy of Vanni Bossi
Wonderful book. But a publisher really doesn't know how a particular book is going to sell. It's always a guess. And we don't know how many were printed, what expectations were, if several boxes of books were found, and so on.
Subscribe today to Genii Magazine
- Grippo's Wish
- Posts: 74
- Joined: July 9th, 2012, 5:05 am
- Location: Planet Earth
- Contact:
Re: The Aretalogy of Vanni Bossi
Open Box may mean that someone returned the book, for one reason or another. Or maybe it got slightly damaged.
-
- Posts: 2014
- Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
- Location: Sacramento
- Contact:
Re: The Aretalogy of Vanni Bossi
Perhaps the odd title put buyers off. It is a very good book.
-
- Posts: 1089
- Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
- Location: Leamington Spa
- Contact:
Re: The Aretalogy of Vanni Bossi
Chris makes a good point. I remember discussing with Gordon Bruce years ago about the extent to which the title of Stanley Collin's 'A Conjuring Melange' hindered sales of that book!
- Richard Kaufman
- Posts: 27069
- Joined: July 18th, 2001, 12:00 pm
- Favorite Magician: Theodore DeLand
- Location: Washington DC
- Contact:
Re: The Aretalogy of Vanni Bossi
I think far more people were conversant with the meaning of "melange" when that book came out than would be today. I would say the title is irrelevant. Collins's name along should have ensured good sales of his book.
Subscribe today to Genii Magazine
-
- Posts: 491
- Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
- Location: The Great White North
- Contact:
Re: The Aretalogy of Vanni Bossi
I think many prospective purchases base their buying decision on having seen some of the material performed. Vanni made a few US convention appearances, and he died almost eight years before the book was published. Consequently, it's possible folks just didn't realize how great his material is.
He was a brilliant man, and left us far too soon.
Kids, don't smoke.
He was a brilliant man, and left us far too soon.
Kids, don't smoke.
-
- Posts: 230
- Joined: August 6th, 2008, 5:38 pm
- Favorite Magician: Bro. John Hamman, Simon Aronson, David Regal
- Location: Central Florida
Re: The Aretalogy of Vanni Bossi
Given the cost of magic books these days, hard choices have to be made on how to spend one's hard-earned cash, were there other books released around the time of this book's release that might have competed for those dollars?
- erdnasephile
- Posts: 4768
- Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Re: The Aretalogy of Vanni Bossi
Jason156: FWIW, here's a list from the MC Book of the Year 2016 thread: https://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/vie ... &start=120
The Jerx, Volume 1 by Andy
(here is the vote tally, in alphabetical order)
3 Asymptotes by Ben Blau
1 Devil May Care by Iain Dunford
4 Faro Poetry by Nicolas Pierri
2 Grips, Lines & Looks by Marc Oberon/Paul Hyland
5 Handsome Jack, Etc by John Lovick
16 Harpacrown by Mark Chandaue
2 Hidden Agenda by Roberto Giobbi
21 In Order to Amaze by Pit Hartling
4 Jack Parker's 52 Memories, second (revised) edition by A. Gladwin
1 Jhana by Watkins
3 Magica III Gems from the Repertoire by Larry Barnowsky
22 Mentalissimo by John Bannon
1 MirACAAN 2 by Dorian Caudal
1 Only My Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
1 Second Coming by Ross Taylor and Fraser Parker
21 Secrets of So Sato by So Sato and Richard Kaufman
2 Stand Up Card Magic by Roberto Giobbi
1 The 80's Called...They Want Their Magic Book Back-Volume 1 by Jonathan Friedman
16 The Aretalogy Of Vanni Bossi by Stephen Minch
1 The Imagine Nation Project by Michael O'Brien
9 The Intrepid Rogue's Manual of Deception by Atlas Brookings
2 The Travelling Trickster by Mel Mellers
37 The Jerx, Volume 1 by Andy
5 V by Manos Kartsakis
The Jerx, Volume 1 by Andy
(here is the vote tally, in alphabetical order)
3 Asymptotes by Ben Blau
1 Devil May Care by Iain Dunford
4 Faro Poetry by Nicolas Pierri
2 Grips, Lines & Looks by Marc Oberon/Paul Hyland
5 Handsome Jack, Etc by John Lovick
16 Harpacrown by Mark Chandaue
2 Hidden Agenda by Roberto Giobbi
21 In Order to Amaze by Pit Hartling
4 Jack Parker's 52 Memories, second (revised) edition by A. Gladwin
1 Jhana by Watkins
3 Magica III Gems from the Repertoire by Larry Barnowsky
22 Mentalissimo by John Bannon
1 MirACAAN 2 by Dorian Caudal
1 Only My Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
1 Second Coming by Ross Taylor and Fraser Parker
21 Secrets of So Sato by So Sato and Richard Kaufman
2 Stand Up Card Magic by Roberto Giobbi
1 The 80's Called...They Want Their Magic Book Back-Volume 1 by Jonathan Friedman
16 The Aretalogy Of Vanni Bossi by Stephen Minch
1 The Imagine Nation Project by Michael O'Brien
9 The Intrepid Rogue's Manual of Deception by Atlas Brookings
2 The Travelling Trickster by Mel Mellers
37 The Jerx, Volume 1 by Andy
5 V by Manos Kartsakis