''Abracadabra'' was a British weekly magic magazine whose publication life spanned sixty-three years. The first issue was published on 2 February 1946; the last issue was published on 28 March 2009; a total of 3,296 issues.''MagicPedia'' Entry on Goodliffe's Abracadabra
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Name

Although the magazine name was ''Abracadabra'', it was also known as ''Goodliffe's Abracadabra'' and the readers nicknamed it ''Abra''.

Origins

The weekly magazine ''Abracadabra'' was created by Charles Goodliffe Neale (1912 – December 26, 1980).''MagicPedia'' Entry on Goodliffe
/ref> He was a magician and author. From the very first issue, Goodliffe (as he preferred to be called) gave the magazine the cover tag line of "The Only Magical Weekly in the World". Goodliffe was a man of strong views and the magazine became the arena of many controversial debates about magic and magicians, sometimes initiated by the readers themselves through their contributions and letters.''Magic: Illustrated Dictionary'' by Geoffrey Lamb, Kaye & Ward Ltd (London), 1979

After Goodliffe's death

After Goodliffe's death, Davenports (one of London's oldest family run magic shops) and Rabbi Sam Gringras (''Magico'' of New York) put together a rescue package and the magazine continued its publication uninterrupted.''iTricks Magic News'' Entry on Goodliffe's Abracadabra
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Editors

All the editors have been professional magicians. Originally, Goodliffe himself was the principal editor with the help of associate editor Fabian (Ernest Raymond Griffiths, 1912–1965).''MagicPedia'' Entry on Fabian
/ref> The next editor, who continued as editor after Goodliffe's death and kept ''Abracadabra'' running, was Donald Bevan.''MagicPedia'' Entry on Donald Bevan
/ref> The final editor was Walt Lees.

Contributors

Over the decades the magazine not only included articles from its regular readers but also from television magicians such as David Nixon,

Wayne Dobson Wayne Dobson (born 5 July 1957, Leicester, England) is an English magician, who became well-known through various television appearances in the late 1980s and 1990s. At the height of his fame he had his own television series ''Wayne Dobson - A Kin ...

Paul Daniels Newton Edward Daniels (6 April 1938 – 17 March 2016), known professionally as Paul Daniels, was an English magician and television presenter. He achieved international fame through his television series '' The Paul Daniels Magic Show'', whic ...

and

Jerry Sadowitz Jerry Sadowitz (born June 1961) is an American-born Scottish stand-up comedian and magician. Notorious for his frequently controversial brand of black comedy, Sadowitz has said that audiences going to see a comedian should suspend their beliefs ...

. In its later years, contributions came from authors such as Paul Gordon and John Helvin. The contents of the magazine was news, reviews, magic tricks and articles on magic as a performing art and its history; the quality of the content varied over the years.

Demise

In issue 3295, on 21 March 2009, the Davenport family announced that ''Abracadabra'' was to change owners. The new owner would be a "magical enthusiast" named Stephen Martin.''Goodliffe's Abracadabra'', 3295, 21 March 2009, ISSN 0001-3269 However, for undisclosed reasons, the deal fell through and the next issue of ''Abracadabra'' announced its closure as a publication. In his final editorial Walt Lees wrote "…when I took over the job, it was made clear to me that ''Abra'' was struggling. Times were changing and with the growth of so much internet traffic, the demand for a hardcopy weekly was falling off dramatically." Lees was initially given a year to salvage the magazine, which became two years. Lees wrote "… I did my best. Sadly my best wasn't good enough."''Goodliffe's Abracadabra'', 3296, 28 March 2009, ISSN 0001-3269 For some, this statement made it appear that Lees was taking the blame for the magazine's demise and articles were written in his defence by people, such as John Helvin.''The Last Incantation'' by John Helvin in The LaBaL, April 2009 and Al Smith,Editorials by Al Smith in The LaBaL, April 2009 which highlighted contributing factors to the magazine's demise which were beyond Walt Lees' control.

References

{{The Magic Circle - The Maskelyne Award Hobby magazines published in the United Kingdom Weekly magazines published in the United Kingdom Defunct magazines published in the United Kingdom Magic periodicals Magazines established in 1946 Magazines disestablished in 2009