J.C. Wagner’s Top Ten Desert Island Magic Books
The Expert at the Card Table (S.W. Erdnase)
The Royal Road to Card Magic (Jean Hugard and Frederick Braue)
Revelations (Dai Vernon)
Tarbell Course in Magic (Harlan Tarbell)
Expert Card Technique (Jean Hugard and Frederick Braue)
Slydini Encores (Leon Nathanson)
Ibidem Volumes 1-3 (P. Howard Lyons)
The Jinx Complete Collection (Ted Annemann)
Hugard’s Magic Monthly (Jean Hugard)
Pallbearer’s Review (Karl Fulves)

About J.C. Wagner
Wagner got hooked on magic after seeing a magician perform at his school Halloween carnival and started practicing magic in 1952. He made his professional debut at the Point Loma library in San Diego in 1960.

By 1962, he was working at Merlin’s Magic Shop within Disneyland (with Steve Martin).

Wagner served in the Air Force from 1965 until 1969.

He first started performing bar magic in 1973 with Bob Sheets at Marco’s Roman Room in Coronado, California.

Wagner was co-owner of The Magic Lounge in San Diego California (1977 – 1981).

Next, he helped Bob Sheets start the “Jolly Jester” in Aspen, Colorado for a few months.

His next stop was a place called Merlins, which he began performing at in February of 1981. There he met Jerry Camarro. After a few months he got a call call from Larry Jennings who was working at the Magic Island, in Newport Beach, California. One thing led to another and Wagner accepted the job there and eventually became the director.

An opportunity then presented itself to open a magic bar and restaurant in Orange County, California. Wagner left the Magic Island to go off to do his own thing, only to have problems with the financial backers of the bar and restaurant. So after only three months he was out on his own again.

In 1985, Wagner started appearing weekly at the Magic Castle Close-Up Gallery. Wagner also worked at a couple of bars and performing for private parties then took up a new profession, working on foreign cars.

He semi-retired in 1990 after an appearance at the Magic Castle.

Wagner started a comeback in 2003 with another appearance at the Magic Castle as well as performing magic Saturdays at “The Little Club” in Coronado California.