In this installment of Conversations with Close, my guest is the man who, as a writer, editor, and/or publisher, is responsible for many of the most important magic texts published in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. If you have read, studied, enjoyed, and benefitted from books like The Vernon Chronicles, The Collected Works of Alex Elmsley, Carneycopia, the Card College series (in English), The Books of Wonder, and Mnemonica (in English), you can thank Stephen Minch.

I was well aware of Stephen’s prowess as a writer when we met for the first time in 1992 at an Ibidem convention held at the Old Stone Inn in Niagara-on-the-Lake in Ontario; we hit it off immediately. Although our paths don’t cross that often, I always enjoy the time we spend together. He is a fascinating individual.

The reason for our interview is the soon-to-be-released book, Flamenco, featuring magic by the maestro, Juan Tamariz (see the review in the Jan 2025 Michael Close Newsletter). The book has been in the pipeline since 1995; Stephen gives us the backstory, plus fascinating reminiscences of Mickey Hades, Doug Henning, Martin Nash, Alex Elmsley, and Tommy Wonder.

I think you’ll really enjoy listening to one of the true giants in the history of magic publishing.