4F Magic’s 2026 Guest Of Honor is: Tom Gagnon

Tom became interested in magic at the early age of nine. By chance, he happened to accompany his parents to a local grocery store called the Piggly Wiggly, where he witnessed the performance of a traveling magician whose stage name was Major Eddie. From that day on, Tom began to frequent the Carnegie Public Library, where he promptly found Greater Magic. Even today, Greater Magic remains one of Tom’s favorite books. He still has fond memories of his first public performance at the age of eleven at this very same library.

In 1971, Tom and his wife Carol opened a magic and novelty shop called Majik and Other Things. The shop in Marion, Indiana, quickly became a favorite haunt for area magicians. The building has since been torn down. It was at that time that Tom began to perform close-up magic on a semi-professional basis.

After releasing his first book (Sleightly Original, in 1981) and feeling the need for a new challenge, Tom began focusing on the art of illustration. Although he would ultimately perform work for hire, his initial goal was to illustrate his projects. However, to do so meant that he would once again have to hone his artistic skills.

In time, Tom would come to illustrate numerous books that include: Dai Vernon’s The Lost Inner Secrets (The Vernon Chronicles Volume One), More Lost Inner Secrets (The Vernon Chronicles, Volume Two), Further Inner Secrets (The Vernon Chronicles, Volume Three), The Classic Magic of Larry Jennings, The Commercial Magic of J.C. Wagner, Fork Full of Appetizers, Volume One, Fork Full of Appetizers, Volume Two, The Zarrow Shuffle by Gary Plants, Gagnon Unfiltered, and Gagnon’s Inner Sanctum, and many more books and lecture notes. To quote Chuck Romano from his excellent book The Art of Deception, “It has been said that paging through a book illustrated by Tom Gagnon is like perusing a magical photo album. Each of the illustrations is like a snapshot that captures the true essence of a magical effect. Gagnon’s ground-breaking use of shadows in his illustrations, attention to detail, and overall dedication to his craft have earned him the reputation as one of magic’s most sought-after illustrators.”

Besides being a noted illustrator and writer Tom published five books on close-up magic and many of Tom’s routines and sleights have been published in conjuring books and periodicals, including Genii, The New Tops, MAGIC, The Trapdoor, Epoptica, The Blueprint, The Chronicles, and The Magic Circular. In addition to having his effects featured in magic periodicals, many of Tom’s creations have also been published in many other books and Tannen’s New Stars of Magic series (Radical Rebound).

Accolades include the Award of Special Merit (1995) from the International Brotherhood of Magicians, the MVP Award (1999), Fechter’s Finger Flicking Frolic (FFFF), and the Magic Circle’s Cecil Lyle Award (2006). Inducted into the Michigan Magician’s Hall of Fame in 2023 at the American Museum of Magic.

To visit Tom Gagnon’s website go: HERE