Genii is America’s most renowned, longest-running independent magazine for magicians—dedicated to magic in performance. The conjuror’s classic mixture of deception and fantasy has always been an essential element of theater—part technique and part storytelling. Through its years of publication, Genii has sought to explore and celebrate this art of the performing magician: the essential, the wonderous, and the unexpected.

Genii magazine was pioneered and created by William Larsen Sr. in 1936, when Larsen sought an antidote to the stuffy magic magazines from the East Coast. His Los Angeles-based magazine deliberately took a different viewpoint, mixing new ideas for tricks and bold viewpoints about magic’s appeal.

Genii earned the respect of magicians around the world.

• It introduced notable creators and columnists, like Charlie Miller, Loyd Jones, and Dariel Fitzkee, and included  columns on stagecraft by Caryl Fleming and inventions from Larsen and T.A. Wright. In later years, the magazine featured creations by Alan Wakeling, Steranko, and the columns of Dai Vernon—the famous magician, raconteur, and mentor.
• Pioneering a “Paging the Ladies” column from its first issue, Genii soon focused on women performers with the founding of Magigals, the first woman magician’s organization.
• When William Larsen Jr. took over as editor in 1953, he championed the work of innovative performers: Siegfried and Roy, who had just opened in Las Vegas; Doug Henning who had visited The Magic Castle, (“Keep you eye on this lad for great things in the years to come”), and Ricky Jay. 
• And in 1972 a teen-aged New Jersey magician described his technical handling of the Dancing Cane trick, sending the details to Genii. At that time, he was known as Davino, and later took the name David Copperfield. In fact, many developments were first seen in Genii’s pages, including works from Bruce Cervon, Larry Jennings, Earl Nelson, and Max Maven. Later contributors, like Richard Kaufman and Jamy Ian Swiss, continued the tradition.

Over the years, Genii continued under William Larsen Jr., and then later by members of the Larsen family, in conjunction with their popular club, The Magic Castle. In 1999, author and editor Richard Kaufman continued the Genii tradition, taking up the editor mantle for the next 25 years.

After Kaufman’s retirement as editor in December 2024, Genii was relaunched by Randy Pitchford under the auspices of publications manager Julie Eng, executive editor Jim Steinmeyer, and editors Vanessa Armstrong, Noah Levine, and Chloe Olewitz. “We are excited to make change, and evolve the magazine to reflect a balance of history and innovation, heritage and progress,” Olewitz wrote, looking forward. “This publication’s editorial conscience is now a collective endeavor in a way that it hasn’t been before. That collective should always include you, the reader, and prioritize our audience’s best interests.”

With its talented editors and columnists, Genii earned a reputation for providing honest and innovative analysis of this art, reflecting the public’s interest in magic, and the fashions and trends in performance. From vaudeville, to nightclubs, to the development of close-up magic, the Las Vegas spectaculars and magic television specials, Genii has provided the beacon. 

As the respected advisor to a group renowned for secrecy and imagination—the world of magicians—Genii takes on a special responsibility. Having earned an insider’s privilege, we seek to blow a little dust away from an ancient art, curating the inspiring viewpoints and creative achievements in our world of magic.