Bookplate-"Ex Libris The Magic Library of Oakes."

Attached to front cover of "Paul Rosini's Magical Gems" by W.F. (Rufus) Steele

As an artist, Oakes had these printed in black ink, and then added color to the bookplate. The rectangular border, the color of the balls, and the color of the cups were added by hand.

Earle Oakes (1923-2011) was a magic illustrator who has worked with Kaufman and Company and Hermetic Press. He did architectural renderings as a profession. An Army Aircorps pilot during World War II, Earle was a lifelong artist. He and his brothers produced architectural renderings of most major building projects in Philadelphia for forty years (1951-1992). Following "retirement" he applied his energy and talent to two of his passions–magic and origami–by illustrating books and magazines. His work is noted for its remarkable detail and wonderful sense of line. The hands have an almost three-dimensional modeled quality. According to Chuck Romano's book Art of Deception, Oakes started doing magic illustrations part time in 1980 and went full-time in 1987, doing work for The Linking Ring. He began illustrating Magicana in Genii in 1999 when it was purchased from the Larsen family by The Genii Corporation.

Marketed Tricks

Master Lock Routine (1981)
Books (as Illustrator)

Secrets Draun from Underground
Jennings '67
Magie Duvivier
Mastering the Art of Magic by Eugene Burger
Folding Money Fooling by Robert Neale
The Greater Artful Dodges of Eddie Fields by Jon Racherbaumer
Gene Maze and the Art of Bottom Dealing
Vis a Vis: A Jack Avis Book
The Feints and Temps of Harry Riser
Sankey Unleashed
Secrets of an Escamoteur
The Mysteries of My Life: Rene Lavand
The Berglas Effects