So here is what I've got so far:
The Art of Magic - T. Nelson Downs (1909) (PDF - $5.50)
Our Magic - Nevil Maskelyne & David Devant (1911) (PDF - $8.00)
Original Tarbell Course (1928-1931) (PDF - $24.50)
Jinx (1934-1941) (PDF - $15 or Conjuring Arts Research Center - Free)
Encyclopedia of Card Tricks (1937) ($13 or Free on LPP)
Royal Road to Card Tricks (1949) ($5 PDF or $13 Softcover)
Scarne on Card Tricks (1950) ($8 PDF or $12 Paperback)
Modern Coin Magic - J.D. Bobo (1952) (PDF $8.50 or Paperback $10 or Free LPP)
Mark Wilson Complete Course in Magic (1975) (Paperback - $23)
Magic in Mind (2013) (Free PDF from Vanishing, Inc.)
Genii (Digital Subscription - $35)
Those total around $109 using the least expensive or free options. My only concern is that Mark Wilson't book would overlap with the other sources but I kept it in because its explanations are excellent.
I'm leaning toward adding:
Ken Webber – Maximum Entertainment ($40)
Also under consideration are:
Art and Artifice - Jim Steinmeyer ($16)
Transformations - Larry Haas ($40)
Hiding the Elephant - Jim Steinmeyer ($11)
The Secret History of Magic - Jim Steinmeyer and Peter Lamont ($28)
Five Points in Magic - Juan Tamariz ($40)
Card College Volumes 1 and 2 - Roberto Giobbi (PDF with Performance Videos or Books - Both $80)
Art of Astonishment - Paul Harris, Volume 1 ($45)
I would like to use the opening essays in Art and Artifice and Transformations (with permission, of course). Transformations is a great book but I think the cost would require me to cut something else. I think Hiding the Elephant covers a lot of the history in Art and Artifice and is a more enjoyable read. The Secret History of Magic is more comprehensive than Hiding the Elephant, but Lamont's style is somewhat didactic in pursuing his theory of magic history. Five Points is great, but probably needs to be excluded for budget reasons. Card College and AoA are great books and I always recommend them for self-study, but I think I'd exclude them because the older texts (Art of Magic, Our Magic, Jinx, RRTCM, ECT, Tarbell, Modern Coin Magic) can be used to foster creativity and adaptation while giving a sense of the history of magic. Also, the Genii subscription would provide a lot of modern effects and presentations.
With all that said, I'd probably go with adding Maximum Entertainment and Hiding the Elephant for a total of $160. I'd be interested in anyone's thoughts on my list.
For those who haven't posted yet, feel free to post your books. Regardless of whether you have posted, you can help with the next step (using my selected book or any books you like) ....
What is the syllabus? Assuming three one-hour classes and an extra hour for performance lab a week for 15 weeks, what would you teach for each class and lab? What would the reading assignments be for each class? What would the students be graded on (writing assignments, tests, performances, etc.)?