Anyone who has seen a magician perform has almost certainly seen one or more of the tricks explained in this book. For these are great tricks of the magic profession, tricks that have proved perennially spectacular in performances on the stage, on television, or in private audiences.
The author explains first the basic scheme of each trick, then discusses the possibilities for variation and expansion as developed by a number of famous magicians. Each of the classic tricks included here is methodically described in detail and illustrated in line drawings; none of them involves expensive or complicated apparatus. From the cups-and-balls tricks dating back at least to the time of the Egyptian pyramids to Houdini's famous needle-swallowing feat, these pages are full of invaluable information for magicians, beginners or advanced performers.
Although Bruce Elliott has written widely in other fields, his pre-eminent interest is magic. Besides the present book and his earlier volume, Magic As a Hobby, Mr. Elliott has for ten years edited and published an independent magical trade paper, The Phoenix, which appears every other week.
- Preface
- 1 The Spectator's Card Is Produced!
- 2 Corncobs
- 3 Water, Water, Everywhere! The Rice Bowls and One Other
- 4 The Very Peripatetic Paddle
- 5 Those Four Aces!
- 6 The Miser's Dream Come True!
- 7 The Egg Bag, Well Done
- 8 The Two Covers, and the Four Objects...
- 9 Billiards, Magic Style
- 10 Razor Sharp
- 11 The Ambitious Card!
- 12 The Eternal Cups and Balls
- In Conclusion
- Appendix
- Glossary
1st edition 1953, 210 pages; PDF 143 pages.
word count: 47544 which is equivalent to 190 standard pages of text
