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Modern Magic Manual
by Jean Hugard

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(1 review, 7 customer ratings) ★★★★★

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Modern Magic Manual by Jean Hugard

In this classic manual, the first Hugard wrote for people outside the inner circle of magic performers, he reveals the secrets of a host of mystifying tricks covering all major forms of close-up and stand-up magic: conjuring with coins, watches, rings, balls, eggs, silks, cigarettes, cigars, thimbles, flowers, ropes, bills, cards and mental magic.

This is a great primer for anyone aspiring to be a performing magician. The large amount of effects also holds gems for the intermediate and advanced performer. There is some overlap of material with other Hugard publications.

Paul Fleming wrote:

This book is addressed to the general reader. It does not presuppose any previous knowledge on the part of the reader but assumes only that he is reasonably intelligent and interested in becoming a magician. This means that the author must start at the beginning, take nothing for granted, and see to it that his explanations march steadily forward, step by step, gradually building up an understanding not only of the terminology and technique of magic but of its presentation as well.

We know of no one better qualified than Jean Hugard to write such a book. He brings to the task the experience of a long life devoted to the study of magic and magicians. He knows the literature of the field through and through, and this broad knowledge has enabled him to select for inclusion in Modern Magic Manual those sleights and tricks, old or new as the case may be, which the learner will be able to master and present effectively. He possesses, to a degree which is rare among writers on conjuring, the qualities that make a great teacher - the power to analyze a situation clearly, a genuine desire to help the student gain a firm grasp of the subject, and a facility of expression that reminds one of the beautifully clear English of another great writer on magic, Professor Hoffmann. Finally, as the inevitable outcome of his long career as a performer, he is able to offer valuable suggestions which will help the learner to avoid many pitfalls.

For example, Mr. Hugard, in gentle protest against the use of obviously fraudulent "props," warns the magical enthusiast that a stuffed rabbit-skin is a poor substitute for a live rabbit, and that "bouquets of feather flowers, so much affected by the average performer, cannot be said to create any illusion." Of greater significance is his emphasis upon tricks that require personal skill in their performance, as contrasted with those which "work themselves." Mr. Hugard holds no grudge against magic shops; on the contrary, he advises the reader to buy rather than make whatever equipment he may need. But his selection of feats in this book seems to say, by implication though not in specific words, "No magician is ready to use apparatus who has not learned to use his hands." This, indeed, is a maxim that may well be emphasized. Many a person is today a member of the tin-can, false-bottom school of magic simply because he was never warned that one cannot buy one's way into magic. One does not become a musician by purchasing a phonograph, nor a magician by acquiring a trunkful of weird and wonderfully decorated apparatus. Happily for the reader of Modern Magic Manual, he soon learns that a magician is a person who has developed a particular type of technique, to which any mechanical aids that may be utilized are distinctly secondary in importance.

Of the seventeen chapters in this book, the longest are those which deal with coins and balls. This is as it should be, for the skill to "produce," "vanish," "change," or otherwise manipulate coins and balls is valuable in many other branches of magic. The fields of conjuring covered by Mr. Hugard include, also, feats with wands, watches, rings, eggs, linking rings, cigarettes, cigars, thimbles, flowers, ropes, banknotes, hats, mental phenomena, and cards. In every case, the author presents both "moves" and tricks, and in many instances, he specifically recommends particular sleights or feats as being especially deceptive or effective. This kind of advice from an experienced performer is very valuable since it leads the student to concentrate upon really workable material and to avoid the impractical, of which there is an overabundance in magical literature.

We cannot take space to mention in detail the dozens of complete tricks explained in Modern Magic Manual but may list one or two from each chapter as illustrative of the first-class magical fare that awaits the readers of this book.

  • Ch. 1. Magnetic Suspension of Wand at Finger Tips.
  • Ch. 2. The Miser's Dream; The Coin and Orange Trick.
  • Ch. 3. The Watch in the Loaf of Bread.
  • Ch. 4 Ring, Silk, and Glass Transported into a Borrowed
  • Ch. 5. Multiplying Billiard Balls; Sponge-Ball Magic; The Cups and Balls.
  • Ch. 6. Max Sterling Paper to Egg; The Egg Bag.
  • Ch. 7. Jean Hugard's Routine with Linking Rings.
  • Ch. 8. 20th Century Handkerchief Trick; Sympathetic Silks; Knot-Tying.
  • Ch. 9. Production of Lighted and Unlighted Cigarettes.
  • Ch. 10. Production of Cigars a la The Miser's Dream.
  • Ch. 11. Multiplication of Thimbles from One to Eight.
  • Ch. 12. Production of Real Flowers from Paper Cone.
  • Ch. 13. Cut and Restored Rope.
  • Ch. 14. Borrowed Bank Note in Lemon.
  • Ch. 15. Hat Productions.
  • Ch. 16. Owen Clark Blackboard Tests.
  • Ch. 17. Cards Passed Up Sleeve into Pocket.
If the beginner cannot eventually build an effective "act" or longer program from the instructions given in Modern Magic Manual, it would seem likely that he does not have in him the makings of a magician. And if the skilled amateur or professional cannot find in Mr. Hugard's book many helpful items, he must be far better informed than the average amateur or professional. We ourselves cheerfully admit that it fills a need not fully met by any other book in a library which includes every practical work on magic in the English language, and several other languages as well. It is worthy of the attention of every serious student of conjuring.

Modern Magic Manual is a book of 345 pages, illustrated with 271 line drawings. The publishers have given it a format which is in keeping with the dignity of Mr. Hugard's style of writing. It is handsomely printed and handsomely bound. It is unquestionably one of the genuinely outstanding textbooks on the art of magic.

  • I. The Wand
    • Its Use
    • Magical Production
    • Magnetic Suspension (two methods)
    • Vanishing
  • II. Coins
    • I. Secret Holds
      • Regular Palm
      • Oblique Palm
      • Finger Palm
      • Thumb Palm
      • Fork of Thumb Palm
      • The Pinches
    • II. Vanishes
      • Pretended Taking
      • Tourniquet
      • Regular Palm
      • Oblique Palm
      • Deposit and Withdrawal
    • III. Changes
      • Regular Palm
      • Thumb Palm
      • One Hand
    • IV. Back and Front Palm (two methods)
    • V. Flourishes
      • Steeplechase
      • Vanish by Steeplechase
      • Multiplication
    • VI. Tricks with Coins
      • Flying Coin (four methods)
      • Ace of Clubs
      • Passage of Three Coins (two methods)
      • Four Coins, Hat to Glass (two methods)
      • Coin and Oranges
      • Coin and Silver Boxes
      • Five Coins Routine
      • Vanish of Five Coins
      • The Miser's Dream
        • (1) Robert-Houdin's Method
        • (2) Modern Methods
  • III. WlZARDRY WITH WATCHES
    • Sleights
      • Vanish from Handkerchief
      • Switching a Watch
      • Paper Fold Vanish
      • Bag for Vanish
      • Stocking Vanish
    • Tricks
      • Flying Watch
      • Watch and Loaf
      • Watch and Dinner Roll
      • Nest of Boxes
      • The Auction
    • Manipulations
      • Vanish from Finger Tips
      • Finger Palm
      • Thumb Grip
      • Illusive Pass
      • Back Hand Pass
      • Swallowing
      • Thumb Crotch Steal
      • Change Over Pass
      • Catching Watches from Air
  • IV. Magic with Rings
    • Wedding Rings
    • Accessories
      • Prepared Handkerchief
      • Special Hook
      • Paper Cone
    • Tricks with Rings
      • Flying Rings
      • Ring and Egg
      • One Hand to the Other
      • Ring, Silk and Glass
  • V. Magic with Balls
    • I. Billiard Balls
      • Sleights
        • Secret Holds
          • Regular Palm
          • Finger Palm
        • Vanishes
          • (1) Pretended Seizures
            • Apparent Taking
            • Fist Vanish
            • Tourniquet
          • (2) Pretended Deposits
            • Palmed in Right Hand
            • Palm Roll
            • Swallowing
          • (3) Real Deposits and Re-seizure
            • Left Hand Push
            • Drop Palm (two methods)
            • Tip Tilt
          • (4) Pretended Throws
            • Into Air
            • Into Other Hand
            • Palm of Hand to Front
          • (5) Secret Transfers
            • Horizontal Change Over
            • Vertical Change Over
      • Accessories: Ball Holders
      • Tricks
        • Passage of Ball Through Knee
          • With Solid Ball
          • Two Balls and Shell
          • Downwards
        • Color Changes
          • With Two Balls (two methods)
          • Using a Shell (three methods)
        • Multiplication
          • First Ball
          • Disposal of Last Ball
          • The Three Balls
          • Excelsior Balls
          • Eight Balls
    • II. Golf Balls
      • Sleights
        • Vanish
        • Secret Transfer
        • Using Both Sides of Hands
        • Multiply in Air
        • Transfer of Shell
      • Tricks
        • Four Balls Production
        • Productions with Shell
        • Production of Three with One Hand
        • Eight Balls
    • III. Sponge Ball Manipulations
      • Material
      • Sleights
        • Thumb Grip
        • Finger Palm
        • Fist Vanish
        • Holding Two Balls as One (two methods)
        • Routines
        • Coffee
      Cups and Balls.
    • IV. The Cups and Balls
      • Materials: The Cups
      • Sleights
        • Regular Palm
        • Introducing Ball Under Cup (three methods)
        • Between Two Cups
        • From End of Wand
        • Loading Large Ball
      • Flourishes
        • One Cup Through Another
        • Wand Through Cup
        • Cup Deeper Inside Than Out
        • Vanish Between Cups
      • Routine
        • Flourishes
        • Production of Ball
        • Passes
        • Multiplication
  • VI. Eggs
    • Manipulations
    • Four Eggs Production
    • From a Handkerchief
    • Cigarette Paper to Egg
    • Exposure and Climax
    • Egg Bag
  • VII. Linking Rings
  • VIII. Silks and Sorcery
    • Material
    • Methods of Folding
      • Single Silks (four methods)
      • Several Silks (two methods)
      • Single Silks (two methods)
    • Productions
      • Single Silk (various methods)
      • Several Silks
      • From Sleeves
      • From Vest or Coat
    • Vanishes
      • Single Silk
      • Change to Egg, etc.
      • Several Silks
    • Tricks with Silks
      • Obedient Silks
      • Cut and Restored
      • Cigarette to Silk
      • Twentieth Century Silk
      • Sympathetic Silks
      • Dyeing the Silks
      • Production from Ball
    • Knots, Ties and Flourishes
      • Instant Knot
      • On One Arm
      • One Hand Knot
      • Double Loop Knot
      • Vanishing Loop Knot
      • Vanishing Knot
      • Upsetting a Square Knot
      • Knot Unties Itself
  • IX. Conjuring with Cigarettes
    • I. Unlighted Cigarettes
      • Secret Holds
        • Thumb Grip
        • Pinch
        • Finger Palm
      • Productions from Secret Holds
        • From Thumb Grip
        • From Front Pinch
        • From Finger Palm
      • Vanishes
        • By Thumb Grip
        • By Throw into Air
        • By Finger Palm
        • By Tip Tilt
        • By Push In
      • Transfers
      • Accessories
        • Finger Clip
        • Droppers
        • Holders
      • Tricks
        • Traveling Cigarette
        • Multiplying Cigarettes
        • Doubling a Cigarette
        • Cigarette Manufacture
        • Phantom Cigarette
        • Cigarette Chase
    • II. Lighted Cigarettes
      • Secret Holds
      • Productions
      • Vanishes
      • Butt Vanish
      • Tonguing
      • Switches
      • Interludes
      • Lighted Cigarettes from Air
      • Routine with Dummies
      • Routine
  • X. Cigar Conjurations
    • Faked Cigars
    • Sleights
      • Vertical Vanish
      • Horizontal Vanish
      • Roll Vanish
      • Vest Vanish
      • Prepared Cigar
      • Cigar Chase
    • Tricks
      • Swallowing a Cigar
      • Purse Production
      • Multiplication
      • Routine
  • XI. Thimble Thaumaturgy
    • Materials
    • Sleights
      • Thumb Grip
      • Regular Palm
      • Finger Pinches
      • Transfers
        • Front to Back Pinch
        • Thumb Grip to Rear Pinch
      • Vanishes
        • Forefinger Tip (three methods)
        • Into the Mouth
        • Pretended Throws (three methods)
      • Reproductions
        • First and Second Fingers
        • Third and Fourth Fingers
        • On Thumb
      • Concealment of Thimbles
      • Accessory Holder
    • Tricks
      • Through the Knees
      • Multiplication to Eight
      • Impromptu Method
      • Through a Handkerchief
      • Paper Cone and Thimble
      • Final Remarks
  • XII. Birth of Flowers
    • Real Flowers Using a Hat
    • Real Flowers Using a Paper Cone
    • Flower from Candle Flame
    • Feather Flowers: Sleeve Productions
    • Spring Flowers: Very Large Load; Small Loads
  • XIII. Ropes and Cords
    • Flourish Knots
    • Two Simultaneous Knots
    • Self Tying Rope
    • Impossible Knot
      • Simple Knot
      • Ring on Cord
      • Spectator Holding Ends
      • Thumbs Tied
    • Tricks
      • Spontaneous Knots
      • Travelling Knots
      • Grandmother's Necklace
      • Cords and Watch
      • Cords and Glass Tube
      • Cut and Restored Rope
        • Sliding Knot Principle
        • Without Preparation
        • Loop and Sleeve Method
      • Stretching a Rope: Prepared Rope
  • XIV. Bills
    • Sleights
      • Palming
      • Switching
    • Preliminary Preparations
      • Consecutive Numbers
      • Torn Corner
      • Envelope
      • Lemon, Cigarette, etc.
    • Tricks
      • Bill and Lemon
      • Bill in the Cigarette
      • Multiplication
  • XV. Out of the Hat
    • Loading
    • Street Magician
    • Dropping an Object
    • Using Profonde
    • From a Table
    • Wire Loop
    • From a Tray
    • Double Production
  • XVI. Mental Magic
    • Introduction
    • Performer Working Alone
      • Impromptu Mind Reading
      • Billet Switch
      • The Quick and the Dead
      • Another Method
      • Prediction
      • A Second Method
      • Reading Sealed Envelopes
      • Book Tests
      • Mirror Principle
    • Two People, Operator and Medium
      • Talking Codes
      • Thought Transference
      • Blackboard Feat
      • Another Method
      • Knight's Tour
      • Marvelous Memory
  • XVII. Playing Cards
    • Introduction
    • Sleights
      • Overhand Shuffle
      • Riffle Shuffle
      • Hindu Shuffle
      • Controlling Single Card
      • Controlling Several Cards
      • Forcing a Card
      • Sighting a Card
      • A Simple Pass
      • The Palm
      • Replacing Palmed Cards
      • The Glide
      • The Double Lift
      • The Force
      • The False Count
    • Flourishes
      • The Fan
      • Springing the Cards
      • Spreading the Cards
    • Tricks
      • Magic Breath
      • Cards to Pocket
      • Five Card Discoveries
      • Sense of Touch
      • Through a Handkerchief
      • Rising Card
      • Catching Two Cards in the Air
      • Annemann Five Card Findo
      • At Any Number
      • Stop Dealing
      • Indicator Card
      • Riffle Stop
      • Spelling
      • Two Cards Change Places
      • Ambitious Card

1st edition 1939; 356 pages.
word count: 114944 which is equivalent to 459 standard pages of text



Reviewed by Chris Johnson (confirmed purchase)
★★★★★   Date Added: Sunday 09 July, 2023

I love it.

This book formed part of the foundation of my magical training when I borrowed it from one of my oldest friends.

Now that I have it in digital form, so many years since my friend passed, I can remember him again and the days we often spent yakking about magic.

The material inside is first-class too. Although some things may have dated, a lot of the props necessary are still accessible in today's age -- apart from Australia where we no longer use paper money -- it's all the polymer stuff.

So this book means a lot to me.