Modern Magic

Every generation a magician comes along, whose intention is to record magic in an encyclopedic fashion. Professor Hoffmann was the first in recorded history to attempt such a feat with his trilogy Modern Magic, More Magic, and Later Magic. Certainly many magic books have been published before him, mostly copying from each other. But none reaches the depth and breadth of Prof. Hoffmann's work. The material in these three books records the state of the art of magic in the late 19th century. Today we know more tricks and we have also refined our techniques and methods. But it is astounding how much was already known at that time. Reading carefully you will discover several clever methods which have been forgotten or have fallen out of fashion with todays popular magicians. If you really want to fool your magic friends the next time, read this book and perform one of its many not so well known secrets.

This book was rated one of the ten basic books for a working library of conjuring by H. Adrian Smith, historian, collector and owner of the largest private magic library in his time. Other books in this top 10 list are

Magicians' Tricks by Henry Hatton and Adrian Plate
The Expert at the Card Table by S.W. Erdnase
The Art of Magic by T. Nelson Downs
More Magic by Prof. Hoffmann
Later Magic by Prof. Hoffmann
The Modern Conjurer by C. Lang Neil
Our Magic by Maskelyne and Devant
Tarbell Course by Harlan Tarbell
Greater Magic by John Northern Hilliard

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CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION. Introductory Observations The Magic Wand The Magician's Table The Magician's Dress Profondes Pochettes "Loading" Pockets CHAPTER II. GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF SLEIGHT-OF-HAND APPLICABLE TO CARD TRICKS. The Cards To "Make the Pass" To "Force" a Card To Make a "False Shuffle" To "Palm" a Card To "Ruffle" the Cards To "Change" a Card To Get Sight of a Drawn Card To "Slip" a Card To "Draw Back" a Card To "Turn Over" the Pack To Spring the Cards from one Hand to the Other To Throw a Card The "Bridge" CHAPTER III. CARD TRICKS WITH ORDINARY CARDS, AND NOT REQUIRING SLEIGHT-OF-HAND. Simple Modes of Discovering a Given Card Various Modes of Disclosing a Discovered Card To Make a Card Vanish from the Pack, and be found in a Person's Pocket To place the Four Kings in different parts of the Pack, and to bring them together by a simple Cut The Four Kings being placed under the Hand of one Person, and the Four Sevens under the Hand of Another, to make them Change Places at Command Four Packets of Cards having been formed face downwards on the Table, to discover the Total Value of the Undermost Cards To Name all the Cards of the Pack in Succession The Cards being Cut, to tell whether the Number Cut is Odd or Even The Whist Trick. To deal yourself all the Trumps (see also page 119) To allow a Person to think of a Card, and to make that Card appear at such Number in the Pack as another Person shall Name The Cards revealed by the Looking-glass To Guess Four Cards thought of by Different Persons The Pairs Re-paired The Magic Triplets Another Mode of Discovering a Card thought of To Guess, by the aid of a Passage of Poetry or Prose, such one of Sixteen Cards as, in your Absence, has been Touched or Selected by the Company To Detect, without Confederacy, which of Four Cards has been Turned Round in your Absence To Arrange Twelve Cards in Rows in such a manner that they will Count Four in every Direction To Place the Aces and Court Cards in Four Rows, in such a manner that neither Horizontally nor Perpendicularly shall there be in either Row two Cards alike, either in Suit or Value The Congress of Court Cards CHAPTER IV. TRICKS INVOLVING SLEIGHT-OF-HAND, OR THE USE OF SPECIALLY PREPARED CARDS. The "Long Card" Biseaute or Tapering Cards Tricks Performed by the Aid of a Long Card, or biseaute Pack: A Card having been Chosen and Returned, and the Pack Shuffled, to produce the Chosen Card instantly in various ways To Cut at the Chosen Card To Let all the Cards fall, save the One Chosen To Pick out the Card, the Pack being placed in a Person's Pocket To Fling the Pack in the Air, and Catch the Chosen Card To Change a Card drawn hap-hazard to the Chosen Card To Divide the Pack into several Packets on the Table, allowing the Company to stop you at any Moment, and to cause the Top Card of the Heap last made to Change into the Chosen Card To Teach the Company a Trick which they Learn without Difficulty; then to allow them to Succeed or cause them to Fail at your Pleasure To Distinguish the Court Cards by Touch To Name any Number of Cards in Succession without Seeing Them To Make Four Cards change from Eights to Twos, from Black to Red, etc. A Card having been Drawn and Returned, and the Pack Shuffled, to make it Appear at such Number as the Company choose The same Trick with several Cards, and by a Different Method The "Three Card" Trick To Nail a Chosen Card to the Wall The Inseparable Sevens The Inseparable Aces Having placed the Four Aces in different positions in the Pack, to make the two Black change places with the two Red ones, and finally to bring all Four together in the Middle of the Pack A Card having been thought of, to make such Card Vanish from the Pack, and be Discovered wherever the Performer pleases To cause a Number of Cards to Multiply invisibly in a Person's keeping The Pack being divided into two Portions, placed in the keeping of two different Persons, to make Three Cards pass invisibly from the One to the Other To allow several Persons each to draw a Card, and the Pack having been Shuffled, to make another Card drawn haphazard change successively into each of those first chosen To make Four Aces change to Four Kings, and Four Kings to Four Aces Having made Four Packets of Cards with an Ace at the bottom of each, to bring all Four Aces into whichever Packet the Company may choose To Change the Four Aces, held tightly by a Person, into Four Indifferent Cards The Shower of Aces Several Persons having each drawn Two Cards, which have been Returned and Shuffled, to make each Couple appear in Succession, one at the top and the other at the bottom of the Pack To make Two Cards, each firmly held by a different Person, change places To change Four Cards, drawn haphazard, and placed on the Table, into Cards of the same Value as a Single Card subsequently chosen by one of the Spectators Two Heaps of Cards, unequal in Number, being placed upon the Table, to predict beforehand which of the two the Company will choose A Row of Cards being placed Face Downwards on the Table, to indicate, by turning up one of them, how many of such Cards have during your absence been transferred from one end of the Row to the other Several Cards having been freely chosen by the Company, Returned and Shuffled, and the Pack placed in a Person's Pocket, to make such Person draw out one by one the chosen Cards The Cards having been freely Shuffled, and cut into three or four Heaps, to name the top Card of each Heap To allow a Person secretly to think of a Card, and, dividing the Pack into three Heaps, to cause the Card thought of to appear in whichever Heap the Company may choose To allow a Person secretly to think of a Card, and, even before such Card is named, to select it from the Pack, and place it singly upon the Table A Card having been secretly thought of by one of the Audience, to place two Indifferent Cards upon the Table, and to change such one of them as the Audience may select into the Card thought of A Card having been Drawn and Returned, and the Pack shuffled, to divide the Pack into several Heaps on the Table, and to cause the Drawn Card to appear in such Heap as the Company may choose To change a Drawn Card into the Portraits of several of the Company in succession A Card having been Drawn and Returned, and the Pack shuffled, to place on the Table six Rows of six Cards each, and to discover the chosen Card by a throw of the Dice A Card having been withdrawn and replaced, to call it from the Pack, and to make it come to you of its own accord Mode of Preparing specially adhesive Wax for Conjuring Purposes The Whist Trick. (Improved Method.) To deal yourself all the Trumps, the three other Players holding the usual mixed Hands CHAPTER V. CARD TRICKS REQUIRING SPECIAL APPARATUS. The Magic Sword. A Card being drawn and replaced, and the Pack flung in the Air, to catch the chosen Card on the point of the Sword The Rising Cards. Several Cards having been drawn, returned, and shuffled, to make them rise spontaneously from the Pack The Jumping Cards. Two or three Cards having been drawn, returned, and shuffled, to make them jump out of the Pack To make a Card stand upright by itself on the Table "Changing" Card-boxes, and Tricks performed with them The Mechanical Card-box The "Card and Bird Box" The Card Tripod The "Torn Card" Mechanical Changing Cards CHAPTER VI. PRINCIPLES OF sLEIGHT-OF-HAND MORE ESPECIALLY APPLICABLE TO COIN TRICKS. Palming Passes Changes CHAPTER VII. TRICKS WITH COIN WITHOUT APPARATUS. A Quarter being spun upon the Table, to tell blindfold whether it falls head or tail upwards Odd or Even, or the Mysterious Addition To change a Quarter into a Penny, back again, and then to pass the same invisibly into the Pocket of the Owner To make a marked Quarter and Penny, wrapped in separate Handkerchiefs, change places at Command To make two marked Coins, wrapped in separate Handkerchiefs, come together in one of them To pull Four Quarters or Half-crowns through a Handkerchief To pass a marked Quarter (or Half-crown) into the Centre of two Oranges in succession The Flying Money. To make a Coin pass invisibly from the one Hand to the other, and finally through the Table To rub One Sixpence into Three The Multiplication of Money To Make a Marked Sixpence vanish from a Handkerchief, and be found in the Centre of an Apple or Orange previously examined The Travelling Counters The Wandering Sixpence CHAPTER VIII. TRICKS WITH COIN REQUIRING SPECIAL APPARATUS. The Heads and Tails Trick The Magic Cover and Vanishing Halfpence The Animated Coin, which answers Questions, etc. Appliances for Vanishing Money The Vanishing Halfpenny Box The Rattle Box The Pepper-box The Brass Money-box The Brass Box, known as the "Plug-box" The Handkerchief for Vanishing Money The Demon Handkerchief The Davenport Cabinet Appliances for Re-producing Vanished Money The Nest of Boxes The Ball of Berlin Wool The Glass Goblet and Cover The Glass without Cover The Miraculous Casket The Half-Crown or Quarter Wand The Shower of Money The Vanishing Plate, or Salver The "Changing" Plate The Tray of Proteus CHAPTER IX. TRICKS WITH WATCHES. To indicate on the Dial of a Watch the Hour secretly thought of by any of the Company To Bend a Borrowed Watch Backwards and Forwards The Watch-mortar and the Magic Pistol The "Snuff-box Vase" The "Watch Box" The "Watch Target" The Mesmerised Watch. (To Make any Watch a Repeater) CHAPTER X. TRICKS WITH RINGS. The Flying Ring To Pass a Ring from the one Hand to either Finger of the other Hand To Pass a Ring through a Pocket-handkerchief To Pass a Ring through the Table To Pass a Ring invisibly upon the Middle of a Wooden Wand, the Ends being held by two of the Spectators The Magic Ball and Rings To Pass a Borrowed Ring into an Egg The Magic Rose CHAPTER XI. TRICKS WITH HANDKERCHIEFS. Introductory Remarks The Handkerchief that cannot be Tied in a Knot The Handkerchief that will not Burn The Vanishing Knots To Exchange a borrowed Handkerchief for a Substitute The Locked and Corded Box, and the Washerwoman's Bottle The Reversibel Canister The Burning Globe The Transformed Handkerchief The Handkerchief cut up, burnt, and finally found in a Candle The Shower of Sweets The Feathers from an Empty Handkerchief The Flying Plume The Magic Laundry The Egg and the Handkerchief The "Hand-Box," for Vanishing a Handkerchief		CHAPTER XII. TRICKS WITH DOMINOES AND DICE. To Arrange a Row of Dominoes face downwards on the Table, and on returning to the Room to turn up a Domino whose points shall indicate how many have been moved in your absence To Allow any Person in your absence to arrange the Dominoes in a Row, face downwards, and on your return to name blindfold, or without entering the Room, the end numbers of the Row To Change, invisibly, the Numbers shown on either Face of a Pair of Dice To Name, without seeing them, the Points of a Pair of Dice CHAPTER XIII. THE CUPS AND BALLS. Introductory Remarks Principles of Sleight-of-hand applicable to Ball Tricks To Palm the Ball To Reproduce the Palmed Ball at the End of the Fingers To Secretly Introduce the Palmed Ball under the Cup To Simulate the Action of Placing a Ball under a Cup To Produce a Ball from the Wand To Return a Ball into the Wand To Pass one Cup through Another Burlesque Address to the Spectators Pass I. Having Placed a Ball under each Cup, to draw it out again without Lifting the Cup Pass II. To make a Ball Travel invisibly from Cup to Cup Pass III. Having placed a Ball under each of the end Cups, to make them pass seccessively under the Middle Cup Pass IV. Having placed two Balls under the Middle Cup, to make them pass under the two Outer Ones Pass V. To pass three Balls in succession under One Cup Pass VI. To place three Balls one after the other upon the top of one of the Cups, and to make them fall through the Cup on to the Table Pass VII. To pass three Balls in succession upwards through the Table into one of the Cups Pass VIII. To pass two Balls in succession from one Cup to another without touching them Pass IX. To make three Balls in succession pass under the Middel Cup Pass X. The "Multiplication" Pass Pass XI. To Transform the Small Balls to Larger Ones Pass XII. To again Transform the Balls to still Larger Ones CHAPTER XIV. BALL TRICKS REQUIRING SPECIAL APPARATUS. Further principles of Sleight-of-hand applicable to Ball Tricks To Palm a large Ball To Vanish a Large Ball with the aid of the Table The Ball Box The Red-and-Black-Ball Vases Morison's Pill-box The Ball which changes to a Rose The Obedient Ball CHAPTER XV. HAT TRICKS. The Cannon-balls in the Hat Multiplying Balls The "Hundred Goblets" from a Hat A Dozen Babies from a Hat The Magic Reticules The Drums from the Hat The Birdcages from the Hat The Cake (or Pudding) in the Hat The Welsh Rabbit CHAPTER XVI. MISCELLANEOUS TRICKS. The Cut String Restored My Grandmother's Necklace The "Bonus Genius," or Vanishing Doll The Dancing Sailor The Bottle Imps The Vanishing Gloves The Egg Bag To Produce Eggs from a Person's Mouth The Pillars of Solomon, and the Magic Bradawi The Magic Coffers The Bran and Orange Trick The Rice and Orange Trick The Magic Whistle The Magic Mill Pieces of Apparatus of General Utility The Drawer-Box The Dissecting Drawer-Box The Changing Card-Drawer Changing Caddies The Magic Vase and Caddy The Cover, to pick up and replace any Article The Changing Cover The Changing Ladle The Cone, or Skittle The Cone and Bouquet The Flying Glass of Water The Bowls of Water and Bowls of Fire produced from a Shawl The Bowl of Ink changed to clear Water, with Gold Fish swimming in it The Inexhaustible Bottle The Bottle and Ribbons The New Pyramids of Egypt, or Wine and Water Trick The Mysterious Funnel The Box of Bran transformed to a Bottle of Wine The Bran Bottle The Bran Glass To Fire Borrowed Rings from a Pistol, and make them Pass into a Goblet Filled with Bran and covered with a Handkerchief, the Bran disappearing, and being found elsewhere The Domino-Box (sometimes called the Glove-Box) The Coffee Trick The Inexhaustible Box The Japanese Inexhaustible Boxes The Feast of Lanterns The Butterfly Trick The Wizard's Omelet The Rose in the Glass Vase The Chinese Rings The Charmed Bullet The Birth of Flowers The Mysterious Salver The Vanishing Die The Die Dissolving in a Pocket Handkerchief The Die and Orange The Vanishing Canary Bird and Cage The Crystal Balls The Flags of all Nations The Umbrella Trick The "Passe-Passe" Trick CHAPTER XVII. STAGE TRICKS. The Tables in use in Stage Tricks The "Plain" Trap The "Wrist" or "Pressure" Trap The "Rabbit" or "Dove" Trap "Changing" Traps The "Money" Trap "Pistons" (for working mechanical apparatus) "Bellows" Tables The Rabbit Trick The Fairy Star The Card Bouquet The Demon's Head The Magic Picture Frame The Flying Watches and the Broken Plate The Magic Picture and the Chosen Cards The Magic Portfolio The Glove Column The Vanishing Pocket-handkerchief, found in a Candle The Sphinx The Cabinet of Proteus The Indian Basket Trick Electrical Tricks The Light and Heavy Chest Spirit-Rapping The Magic Bell The Crystal Cash Box The Magic Drum The Aerial Suspension CHAPTER XVIII. CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS. Hints as to Working up Tricks Arrangement of Programme Stage Arrangements Parting Counsels APPENDIX CHAPTER I. Introductory CHAPTER II. KEMPELEN. Kempelen's Speaking Figure Its Construction Houdin His Talking Figure The Magic Harlequin and its Construction The Magic Clock The Performing Clown The Cook of the Palais Royal The Orange and Rose Trees Electric Bell and Drum Suspension in the Air CHAPTER III. THEODIN. Theodin Robin and Anderson The Magic Windmill Anderson's Old Man Col. Stodare's Living Head Pepper and Tobin Proteus; or, We're Here and Not Here Fatima CHAPTER IV. AUTOMATA: PSYCHO Automaton of Messrs. Maskelyne and Cooke Psycho and its Imitators Zoe Fanfare CHAPTER V. MARIONETTES. Taking a Man to Pieces The Living Marionettes CHAPTER VI. CLAIRVOYANCE. Clairvoyance, or Second Sight The Clairvoyance of the Superstitious Ages and the Clairvoyance of the Day Questions and Answers The Reading of Concealed Writing The Addition of Unseen Figures CHAPTER VII. SPIRITUALISM. Spiritualism Mediums and their Pretences Their Tests Various Tying Tests The Sealed Accordion Floating in the Air Floating Tambourines, Guitars, etc. The Spiritual Musical Box Writing on the Ceiling Invisible Writing The Floating Table, etc. CHAPTER VIII. PARLOR MAGIC. Parlor Magic A Surprise Indian Sand Trick The "Q" Trick The Bleeding Thumb The Marked Florin in Oranges The Chinese Pictures Bautier's Great Ink-and-Water Trick Carrying Fire in the Hands

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