Great Magicians' Tricks
by Will Goldston

This is an interesting compilation of material - a mix of short portraits and Goldston's personal recollections of various magicians - some famous, some not, as well as some of their tricks and secrets. The result is a fairly extensive collection of tricks of all kinds and denominations. Includes many illustrations and photos of the contributors.

The first edition was issued in the same style as Goldston's famous Locked Books series, but without the clasp.

Excerpt from the introduction:

• AN INTRODUCTION
• THE BEST BOOKS IN MAGIC
• A FEW NOTES
• HOUDINI
  • Houdini's Secret Belt
  • Houdini's Challenge Escape from a Packing-Case
  • Buried Alive
• CHUNG LING SOO
  • Shooting Through a Woman
• CARL HERTZ
  • The "Slate"
  • A New Changing Bag
• NEVIL MASKELYNE
  • Nevil Maskelyne's Leg Tie
• OWEN CLARK
  • Owen's Clark's Watch Trick
• HORACE GOLDIN
  • Sawing a Horse in Half
• DE BIERE
  • The Latest Card in the Balloon
• CHEFALO
  • The Vanishing Lamp
  • The Mysterious Parasols
  • Chefalo's Umbrella Trick
  • Chefalo's Rings and Watches Trick
  • The Lady and the Vase
  • The Production of a Duck from a Boy's Coat
  • The Devil's Stove
  • Chefalo's Hour Glass Illusion
  • The Spirit Chair
  • A Statue Comes to Life
• HARRY PRICE
  • Two Mediumistic Miracles
  • The Boston Bell Box
• MURRAY
  • The Chinese Pillory
  • Murray's Escape from Three Safes
• LOUIS GAUTIER
  • A Trick with a Box of Matches
• EDWARD PROUDLOCK
  • Edward Proudlock's Diminishing Cards
• GEORGE W. HUNTER
  • A Ring and a Knot
  • A New Cut and Restored Paper
• CHRIS VAN BERN
  • Chris Van Bern's Quick Surprise
• HENRY RIGOLETTO
  • The Changing Die and Handkerchief
• ROBERT H. GYSEL
  • Gysel's Thumb Cuff Escape
  • An Electric Bulb that lights itself
• ARTHUR MARGERY
  • A Rosary Card Rack
  • A little Feat of Dexterity
• DR. O. H. BOWEN
  • The Martin Chapender Hat Load
  • Martin Chapender's Black Art Table
• DOUGLAS DEXTER
  • The Knowing Dart
  • Magical Music
  • The Cut and Restored Rope
  • The Cut and Restored Treasury Note
  • Four Aces and Four Kings
  • The Mystic Star
• ARTHUR SHERWOOD
  • Sherwood's Coin and Chocolate Box
• JAMES ROGERS
  • A Materialised Bottle
• W. M. MELMORE
  • An Escape from a Prison Van
• NED WILLIAMS
  • Wet Paint
  • A New Penetrating Tumbler
  • A Trick with Giant Cards
• NORMAN
  • A Fan, a Glass, and a Ball
  • The Canister and the Card
  • The Twentieth Century Trick - With Two Dice and an Orange
  • The Production of Six Coins
  • The Spirit Ball
  • The New Blendo
  • Passing an Alarm Clock through a Sheet of Glass
  • The Chest of Chu Chin Chow
  • A Plant Mystery
  • The Twin Box Mystery
  • The Production of Three Bouquets
• FERNAND VERHEYDEN
  • The Divination Miracle
  • A Changing Card
  • The Travelling Candle
  • A New Rope Trick - Rope Cut in Four Pieces and Restored
  • The Moving Dice
• A. S. DAVIS
  • The Magic Figure
  • The Travelling Card
  • A Useful Candle
  • A New Version of the Indian Basket Trick
• WALTER BLAU
  • A Cord and Two Rings
• SOME RECOLLECTIONS
  • § 2
  • § 3
  • § 4
  • § 5
  • Three String Tricks
  • The Mysterious Mummies
  • A New Cut and Restored Ribbon
  • Taking a Lighted Match from the Pocket
  • A Smoke Mystery
  • The Changing Cards
  • The Ring on the Wand
  • A Handkerchief from Nowhere
  • De Kolta's Spring Flower Holder
  • Buatier De Kolta's Handkerchiefs and Soup Plates
  • De Kolta's Handkerchief Vanisher
  • Goldston's Watches and Ribbons
  • The Phantom Bottle
  • The Production of a Large Bird-Cage
  • The First Illusion
  • Goldston's Birth of a Flower Maid
  • The Milk Tank
  • The Shadow Illusion
  • Goldston's Weighing Illusion
• FREDERICK EUGENE POWELL
• JOHN MULHOLLAND
• DR. MILTON BRIDGES
• JACK PILKINGTON
• ROBERTA
• NATE LEIPZIG
• MAX HOLDEN

1st edition 1931, 397; PDF 240 pages.
word count: 66015 which is equivalent to 264 standard pages of text