This book presents a large compilation of home entertainment, including conjuring and illusions, but also theatre, dance, puzzles, scientific experiments, shadowgraphy, marionettes, paper folding, and even how to build your own telephone, and many other activities. This paragraph from the prefatory note sums it up:
While in no sense does it claim to be an exhaustive guide to home amusements, it represents a serious effort to bring within the scope of one volume almost every form of popular home diversion.
- PREFATORY NOTE
- PART I
- CHAPTER I: AMATEUR THEATRICALS
- STAGE CONSTRUCTION AND HOME-MADE SCENERY
- The Drop Curtain
- Home-made Scenery
- How to Make the "Flats"
- Papering
- Making a Portable Porch
- A Portable Fireplace
- A Moveable Counter or Sideboard
- A Back-Cloth
- CHAPTER II: MYSTERIES OF MAKE-UP
- The Foundation
- Lining
- "Juvenile" Make-up
- "Middle-Age" Make-up
- "Old-Age" Make-up
- Beards and Moustaches
- The Removal of Make-up
- CHAPTER III: THE QUICK-CHANGE ARTIST
- How it's Done
- An Inexpensive "Stock in Trade"
- The Dresser
- CHAPTER IV: CHARACTER IMPERSONATIONS
- TALENT V. MATERIAL AIDS
- Knowledge from Nature
- Speaking Impersonations
- Temperament
- Character and Circumstance
- CHAPTER V: THE UNIVERSAL HAT
- MARVELS OF CHAPEAUGRAPHY
- Popular Characters
- CHAPTER VI: NIGGER MINSTRELSY
- The Comical Corner-men
- Minstrels' "Make-up"
- From Failure to Success
- Coon Songs
- Songs and "Gags"
- One-Act Dramas
- CHAPTER VII: SOME SUGGESTIONS IN BLACK
- FOR "NIGGER MINSTRELS"
- Introducing Jokes
- Stump Speeches
- Music for Minstrelsy
- CHAPTER VIII: TABLEAUX VIVANTS
- True-to-Life Representations
- Staging
- Penelope and Ulysses
- Stage "Props"
- CHAPTER IX: CHARADES
- AN OLD FAVOURITE FOR INDOOR PARTIES
- An "Artificial Window"
- "A Seaside Scene"
- A Portable Tent
- Outfit for Highwayman
- A Policeman's Helmet
- A Chinaman's Head Covering
- Advertisement Charades
- Baronetcy
- Beanstalk
- CHAPTER X: THE POSSIBILITIES OF THE MUSICAL SKETCH
- An Artist - and a Gentleman
- Music and Words
- CHAPTER XI: VAMPING SIMPLIFIED
- AN ACCOMPANIST IN AN HOUR
- Vamping Chords and their Relative Changes
- CHAPTER XII: AN EVENING AT THE PHONOGRAPH
- A Concert at Home
- Humorous Songs
- General Arrangements
- CHAPTER XIII: MUSICAL GLASSES
- A GREAT INVENTOR'S HOPES
- Little Water = Low Note
- Half-Notes
- CHAPTER XIV: HAND-BELL RINGING
- A Sweet-lipped Friend
- Bell-ringing Companies
- "Flourishing"
- CHAPTER XV: THE ART OF DRAWING-ROOM SINGING
- Correct Breathing and Voice Production
- Dainty Modern Songs
- The Value of a Good Accompanist
- Why Singers often Fail
- CHAPTER XVI: DRAWING-ROOM RECITALS
- The Keynote of Success
- The Speaking Register
- Appropriate Gesture
- CHAPTER XVII: THE ART OF WHISTLING
- Methods of a Famous Siffleur
- Breathing and Tone
- Suitable Solos
- CHAPTER XVIII: BUNKUM ENTERTAINMENTS
- The Cuckoo of Society
- Sure of Success
- Thought-Reading Extraordinary
- Fake Ventriloquism
- The Three Old Maids
- Bunkum Lectures
- The Sharp (?)-Shooter
- The Ghost
- PART II
- CHAPTER I: VENTRILOQUISM IN A MONTH
- A PRACTICAL AND COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO THE ART OF VALENTINE VOX
- All Born Ventriloquists
- The Initial Stages
- Breathing Exercises
- Automaton - or Man?
- Speaking with Still Lips
- Two Kinds of Ventriloquism
- The Old Woman's Voice
- Ventriloquial Figures
- Ventriloquial Figure Manipulation
- Voice for "Little Boy"
- The "Distant" Voices
- "Level" Sounds
- The "Floor" Voice
- VENTRILOQUIAL IMITATIONS
- A Dog Fight
- The Lion and the Cow
- The Complete Entertainment
- CHAPTER II: CONJURING FOR ALL
- MAGIC MEMORISED
- The Dye-Works
- The Dissolving Coin
- The Watch and Target
- CHAPTER III: SOME KNOTTY POINTS
- Secrets of Handkerchief Manipulation
- The One Hand Knot
- The Wrist Knot
- The Double Bow
- The Instantaneous Knots
- A Flick Knot
- The Disappearing Knot
- CHAPTER IV: BLACK STAGE MYSTERIES
- A Wily Worker of Wonders
- The Essential Assistant
- The Floating Barrel
- The Vanishing Man
- CHAPTER V: CONCERNING GHOSTS
- Mirror Frauds
- Unseeing and Disbelieving
- A Paris Illusion
- The Sea Nymph
- CHAPTER VI: SOME STAGE ILLUSIONS
- FOR HOME PRESENTATION
- The Magic Cupboard
- The Mandarin's Head
- "The Head of Mary Queen of Scots"
- When Three are a Crowd
- The Floating Lady
- Houdin's Mesmerism
- The Indian Basket
- The Disappearing Princess
- CHAPTER VII: THE ROOM OF MYSTERY
- HOW TO MAKE A HAUNTED HOUSE
- A Deceitful Member
- CHAPTER VIII: MECHANICAL SECOND-SIGHT
- Approaching the Supernatural
- CHAPTER IX: PAPERGRAPHY
- How an Excellent Entertainment may be Given with a Sheet of Paper
- CHAPTER X: JUGGLING
- HOW TO MASTER THE PRINCIPLES OF THE ART
- 1. The Vertical Fall
- 2. Inside and Outside Falls
- 3. The Parallel Fall
- 4. Falls from Right to Left
- 5. The Horizontal Pass
- 6. The Double Vertical Fall
- 7. The Double Inside Fall
- 8. The Triple Pass
- 9. The Triple Over Pass
- 10. The Shower
- 11. The Triple Shower
- 12. The Double Over Fountain
- CHAPTER XI: PLATE-SPINNING AND WALTZING
- An Exciting Entertainment
- Prepared Plates
- Further Feats
- Balancing
- Plate Waltzing
- CHAPTER XII: THE TIGHT-ROPE
- Trick Balancing
- The Balancing Pole
- The "Forward Walk"
- CHAPTER XIII: CLOG DANCING
- A Novel Entertainment
- The First Step
- Single and Double Shuffles
- Variations of Double Shuffle
- The Slide
- CHAPTER XIV: SHADOW SHOWS
- Hand Shadows
- How to Make the Pictures
- Figure Shadows
- The Disappearing Man
- Puppet Shadow Shows
- Manipulating the Puppets
- CHAPTER XV: LIGHTNING CARTOONS AND "FAKE" SKETCHING
- A NOVEL FORM OF DRAWING-ROOM ENTERTAINMENT
- Simultaneous Drawing
- A Figured Face
- Smoke Pictures
- Topsy-Turveydom
- Shadow Drawings
- PART III
- CHAPTER I: FRICTIONAL FUN
- Some Amusing Electrical Experiments
- Leyden Jars
- Gold Leaf Electroscope
- Electrophorus
- Discharger
- CHAPTER II: SOME ELECTRICAL EFFECTS
- CHAPTER III: SAFE SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENTS
- Amusing Tricks with Simple Apparatus
- Piercing a Coin with a Needle
- A Match Trick
- The Tricolour Glass
- Changing Water into Wine
- The Eruption of Vesuvius
- A Peculiar Candlestick
- Making a Paper Fish Swim
- Floating Pins and Needles
- Joined by Air
- Glass Raising Extraordinary
- A Novel Glass Emptier
- A Striking Syphon Experiment
- An Electric Fountain
- The Bottle Cannon
- CHAPTER IV: SAFE CHEMICAL EXPERIMENTS
- Twentieth-Century "Black Art"
- Experiments with Chlorine
- CHAPTER V: ODD EXPERIMENTS
- TO WHILE AWAY WINTER HOURS
- Life Partners
- A Light Experiment
- The Pyrometer
- The Broken Bottle
- Compressed Air
- CHAPTER VI: MORE EXPERIMENTS
- The Refractory Cork
- The Flying Coin
- A Cigarette-smoking Lamp-glass
- Water Swinging
- A Novel Mirror
- A Disappearing Coin
- Electrified Paper
- Electrified Balloons
- Exploding Flour
- The Apparently Impossible
- Making Coal Gas
- Experiments with Carbonic Acid Gas
- CHAPTER VII: PHOTO PASTIMES
- Camera Knights' Experiments
- Experiment A. - A FIRESIDE PHOTO
- Experiments B. - "PHOTO-CHEMICAL"
- Experiment C. - Blue Print Paper
- Experiment D. - To Show the Constituents of White Light
- Experiment E. - One Person in Two Places - and Spiritualism
- Spirit Photography
- Novel Results
- PART IV
- CHAPTER I: HOW TO MAKE AND WORK MARIONETTES
- CONSTRUCTING THE STAGE
- A Movable Curtain
- Interior Decoration
- Home-made Figures
- Working the Puppets
- Working
- CHAPTER II: LIVING MARIONETTES
- A GOOD "ONE MAN" SHOW
- Comical Effects
- CHAPTER III: THE HOME CIRCUS
- A New Form of Entertainment
- Other Decorations
- How is it Done?
- The Indian Sack Trick
- Trick Juggling
- CHAPTER IV: HOW TO MAKE AND WORK A PEEP-SHOW
- AN OLD FORM OF ENTERTAINMENT REVIVED
- CHAPTER V: THE "MECHANICAL" PEEP-SHOW
- SECRETS OF LIGHTNING TRANSFORMATIONS
- CHAPTER VI: HOW TO MAKE AND WORK A PUNCH AND JUDY SHOW
- HIS HIGHNESS OF THE HUMP
- Packing up the Show
- The Puppets
- Working the Figures
- The Ghost
- CHAPTER VII: DISSOLVING VIEWS
- WITHOUT A MAGIC LANTERN
- Exhibiting
- CHAPTER VIII: INDOOR FIREWORKS
- WITHOUT THE USE OF EXPLOSIVES
- The Firework Boxers
- CHAPTER IX: HOW TO MAKE A TELEPHONE
- FOR USE AT HOME
- Making Mouthpieces
- The Microphone
- CHAPTER X: TELEGRAPHY AT HOME
- A Galvanometer Adapted
- Testing
- Message Transmitting
- PART V
- CHAPTER I: ELEMENTARY HYPNOTISM
- The Mysteries and Marvels of "Under-Sleep"
- Weak-willed Subjects not Essential
- Auto-Suggestion or Self-Hypnosis
- CHAPTER II: THE POWERS AND MYSTERIES OF CLAIRVOYANCE
- Marvels of the "Sixth" Sense
- Keys to Character
- Crystal Gazing
- Simple Manifestations Best
- The Eternal Question
- CHAPTER III: TABLE-TURNING
- Fun for an Impromptu Party
- The Presence of an "Unbeliever"
- CHAPTER IV: PALMISTRY
- SECRETS OF THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE
- The Phalanges
- Signs - and Wonders!
- Guileless and Good
- CHAPTER V: PHRENOLOGY
- THE ESTATE "UNDER THE HAT"
- Bald-Pated Friends
- Phrenologist - and Man!
- The Humorous Side of Phrenology
- CHAPTER VI: TELLING FORTUNES BY CARDS, DICE, DOMINOES, ETC.
- What the Future has in Store
- A Throw of the Dice
- Fortune Telling by Dominoes
- Figured Futurity
- Divinations by Tarocs
- Process of Divination
- CHAPTER VII: GRAPHOLOGY
- Character from Handwriting
- The Principal Letters
- Misleading Signs
- PART VI
- CHAPTER I: A SUCCESSFUL CHILDREN'S PARTY
- A Word to Grown-Ups
- Tea Time
- CHAPTER II: PARLOUR GAMES
- FOR CHRISTMAS PARTIES
- The Clothes-pin Game
- Proverbs
- The Game of Shadows
- Gardeners
- Tidings
- The Lawyer
- Cabbages
- The Lover's Coming
- Telegrams
- The Fan Fight
- Panama Canal
- The Longest Line
- Musical Buff
- Magic Hieroglyphics
- The Auction Game
- The Whistle
- The Blind Brothers
- The Poets' Corner
- Jack's Going Strong
- Name Divinations
- Wizard Photography
- The Missing Ring
- Apples and Nuts
- Amiable Dog
- CHAPTER III: PARLOUR TRICKS AND PUZZLES
- Tangrams
- A Scissor Trick
- Blowing through a Bottle
- A Safe Bet
- Do not touch the Coin
- Quis Separabit?
- Stick no Bills
- A Mighty Voice
- A Genuine Match
- The Dying Fish
- New-laid Eggs
- A Will-power Test
- The Magic Repeater
- The Obliging Banana
- The Smoker's Fancy
- The Mysterious Bands
- Sold Again
- Simple Subtraction
- A Tricky String Puzzle
- A Sure Eye
- "That is the Man"
- Needle-Threading Extraordinary
- The Magician's Bite
- A Trick in the Sunshine
- Light a Cigarette without Matches
- Another String Trick
- Try This!
- A Steady Hand
- CHAPTER IV: "HOW WOULD YOU - - ?"
- PUZZLES THAT PLEASE
- 1. The Travelling Draught-Man
- 2. Another Draught Puzzle
- 3. Joining the Rings
- 4. The Ten Rows
- 5. The Cabalistic Sign
- 6. The Dangerous Anarchists
- 7. Catching the Donkey
- 8. Like to Like
- 9. The Broken Chain
- 10. The Diamond Cross
- 11. The Quarrelsome Railways
- 12. Another Railway Problem
- 13. The Mitre
- Solutions
- CHAPTER V: SOME OPTICAL ILLUSIONS
- WHEN SEEING EYES ARE BLIND
- Hills that Don't Rise
- The Stars don't Twinkle
- The Dwarf, the Man, and the Giant
- Colour Illusions
- CHAPTER VI: CIPHERS AND CRYPTOGRAMS
- Successful Systems of Secret Writing
- Russian Nihilist Code
- The Sphinx
- CHAPTER VII: SECRET SIGNS
- Friend from Foe
- "Shakes" and "Passes"
- Pass-Words
- The "Patteran"
- CHAPTER VIII: GAMES AND AMUSEMENTS FOR THE BLIND
- The Wonderful Sense of Touch
- Cards
- Draughts
- Halma
- Dominoes
- Chess
- Round Games
1st edition 1919, 555 pages; PDF 513 pages.
word count: 156836 which is equivalent to 627 standard pages of text
