Jack Hughes was a master builder and craftsman who created and built props for some of the biggest names in magic for decades. Most of the items he built were his own inventions. The few that were not he most often improved significantly.
Every item is carefully described in terms of its effect, apparatus, and performance. Nevertheless, the emphasis is on the prop with detailed drawings and dimensions to allow anybody handy to replicate these wonderful magic tricks. (The drawings are not blue-print type construction drawings, but rather sketches and illustrations with the main dimensions and all pertinent details.)
Even if you are not interested in building any of these apparatus, understanding of how they work will provide hours of pleasure and will most definitely spark new ideas. The shear volume of creations is mind boggling.
The following illusions and apparatus are described in this volume:
- Rope Wells
- Dove In Balloon [Long Balloon Model]
- Dove In Balloon [Round Balloon Model]
- The French Guillotine
- Sucker Beaker Vanish
- Back Stage Beaker Vanish
- Tantalising Tassels
- Totem Pole
- Three Sword Suspension
- The Scimitar Suspension
- The Gospel Suspension
- Three Axes Suspension
- The Master Dove In Balloon Table
- Dove Carousel Vanish
- Cage Vanish
- Attaboy
- Coins In Glass [Tray Method]
- Visible Coins In Glass
- Ten Second Remote Control Visible Coins In Glass
- Roll On Table
- Can And Ball
- Locking Jap Boxes
- Ghost Glass
- A Star Production
- New Giant Rising Card Trick
- Vanishing Telephone
- Snake Basket
- The Golden Shot Joker
- How To Make A Spring Hinge
- Sammy The Sweep
- The Illusive Stop By Will Blyth
- Improved Television Card Frame
- Double Television Frame
- Brief Case To Table
- Penetra-Spheres
- The Cagey Budgies
- Dickory Clock
- Girl To Pony
- Whirling Microphone Suspension
- Triple Tray Trunk
- One Minute Punch & Judy Booth
- Coin Cascade
- Card Go
- Castle Illusion
- Ventriloquists Mop Novelty
- The Human Where The Rainbow Ends
- Dippy Duck
- Three Blades And Spear Illusion
- Liquid Monte
- Dove Through Glass
- M'lady Steps Out
- Alarm Clock Stand
- Pheobe The Fan Dancer
- Hat Box Substitution
- Radio Vanish
- Dove Catching Net And Dove Production Basket
- Su-Table
- The Homicide Illusion
- Block Off Ribbon
- Where The Rainbow Ends
- The Rainbow Doll
- Ribbons To Botania
- Spacious Production Box
- The Chair Suspension
- New Electric Sawing In Half
- Head Zopper
- Dove Nest Of Boxes
- Die Ball
- Dagger Chest
- Television Head Chest
- Pea Cock Production
- Hand In Hand Wrist Guillotine
- Head Chopper
- Cuban Release
- Two Rope Method Of Cuban Release
- The Nest Of Boxes
- The Ugly Duckling
- Fifi - The Card Pecker
1st edition 1981, 196 pages; 1st digital edition 2013, PDF 249 pages
word count: 50128 which is equivalent to 200 standard pages of text