Learn Magic

Learn Magic is a classic magic book for serious beginners. It teaches 20 lessons and focuses not just on effects, tricks and moves, but also on the 'how to learn magic' aspect. Beautifully illustrated by Hans Jelinek.

Henry Hay's larger magic book for beginners, The Amateur Magician's Handbook is broader in scope and already assumes some basic knowledge about magic.

1st edition 1947, 2nd edition 1975; 1st digital edition 2013, 210 pages.

Table of Contents

8. FOREWORD
9. INTRODUCTION

   PART 1

   CHAPTER 1. HOW TO WATCH A MAGICIAN

13. The Greatest Magician?
15. The Different Kinds of Magic

    CHAPTER 2. HOW TO BE A MAGICIAN

19. Rehearsal Before Practice
19. How to Get Applause
20. Your Personality and Your Patter
21. Planning
22. Learning a Trick
24. Enlarging Your Repertory

    BOOK LIST

    PART 2

    LESSON 1. THE FLYING COIN

    LESSON 2. HANDLING A DECK OF CARDS

34. Dealing Position
35. The Overhand Shuffle
36. The Riffle or Dovetail Shuffle
37. The "Waterfall" Finish
38. Second Split for the Dovetail Shuffle
39. Fanning the Cards
41. The Card at the Number
44. Mind Control

    LESSON 3. THE LARIAT KING

44. Inventing Magic
45. The Lariat King
45. How the Trick Is Done

    LESSON 4. THE AFGHAN BANDS AND THE CUT TURBAN

50. How to Make the Afghan Bands
50. How to Work the Turban Trick

    LESSON 5. FINDING A SELECTED CARD, 1: FORCING

56. Forcing and Forcing Decks
57. The Svengali Pack
57. Forcing Sleights: The Fan
59. Forcing Sleights: The Slip
60. Another Knife Force
61. The Telephone Trick

    LESSON 6. FINDING A SELECTED CARD, II: LOCATIONS

63. False Shuffles
64. The Tap Location
66. The Glimpse
68. The Spelling Master
70. The Stripper Deck
71. The Long Card
71. The Double Card
71. The Short Card
72. The Pass, or Shift
76. The Red and Black Aces

    LESSON 7. ESCAPES

78. The Kellar Tie
80. The Sack Escape
82. The Chair Tie

    LESSON 8. THE EGG BAG

91. Palming an Egg
92. Egg Production Routine

    LESSON 9. MIND READING

95. The Billet Test
96. The "All-Alike" Gag
97. The "One-Ahead" Gag
98. The Envelope Test
99. Getting Impressions
99. Torn-Billet Reading
102. Stage Clairvoyance
102. Codes
102. Pointer Codes
103. Number Codes
104. Talking Codes
104. Silent Methods

     LESSON 10. REVEALING A SELECTED CARD

105. The Turned Card; Victim's Choice
106. The Card Nailed to the Ceiling
107. The Jumping Cards
107. The Transfixed Pack
109. The Rising Cards (Three Methods)
109. First Method
110. Second Method
110. Third Method
113. The Mental-Selection Spelling Master

     LESSON 11. THE THUMB TIP

115. Cigarette Vanish
117. The Torn and Restored Paper Ribbon
118. Handkerchief Vanish

     LESSON 12. A SILK ROUTINE. PART I

120. Preparing for the Act
121. Handkerchief Production (Elbow)
122. The Dissolving Knot
124. Shaking in a Knot
126. Silk from Candle
126. The Flying Knot
127. Handkerchief Production (Thread)
127. The Sympathetic Silks

     LESSON 13. A SILK ROUTINE. PART II

134. Preparing for the Act
134. Hand Silk-Dyeing
136. Silk-Dyeing (Paper Tube)
137. The "Lamp-Chimney" Vanish

     LESSON 14. THE MISER'S DREAM

139. Coins for Magic
140. The Finger Palm
140. The Thumb Palm
141. The Regular Palm
141. The Edge Palm
142. Palming Several Coins
143. The Back Palm
145. The Miser's Dream

     LESSON 15. CARD PALMING

150. The Top Palm
152. Palming Several Cards
152. Williams' Card in Pocket
154. Color Changes
154. Clip Color Change
155. Erasing the Spot
156. The Side-Steal Color Change
157. Reversing the Color Change
157. The Double Lift
158. The Back Palm
160. Five-Card Vanish and Recovery

     LESSON 16. TWO GREAT TRICKS OF CARD PALMING

162. Leipzig's Lightning Locations
164. The Cards Up the Sleeve
165. The False Count

     LESSON 17. THE SPONGE BALLS

168. The Basic Sponge-Ball Move
168. The Routine

     LESSON 18. THE MULTIPLYING BILLIARD BALLS

172. The Conjurer's Clothes
173. The Trap Pass
174. The Change-Over Palm
175. The Multiplying Ball Routine

     LESSON 19. THIMBLE MAGIC

179. Silent and Talking Acts
179. Quieting a Noisy Crowd
180. The Thimble Thumb Palm
180. Deliberate Vanish
181. Thimble Routine

     LESSON 20. YOUR MAGICAL OUTFIT

185. The Magician's Table
186. The Black Art Table Top
188. Servantes
189. The Bottomless Glass
190. The Mirror Glass
190. Flying Silk
190. Candy Production
191. Wands
191. Programs
192. Stage Management

     PART 3

     HOW STAGE ILLUSIONS WORK

194. The Floating Lady
196. The Vanishing Performer
197. The Trunk Trick
197. The Mirror Principle
199. Lost in the Crowd
199. Bullet-Catching
200. De Kolta's Cocoon
201. The Oyster Shell
201. De Biere's Costume Trunk
202. The Goldfish Bowls
203. The Rapping Hand
204. The Talking Skull
204. The Merry Widow
205. The Spirit Cabinet
206. The Milk Can Trick
207. The Basket Trick
208. The Sword Cabinet
209. Sawing a Woman in Two

word count: 72806 which is equivalent to 291 standard pages of text