Magic & Conjuring: page 13

How to entertain and amuse children or adult audiences with a pocket handkerchief.

From the introduction by Clive Maskelyne:

Hardcover without dustjacket in decent condition. Some stains and foxing on the cover. For details on the contents see the digital edition.

A collection of entertaining and amusing models, toys, conjuring tricks, etc., in which paper is the only or principal material required.

Excerpt from the Preface:

This work is primarily intended for those who are seeking to master the art of entertaining by magic, but who are quite ignorant of the rudiments of conjuring.

The first section, although dealing with conjuring books in general, is intended to indicate to the reader how to read this volume so that he may profit from the matter contained in the various sections.

Sections Two, Three, and Four give full instructions on the use of the appliances, appurtenances, and sleights of conjuring. Therein are described the elementary principles and appliances of the art of conjuring which must be...

From the Foreword by Peter Warlock:

Illustrated by Jack Lamonte.

• Foreword
• Introduction
• Part One Transparent Blindfolds
  • Unprepared Silk Foulard
  • The Divided Bag, (1)
  • The Divided Bag, (2)
  • The Felt Mask
  • The Leather Mask
  • The Perforated Coin
  • Painted Goggles
  • Magnetised Goggles
  • Polarised Goggles
  • Clear Spot Goggles ...

Great mentalism routines most don't know about.

• Foreword
• Chapter One: A Couple Of Starters
  • Is There A Mind-Reader In The House?
  • Technique Of The Swami
  • Swami Four-Thought
• Chapter Two: Something More Than Coincidence?
  • A Word From Atlantis
  • The Ultimate Seventh Key To Baldpate
  • Will Dexter's Routine For - Seven Keys To Baldpate
• Chapter Three: E.S.P. Of One Kind Or Another
  • Those E.S.P. Cards - Were They Designed By A Conjurer?
  • The Psychogram Test
  • The Third Eye
• Chapter Four: They Need To Laugh Sometimes, Don't They?
  • Will Dexter's Spirit Message Slates
  • Electro-Static...

This work is sort of a condensed history of magic. The story of some notable tricks. For example, what was the oldest conjuring trick in the world? What was the newest? Were the Piddingtons really telepathic? How does a magician saw a girl in half? Do conjurers use marked cards? How do they do the Indian Rope Trick?

• A Word From The Publishers
• Chapter One: The Secret From The Tomb
• Chapter Two: The Cups And Balls
• Chapter Three: Oracles And Robots
• Chapter Four: It's All Done With Mirrors!
• Chapter Five: The Lady Vanishes
• Chapter Six: The Trick That Never Was
• Chapter Seven: Up In The Middle...

This is a thoughtful introduction to magic with everything you need to get started with this great hobby or even profession if you want to take it that far.

• Introduction
• Overture And Beginners, Please!
• Chapter One: And It Wasn’t Up His Sleeve At All!
• Chapter Two: This Is An Amateur’s World!
• Chapter Three: So You Want To Be A Magician?
• Chapter Four: A Mindreader, Eh?
• Chapter Five: A Full Hand Of Clubs
• Chapter Six: Meet The Magic Circle
• Chapter Seven: The International Brotherhood Of Magicians
• Chapter Eight: These Are Names To Conjure With
• Chapter Nine: Top Of The Bill
• Chapter...

Excerpt from the Preface:

• Preface
• Live 1,000 Years!
• Tape Recording Tips
• Goldstrike
• Cash Match
• Inflation...

This book has an excellent illusion section, a decent chapter about escape artistry and also a fairly large trick section with all kinds of routines with cards, silks, ... The really good part are the illusions. You will find several clever ideas. Will Goldston was himself a craftsman and illusion builder. He can therefore write with authority.

1st edition, 1908?, George Routledge & Sons, London; 259 pages.

3. Introduction

   ---

   PART I - TRICKS
9. New Card Catching on Plate
10. The Floating Disc Mystery
11. The Devo Torn Card
12. The Hildyard Target and Cage Illusion
14. The Handkerchief and Sword
16. A Dancing...

This is the last book in the 'Magician Annual' series of Goldston. It carries a slightly different title, 'Annual of Magic' instead of 'Magician Annual', but otherwise is kept in the very same style and type of contents as all the other books in this series. Beside tricks, illusions and patter, you will find a lot about magicians of this era. For example the "Who's Who and Why" is an interesting article.

1st edition, 1916, Will Goldston, London; 72 pages.

• A
  24. Abbott's Spirit Paintings Illusion
  16. Adhering Pips and Blank Cards
  7. Advertise, How to
  5. Advice for the Student
  37. Aeroplane and Trunk...

This was the first Magician Annual Will Goldston compiled and edited. It covers quite some ground. From juggling and optical illusions, to ventriloquism and palmistry. Of course you will find also magic illusions, tricks and patter. And if you want to read a little bit about hoop rolling, you can, too. These Magician Annuals are real fun to read. They are a great window into the past.

1st edition 1908, Gamage Ltd., London; 98 pages.

4. The Editor to His Readers, Will Goldston
5. Juggling Manipulations, Paul Cinquevalli
7. Crayon Drawing for the Stage, J. F. Burrows
8. Barrel and Packing-Case Tricks,...

This is the second volume in Goldston's Magician Annual series. It has a nice little section on Chapeaugraphy and a large section on patents. You will find there all kind of improvements to various apparatuses. And there is biographical information and recollections of famous magicians as well as a lot of photos of celebrities.

1st edition, 1909, London; 96 pages.

7. The Editor to His Readers, Will Goldston
8. Comedy Jugglers, The Great Weiland
10. Famous Magicians, Robert Ankele
11. Living Marionettes, Leah Laurie
13. Card Tricks, Dr. Elliott
14. My First Appearance on the Stage as a Magician, W. N. Winget
15. Episodes...

This book describes quite a number of card tricks and has a wonderful account of some of Buatier de Kolta's illusions, for example his famous "de Kolta Chair". An interesting story evolves around the cartoon on page 62, which depicts a famous magician's wife in a not very favorable light. Goldston released later a new edition which had this cartoon removed. Goldston also tried to buy back all the first editions but was not quite successful.

1st edition, 1910, London; 100 pages.

4. The Editor to his Readers, Will Goldston
5. An Interview and an Appreciation, Henry Byatt
7. Apparatus for Amateurs,...

This book is filled with a variety of interesting articles, from trick descriptions to patter suggestions, from biographical information to theory. Among others there is a trick contribution by Houdini. This book is layed out beautifully, almost like a magazine. Overall a very nice and interesting book to read.

1st edition, 1910, The Magician Limited, London; 106 pages.

3. Index
5. The Editor to his Readers
7. The Scribe, The Failure, and The Magician JOHN KEYMAN
10. Amateur Conjurer's Accessories GEORGE JOHNSON
12. The Magic of Suggestion PROFESSOR HOFFMANN
14. New Patter for Popular Problems WOOLFE CLYNE
23. Wine v. Water CHRIS VAN BERN
25. Telepathic...

This book has a broad range of contents, from stage juggling, to the history of playing cards (a really nice article), pocket tricks, illusions, biographical information, ... It is in the very same style as the other Magician Annuals. If you enjoyed those you will surely love this one, too.

1st edition, 1912, London; 99 pages.

6. Will Goldston, A Terrible Experience, Hohn Keyman
10. Original Patter for Original Minds, Woolfe Clyne
14. A Liner on Fire at Sea. An Original Lightning Painting Effect, Fred Velasco
17. Stage Juggling, Fred Velasco
21. Tricks for 1911-12, Jay Gee
29. The Magic Reel of Cotton,...

This is the first volume in the famous series of locked books by Will Goldston. He writes in his introduction about his motivation to publish this book: "My aim from the beginning has been to gather together from all sources everything new and big in magic that has not been fully explained before." And indeed we have contributions from the finest magicians living at that time: Chung Ling Soo, Harry Houdini, Servais Le Roy, Conradi, Chefalo, Oswald Williams and Chris Van Bern and others. And don't forget that Goldston himself was a prolific inventor of illusions, many of which are included in this work.

The contents spans...

This is the second volume in the famous series of locked books by Will Goldston.

1st edition 1921; original 492 pages; PDF 275 pages.

Table of Contents

5. Contents
10. Introduction to "More Exclusive Magical Secrets."

    Part I. Pocket Tricks

12. The Cut String Restored
15. A Cigarette Trick
15. The Improved Chinese Bat
16. The Mysterious Coins
18. The Travelling Handkerchief
19. An Easy Way of Making Money
20. The Elusive Scent Bottle
21. The Cigarette Vanisher
22. The Magical Knife
23. The Mallet
24. Think of a Card
25. Will Goldston's Disappearing Knot
27. The Missing Money
28. The Match Through the Tube
29. The Conjurer's Will Power ...

This is the third volume in the famous series of locked books by Will Goldston.

1st edition 1927; original 362 pages; PDF 198 pages.

Table of Contents

5. Contents
8. WILL GOLDSTON An Appreciation
12. Introduction

    Part I. Pocket Tricks

15. Shooting at a Match
16. A Different Cigarette Paper Trick
17. A Puzzle Box
17. A Pliable Cigarette
18. The Magnetic Thimbles
19. A New Cut String Restored
20. The Penny and the Pear
21. The Changing Match Boxes
23. The Coin Finder
24. Goldin's Mysterious Rods
25. Novel Thought Transference
26. A String Problem

    Part II. Sleight-of-Hand Pocket Tricks

28. G. W. Hunter
28. The Magnetic Match-box
29. Pushing...

This book covers a mix of stage illusions, manipulations, and parlor tricks. It is very nicely illustrated even featuring a couple of photos.

Paul Fleming wrote:

• Foreword
• Chapter I The Truth About Chung Ling Soo
• Chapter II The Romantic Story Of Carl Hertz
• Chapter III The Great Lafayette - The Most Hated Magician
• Chapter IV Maskelyne And The Psycho Sensation
• Chapter V Houdini As I Knew Him
• Chapter VI Did Houdini Fail?
• Chapter VII Some More New Facts About Houdini
• Chapter VII De Kolta's "Vanishing Lady" Secret
• Chapter IX The Truth About The Indian Rope Trick
• Chapter X Tricks Of Bogus Mediums
• Chapter XI Why I Am A Spiritualist
• Chapter XII Mediums I Have Sat With
• Chapter XIII Magic And Crime
• Chapter XIV The Great Kellar
• Chapter XV Howard Thurston's Rise To Riches
• Chapter XVI The...

An autobiographical history of magic, profusely illustrated with diagrams of magic tricks and photographs of Goldston's career.

From the foreword by J. C. Cannell:

Stories and anecdotes of the Who's Who of magic in the early 20th century. Several are about Houdini.

• An Introduction
• Foreword
• The Truth About The Zancigs
• The Tragedy Of Hanco
• When G. W. Hunter Dried Up
• How Denny And Will Goldston Escaped Gaol
• The Truth Of Horace Goldin's Arrest
• The Cornells And Their Ghastly Publicity Stunt
• The Strangeness Of Lafayette
• Dante Perplexed
• Dante's Experience In Russia
• Muller The Mystic
• Was Chung Ling Soo Murdered?
• A Handcuff Escape That Went Wrong
• Ceeley And The Naked Lady
• Frank Van Hoven's Tragic Failure
• Frank Van Hoven And A Fellow Artist's Wife
• Wishart And The...

• Preface
• The Penny And Box Lids
• Another Coin Trick
• Thought-Reading With Cards
• Sense Of Touch
• Card Changes To A Rose
• The Fountain Of Cards
• The Ribbons And Flag
• One From Fifty-Two
• A Thought-Reading Trick
• Passing A Thimble Through A Borrowed Silk Handkerchief
• The Deceptive Half-Crown

PDF 16 pages