Magic & Conjuring: page 9

Houdini wrote a very nasty book about Robert-Houdin claiming that Robert-Houdin stole many tricks and was in reality not as great a magician as he usually is portraid. Jean Hugard sets with this book the record straight and reveals Houdini's fabricated arguments. Houdini's unmasking of Robert-Houdin was just a revenge on Robert-Houdin's family and had little to do with reality. But you can find out for yourself and read The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin. Houdini's Unmasking originally appeared serialized in Jean Hugards magazine Hugard's Magic Monthly.

Published as part of "Hugard's Magic Monthly" beginning with volume 15, number 1, June 1957; 78 pages; PDF 48 pages....

This is quite an interesting booklet with very nice ideas for patter, as well as some card effects. Particularly noteworthy is a hilarious burlesque mind reading act. You have to check this one out!

1st edition, 1919, F. G. Thayer, Los Angeles; 45 pages.

5. A Few Remarks
6. Opening Patter
10. Some Card Effects and Accompanying Patter:
10. Four Ace Combination
13. The Wrapped Cards Divided by a Knife
16. Transposition
20. Miscellaneous Patter:
20. Kling Klang
20. Solid Through Solid
22. Straight Jacket Escape
23. The Rabbit Pan
25. The Spirit Hand
28. The Egg Bag
32. The Twentieth Century Handkerchief Trick
33. Cards from the Pocket ...

This booklet is indeed a bargain, with effects by Hewitt, J. G. Thompson and Annemann. Among the effects you will find the famous Mental Masterpiece from Annemann.

1st edition 1935, PDF 16 pages.

1. Annemann's Diabolo Pellet Reading
2. The Modern Mindreader (Hewitt)
4. Annemann's Psychic Writing
5. Annemann's Mental Masterpiece
7. The New Double Telepathy Routine (Annemann)
8. Greta Annemann's Eyes of the Unknown
10. 30th Century Television (Hewitt and Annemann)
11. Coincidence (Hewitt)
12. Penetrating Vision (J. G. Thompson)
14. The Impromptu Mind Reader
15. GETIT! (Annemann)

Mysterious Mr. Yu or Haldane of the Secret Service is a story (film script) to one of Houdini's own movie creations. It features Houdini as Haldane, a secret service agent who fights an evil ring of counterfeiters, interwoven with a love story.

1st edition, 1921, Harry Houdini; 6 pages.

This is a reprint of the sections dealing with card magic from Professor Hoffmann's Modern Magic. There are however six new pages (four in the front and two in the back) which are entitled "Canfield's Expose". These six pages expose scams such as 'short changing', the 'soap game', the 'spindle game', ...

Reprint is too kind a word, rip-off is more appropriate since this was an unauthorized republication of Hoffmann's material. Also interesting to note is that the correct spelling of Herrmann is with two r's and two n's, the book title however only shows one n. Probably a deliberate error to avoid legal troubles. (Information...

After Tarbell finished his 60 lesson Tarbell Course he decided to continue with post-graduate lessons. The name post-graduate stems from the fact that Tarbell sent out graduation diplomas for all who followed along his 60 lesson course. To my knowledge he only published one such post-graduate lesson. If you know about more such lessons I would be delighted to hear from you.

1st edition, 1926, Tarbell System Inc., Chicago; 33 pages.

3. Tarbell Post-Graduate Service in Magic
5. The Original Rope Release
9. Three Silk Handkerchiefs Released from Ropes
12. A New Ghost Ring
17. A Button Off the Vest
21. The Kick-Back Card...

To tell you the truth, I do not know much about the author, G. C. Hines. But this shouldn't distract us from the contents of this neat little booklet. He describes how you can dye your own handkerchiefs. You will find some routines with handkerchiefs and two methods for the rising card - one for a stage and one for a parlor setting; two floating ball routines and a flag vase routine.

1st edition, 1915, Modern Mysteries Co.; 12 pages

3. A Word by the Author
5. Table Levitation
5. Dyeing Handkerchiefs
6. Handkerchief Wand
7. Flag between Handkerchiefs
8. Rising Cards - Stage Method
9. Rising Cards - Parlor...

Two vaudeville comedy magic acts are described in terms of props stage setting and patter.

1st edition, 1922?, Geo DeLawrence; 25 pages.

3. Introductory
4. Props and Stage Setting (First Act)
5. Props and Stage Setting (Second Act)
7. Comedy Act: No. 1
17. Patter for Act No. 2

This is another of DeLawrence's humorous patter booklets. Among others you will find patter for 'rising cards', 'spirit slates', 'multiplying billiard balls' and 'card in egg'. The humor is almost 100 years old but still makes one laugh or smile and could therefore be a good source of inspiration for a new and modern presentation. Don't dismiss the old stuff just because it is old.

1st edition, 1920, Heaney Magic Co., Wisconsin; 31 pages.

5. Introductory
7. Opening Patter
7. Opening Patter for a Stage
8. Another Variety of Opening Patter
9. Rising Cards
11. Here, There, or Where?
13. The Card in the Egg ...

The Stripper Deck has nothing to do with a girl shedding off her clothes, but rather is a specially gaffed deck. However, the gaff or preparation is not noticeable with the naked eye. It can even be handed out to spectators for shuffling and cutting. This manuscript outlines various moves as well as tricks with the Stripper Deck. Practically all effects can be achieved with pure sleight of hand using an unprepared deck. But the Stripper Deck simplifies the handling and makes miracles possible without difficult moves, leaving you time to focus on the presentation.

Paul Fleming wrote:

This booklet was inserted in volume 44 number 8 of The Sphinx. It was published as a gift to the loyal subscribers. Illustrations were done by Francis Martineau.

1st edition, 1944, Sphinx Publishing Corporation, USA; 11 pages.

3. Preface
3. Eyes Colour Blind
3. Verrall's Visible Four Aces
4. From Deception to Doll's House
4. Verrall's Chameleon Carnations
7. Verrall's "Bango!"
7. Grandfather's Nightcap
8. Verrall's Vanishing Vase
8. It Hasn't Been Done Before!
8. Decanting a Rainbow
10. Francis Martineau
11. Verrall Wass

This booklet covers a good selection of Houdini-style escape illusions. Among others you will learn how to escape from a safe or vault or trunk. It teaches several rope ties, how to pick locks and how to escape from handcuffs. This is a worthwhile addition to your escapology library.

24 pages.

1. Preface
3. No 1: A Great Handcuff Trick
5. No 2: Escape From A Safe Or Vault
6. No 3: The Vanishing Assistant
7. No 4: The Crack Marksman
8. No 5: The Marvelous Levitation Act
9. No 6: The Excelsior Rope Tie
11. No 7: The Wonderful Trunk Escape
12. No 8: Escape From 75 Feet Of Rope
13. No 9: The Siberian Chain Escape ...

This is a technique, developed by the Professor, how to move the top card into a magician's palm while maintaining a high arch in your palming hand.

runtime: 57s

If you need to palm several cards at once, this is an effective method. Originally this move appeared in The Royal Road to Card Magic.

runtime 54s

This is Larry Jennings' version of Joe Berg's palm, originally published in Classic Magic of Larry Jennings. It is a multiple-top palm.

runtime: 46s

Top palming a card with the right hand is typically exposed on the left side. Allan shares a tip that makes a top palm essentially invisible from 360 degree.

runtime: 22s

Tony Slydini used this move for his famous helicopter card trick. A card is stolen into a Tenkai palm while it is inserted into a fan.

runtime: 56s

Max Somerset is on the cover.

• Max Somerset talks to Mystery
• Paul Gordon's Patrol Dawn
• Barrie Richardson's Elegant Peek
• Chris Wardle's Crossed by Fate
• Malcolm Yaffe's Wa, Wa, Wah!
• Walt Lees's Can You Make My Wife Disappear?

November 2009; 32 pages.

Dynamo is on the cover.

• Dynamo in conversation
• Michael Lyth's Mirror Trick
• Chris Wardle's Long-distance Card trick
• John Helvin's Dead Man's Hand
• J-Day at The Magic Circle
• Roy Walton's Ghostly Poker

December 2009; 32 pages.

Jack Delvin is on the cover.

• Magic Circle President Jack Delvin talks to James Ward
• The International Magic Convention Reported
• Robert Bombassel's Son of a Gun
• Stephen Jones's Ace in the Hole
• Werner Miller's Angelina Knows

January 2010; 32 pages.

Florian Laplantif developed a card spelling system for all 53 cards (Joker included). If you like spelling tricks, check this one out.

This is a little convincing noise that you can add to a double lift to subtlely underscore that it is only one card.

runtime: 42s

If you want to see Allan start with a deck in new deck order, do 8 out-faros and end up again with the deck in new deck order, then this is the video for you.

runtime: 1min 31s

La possibilità di capire quando una persona mente o dice la verità ha sempre affascinato. Premettiamo che le bugie fanno parte della vita quotidiana e dell’essere umano, ne esistono di varie tipologie e per diversi scopi quindi in realtà tutti mentiamo in una certa misura e nessuno può sottrarsi da questo gioco quindi la cosa migliore da fare è conoscere le modalità e i segnali con i quali si manifesta una bugia al fine di potersi così destreggiare meglio nelle situazioni giornaliere che ci capitano nell’amicizia, nell’amore, nel lavoro e in qualsiasi altro settore.

Vogliamo...