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Conjuring ContretempsunknownThis is a fun and informative article by an anonymous amateur magician detailing various mishaps of magic performances. Along the way we learn the modus operandi of all kinds of illusions, from Buatier de Kolta's vanishing cage all the way to the bullet catch. This article was originally published in Chamber's Journal of December 16th, 1882. 1st edition 1882, 5 pages; digital edition 8 pages. | ★★★★★ $2 to wish list | |
Two Pounds Less Than An ElephantPopular MechanicsA nicely illustrated article explaining some of the popular pseudo-strength demonstrations made popular for example by Lulu Hurst and others. 200 years ago demonstrations of this kind created a sensation. Nobody could explain them. Many believed these were manifestations of some yet unexplained force. Today they are relegated to party stunts. Nevertheless, some are quite surprising demonstrations you can try out in your living room. 1st edition 1928, PDF 6 pages. | ★★★★★ $4 to wish listPDF_facsimile | |
How to Pose as a Strong ManEdward Barton-WrightBarton-Wright, one of the first Europeans to study Japanese martial arts, explains eleven pseudo-strength tricks in words and photos. Forty years before this publication Lulu Hurst created a sensation demonstrating similar stunts as manifestations of 'unexplainable forces'. The tricks explained in this article are:
| $4 to wish list | |
The Champion Pig of EnglandunknownThis is a lovely old-school children's story about a pig named Grunter Growler, his life on a farm, his animal as well as human friends, and his success winning 1st prize as the most beautiful pig in the country. The interesting part for conjurers is that Grunter meets Toby the Learned Pig which includes a description of a typical performance of Toby. Those who study and research learned pigs might find it interesting. All learned pigs in England were named Toby. It is therefore not clear which Toby was the model for this description.
| $4 to wish list | |
Sleight of HandEdwin SachsThis is an all time classic with 57 beautiful illustrations. It is one of the most complete books written on magic, because it teaches both stage and close-up magic (cards, coins, silks, cups and balls, etc.), technique, presentation, and all the peripheral skills necessary for great conjuring. The official byline read: The standard texbook on how to become a magician. Sleight-of-hand... | ★★★★★ $5 to wish list | |
Mahatma Volume 1 (Mar 1895 - Jun 1898)George H. LittleOn the covers you will find:
Mahatma, Volume 1, George H. Little, editor [Note: Page numbers refer to those in the PDF files when the collection was assembled. Originally each issue began with page 1. However, the original page numbers were retained for issues of The Vaudeville and Artist Era.] 184 pages
| ★★★★★ $5 to wish listPDF_facsimile | |
Mahatma Volume 2 (Jul 1898 - Jun 1899)George H. LittleOn the covers you will find:
| ★★★★★ $5 to wish listPDF_facsimile | |
Mahatma Volume 3 (Jul 1899 - Jun 1900)George H. LittleOn the covers are:
Note: Page numbers refer to those in the PDF files when the collection was assembled. Originally each issue began with page 1.
| ★★★★★ $5 to wish listPDF_facsimile | |
The 52 Wonders: Cards Manipulated by ScienceC. H. WilsonThis is quite an interesting relatively early book on card moves, tricks and cons. It was published in 1877. Some believe that the author C. H. Wilson could be the elusive Erdnase, the author of The Expert at the Card Table, because the S.W.E. Shift is explained in The 52 Wonders. Chapters are:
| $5 to wish list | |
The Autobiography of an Old Sport: Fifty years at the Card TableHarry P. DodgeThe record of a career famous for adventure and vicissitude, and in which the jester won more tricks than the gamester.
| $5 to wish list | |
The Black Art or Magic Made Easyunknown
| ★★★★★ $5 to wish list | |
The Secrets of Stage ConjuringJean Eugene Robert-Houdin & Professor HoffmannTranslated by Professor Hoffmann.
| ★★★★★ $5 to wish list | |
Lorento's Wizard's GuideLorentoThis is a fairly typical magic book from the 19th century. It mixes magic tricks and illusions with science experiments. Due to the fact that back then many did not have a basic understanding of physics and chemistry, many of these exhibitions of science appeared like magic.
| $5 to wish list | |
Isn't It Wonderful?Charles BertramA history of magic interwoven with Charles Bertram's recollections. From the introduction: The profession of conjuring, if not the most ancient, is certainly one of the oldest professions in the world, and, before commencing my account of the efforts made by a humble professor of the art, I trust that the reader may be interested by a short sketch of its history. Without this, it is possible that he might receive a book relating to the conjurer's art with a shrug of the shoulders. But conjuring, if it has now drifted down to the level of mere entertainment, has played its part in the history... | $5 to wish list | |
Circus Life and Circus CelebritiesThomas FrostA history of the circus in Britain during the 19th century. One chapter deals with America, another with circus slang. Perhaps most interesting are the recollections of a gymnast and how he made it into the circus. From the Preface: But of the circus artistes - the riders, the clowns, the acrobats, the gymnasts, - what do we know? How many are there, unconnected with the sawdust, who can say that they have known a member of that strange race? Charles Dickens, who was perhaps as well acquainted with the physiology of the less known sections of society as any man of his day, whetted public... | $5 to wish list | |
The Old Showmen and Old London FairsThomas FrostA detailed chronology of places, dates and performers of fairs in and around London. We learn mostly of theatrical productions of various kinds including pantomime and dances, and menageries exhibiting exotic animals, and less so of tumbling and acrobats, juggling, balancing and the like. It includes some coverage of conjurers including Fawkes, Pinchbeck, Breslaw and others. There is some overlap of stories from Circus Life and Circus Celebrities because some performers and operators were active in both venues.
| $5 to wish list | |
Physiology of Mind-ReadingGeorge Miller BeardThe type of 'mind-reading' George Beard means here is what we today call muscle-reading, which is a term that Beard himself coined. Beard describes several experiments he conducted and describes very clearly the physiology of muscle-reading, and that it is an involuntary muscle contraction that has nothing to do with animal magnetism or thought transference. 1st edition 1877; PDF 10 pages. | $5 to wish list | |
The Involuntary LifeGeorge Miller BeardThe 'involuntary life' would today be described as trance or as a hypnotic state. Beard writes: Every human being lives two lives, the voluntary, in which he acts more or less under the control of the will, and the involuntary, in which he acts automatically, and over which the will has but a limited power, or none at all. The acts of both the body and the mind, may be involuntary as will as voluntary, and in both body and mind, the two lives are constantly blended. However, he was a skeptic when it came to the popular practices and explanations of these phenomena by the means of animal... | $5 to wish list | |
Draw: rules for playing pokerRobert C. Schenck | $5 to wish list | |
The ExpositorWilliam Frederick PinchbeckA series of letters, between an unidentified friend and his correspondent (William Frederick Pinchbeck) comprising of how to train a pig, invisible lady and acoustic temple, philosophical swan, penetrating spy glasses, several magic tricks, such as how to catch a bullet, and reflections on ventriloquism. This book includes the first known description of the "Eight Kings" card stack.
| $6 to wish list | |
Herrmann the MagicianHardin Jasper BurlingameFrom the preface: Having devoted a number of years to the inventing, manufacturing and sale of many of the most popular magical apparatus made in this country, I now present to the reader, biographies of the two great conjurers known to the world under the names of Carl and Alexander Herrmann, both equally famous in their specialties. The main portion of the book is devoted to clear, compact and illustrated descriptions of the best tricks performed by the two Herrmanns, whom I unite under the appellation of Herrmann the Magician, and by other celebrated performers, such as Cazeneuve, Kellar, Vanek, Heller, Samuels,... | ★★★★★ $6 to wish list | |
The Real New London Conjuror or the Art of LegerdemainunknownShowing the various ways of performing tricks by sleight-of-hand on dice, cards, etc., together with many surprising deceptions.
| $6 to wish list | |
Card and Conjuring Tricks and Book of Riddlesunknown
| $6 to wish list | |
More MagicProfessor HoffmannThis is the second volume of the Hoffmann trilogy. If you liked Modern Magic you will love More Magic. There is too much to list. Refer to the 'Table of Contents' below for details. This book was rated one of the ten basic books for a working library of conjuring by H. Adrian Smith, historian, collector and owner of the largest private magic library in his time. Other books in this top 10 list are
| ★★★★★ $6.50 to wish list | |
The Sharper Detected and ExposedJean Eugene Robert-HoudinThe first part consists of stories about cardsharks and other crooks from Robert-Houdin's recollections. This is very readable and an entertaining part of the work. The second part explains some of the technical details of the methods used by cardsharks. However, the methods are for the most part only described in very rudimentary form. As Robert-Houdin writes himself, this is not meant as a way to teach you how to do it, but merely to give the reader insight in how the different ruses are accomplished. Nevertheless, it provides interesting insight into the ways and means of cardsharks. This... | $7 to wish list | |
The Hand-Book of SwindlingDouglas William JerroldA humoristic manual about swindling, how to become a successful swindler, as well as why it is such a good thing - featuring the late captain Barabbas Whitefeather.
| $7 to wish list | |
Games of Skill and ConjuringunknownInstructions for games, magic tricks, model building, giving shows, and more.
| $7 to wish list | |
The GhostHenry DircksAs produced in the spectre drama, popularly illustrating the marvellous optical illusions obtained by the apparatus called the Dircksian Phantasmagoria being a full account of its history, construction, and various adaptations. Henry Dircks was the first who came up with the stage illusions that later became known as Pepper's Ghost. He had an arrangement with Pepper, they took out a patent in both their names, and Dircks did not want any monetary remuneration for it. John Henry Pepper improved the configuration to make it more practical and successfully staged it earning quite a lot of money with it. However,... | $7 to wish list |