Biographies & History in Magic & Conjuring: page 3

Indian Conjuring is an illustrated guide to Indian magic tricks by Major L. H. Branson, a British officer in the British Indian Army and magician. It includes explanations and step-by-step instructions for a variety of magic tricks that the author came across while serving in colonial India during the early twentieth century.

[Please note that this book is filled with colonialism and racism. We provide such digital reproductions of old books for research, learning, and historical perspective. It does not mean that we agree with any particular statement, point of view, or opinion offered.]

• CHAPTER I: A Comparison
• CHAPTER II
• The Cup And Balls
• CHAPTER III: The Bamboo-Sticks
• The Ring On The Stick
• CHAPTER IV: The Glass Box
• CHAPTER V: The Bowl Of Rice
• CHAPTER VI: A Rope Trick
• The Swastika
• The Egg Bag
• CHAPTER VII: The Dancing Duck
• CHAPTER VIII:...

The actual experiences of a visitor to the most famous gaming resort in the American metropolis.

Excerpt from the introduction:

This is a unique and beautiful ebook that chronicles the fascinating life of Paul Rosini and explains much of the exceptional magic he performed during his career.

Illustrated with rare photographs and beautiful illustrations, this entertaining book relates Rosini's rise to fame in American nightclubs in the 1930's until his untimely death in 1948. Rosini was a master magician and had no equal. His brilliant magic coupled with his sparkling sense of humor, and compelling personality, made him one of conjuring's highest paid entertainers!

In addition to Rosini's life story, detailed explanations...

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....

A promotional book with photos and newspaper reports retelling various stunts and performances of Harry Houdini.

• Official Police News From Germany!
• In The Name Of The King
• Royal Police Presidium
• Mighty Audience
• Houdini Handcuffed
• False Hope Overthrown
• A Welcome Concession
• Frock Coat Sacrificed
• Victory
• Presentation Model
• A Sportsman's Telegram
• An Episode In Houdini's Life
• Condemned Murderers Released By Houdini
• Crowd Quickly Gathers
• Ponderous Barred Door
• Prisoners Are Dumbfounded
• Some Of The Great Feats Accomplished By Houdini
• Wizard In Gaol
• Surrenders To Police
• Startled...

This ebook examines some of Houdini's escapades in Lancashire, England and explodes some of the myths that the world famous escapologist built up around himself. It draws on contemporary newspaper accounts and sources. Amongst other stories it relates closely the controversy surrounding Houdini's appearance at the Palace Theatre, Blackburn, England in October 1902 when he faced one of his severest challenges from William Hope Hodgson, who was to go on to be a writer of fantasy literature before his death in the First World War. Houdini, a master of showmanship and publicity, was able to exploit the ordeal...

This is the article that ran in The Sun on November 1st, 1926 after Harry Houdini's untimely passing.

• Friend of Ingersoll
• Body Coming Here
• Born in Wisconsin
• Tricks of Every Kind
• Mediums Interest Him
• Investigated 'Margery'
• Deny Injury in Montreal

1st edition November 1st, 1926, PDF 5 pages.

During the 1925-26 season this program was sold at Houdini's shows in the lobby of theaters.

• Houdini - A Biography
• Some of the Wonderful Feats Accomplished by Houdini
• Houdini's Greatest Thrill
• Magical Tricks and Illusions
  • The Vanishing Matches
  • The Mysterious Thumb Tie
  • The Vest Turning Mystery
  • The Spirit Release
  • The Spirit Knots
  • The Vanishing Knot
  • Surgery Extraordinary
  • The Restored Tooth-pick
  • Black or Red
  • A Good Coin Trick
  • The Sphinx
  • The Thauma Illusion
  • The Magic Butterflies
  • The Rope Amputation
  • A Subtle Dime Vanish
• A Few Personal Facts
• Houdini Reveals He "Reads" Minds ...

This is a reprint of an interesting book from 1895. Mr. Burlingame covers the earliest days of magic, then goes into detail about magic and magicians as they existed in the 19th century. This material is seldom found in magic books of today, but the man who would be a complete magician should know something of the history of the art he follows. Well written and very interesting reading.

1st edition 1895, 1st digital edition 2013, 44 pages.

Henry Ridgely Evans provides an account of the history of conjuring, from ancient Egypt through the Middle Ages and into the 20th century. He develops biographical portraits of many well-known magicians and includes descriptions of their acts. Perhaps the most unusual feature of the work is that at the very end he includes photos of the hands of many famous magicians.

From the Proem:

From the preface:

In the world of Magic there are few people who have made such a substantial contribution as Harry Stanley. This is volume four of four. In these four volumes hear the story of 25 years of Unique Magic.

These four volumes are packed with memories from the fertile mind of Mr. Unique himself. If you were a personality on the magical scene during the 40's, 50's and 60's you are bound to be mentioned somewhere. Lots of information about the famous Unique Studio, the Gen Magazine and people like Johnny Hart, Al Koran, Alan Alan, Ken Brooke, Lewis Ganson, Orson Welles, Slydini, Channing Pollock, Chan Canasta.

This is a licensed reproduction...

In the world of Magic there are few people who have made such a substantial contribution as Harry Stanley. This is volume three of four. In these four volumes hear the story of 25 years of Unique Magic.

These four volumes are packed with memories from the fertile mind of Mr. Unique himself. If you were a personality on the magical scene during the 40's, 50's and 60's you are bound to be mentioned somewhere. Lots of information about the famous Unique Studio, the Gen Magazine and people like Johnny Hart, Al Koran, Alan Alan, Ken Brooke, Lewis Ganson, Orson Welles, Slydini, Channing Pollock, Chan Canasta.

This is a licensed reproduction...

In the world of Magic there are few people who have made such a substantial contribution as Harry Stanley. This is volume two of four. In these four volumes hear the story of 25 years of Unique Magic.

These four volumes are packed with memories from the fertile mind of Mr. Unique himself. If you were a personality on the magical scene during the 40's, 50's and 60's you are bound to be mentioned somewhere. Lots of information about the famous Unique Studio, the Gen Magazine and people like Johnny Hart, Al Koran, Alan Alan, Ken Brooke, Lewis Ganson, Orson Welles, Slydini, Channing Pollock, Chan Canasta.

This is a licensed reproduction...

In the world of Magic there are few people who have made such a substantial contribution as Harry Stanley. This is volume one of four. In these four volumes hear the story of 25 years of Unique Magic.

These four volumes are packed with memories from the fertile mind of Mr. Unique himself. If you were a personality on the magical scene during the 40's, 50's and 60's you are bound to be mentioned somewhere. Lots of information about the famous Unique Studio, the Gen Magazine and people like Johnny Hart, Al Koran, Alan Alan, Ken Brooke, Lewis Ganson, Orson Welles, Slydini, Channing Pollock, Chan Canasta.

This is a licensed reproduction...

This ebook draws on the contemporary and other accounts to examine the persona Houdini created, having been born one Ehrich Weiss in Hungary prior to immigrating to America as a young child. It recaptures the era of variety and some of the acts that were rivalling Houdini. It explores in detail Houdini's clash with Carl Mysto in Salford in 1904, which had Houdini taking the unprecedented step of exposing his rival's coffin escape on stage. It also tells the story of Jack Wilson, a blacksmith, who claimed to have beaten Houdini at his own game following his challenges to Houdini in Blackburn and Bolton...

Introducing Harry Houdin—one of the most versatile performers you've never heard of. Born decades before the great Harry Houdini, he claimed to be the nephew of Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, the famous French conjurer of the 19th century.

Houdin, who billed himself as "The Great Polynational Mimic," toured Australia and New Zealand between 1860 and 1863 with a one-man act featuring drawing-room magic and international impersonations done to song and dance.

Harry Houdin: The Great Polynational Mimic is the first formal work of research written about this virtually unknown, albeit colorful, entertainer.

1st edition 2013, 27...

• A Typical Culpitt Performance
• The Vanishing Stick (Or "Culpitt's Cork")
• The Abanazer Fan Vanish
• Torn And Restored Newspaper
• The Bathing Costume Trick
• A Rabbit From A Hat
• Culpitt's Clock
• Cards Ala Culpitt
• Egg-Bag Ruses
• Production Of Eggs From A Net-Fronted Bag
• The Doll's House Illusion
• Culpitt's Silk Loader
• Culpitt Card Box
• Reward Poster
• "On Toast"
• Rabbit To Silks
• A Culpitt Card Sleight
• Thumb-Nail Sketch

1st edition 2001; 1st digital edition 2016, 43 pages.

The renowned sideshow showman Ward Hall reminisced about the time Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Combined Circus attracted a record-breaking crowd of over 20,000 people inside the sideshow. "The Greatest Show on Earth" was playing Montreal during the 1950s. However, over a decade later, Giovanni Iuliani surpassed this world-breaking record many times over.

200,000 ATTENDANCE RECORD!

In 1966, Giovanni Iuliani presented 5 major freak phenomena alive on a high elevated stage at two Montreal movie houses. These high attendance halls each featured on their giant screen the classic horror...

Harry Leat describes incidences during his magic life, some odd, some funny, some unbelievable. Often another well known magic celebraty was involved, such as Houdini, Selbit, Trewey, ... This book makes a great read. No tricks.

1st edition, 1923, Harry Leat, London; 77 pages.

An account of the author's professional life; his wonderful tricks and feats; with laughable incidents, and adventures as a magician, necromancer, and ventriloquist.

Excerpt from the Preface:

Listen to one of the old timers talking about his friendship with Dai Vernon, T. Nelson Downs and many other big names. If you haven't read the Magic Of Faucett Ross by Lewis Ganson, then this recording will send you to your nearest magical dealer to buy it. If you have the book, then you will see how Lewis Ganson used the material of this recording to create the classic book. One of the funniest recordings in our collection.

This is a licensed reproduction of the famous Magicassette and MagiCD series created by Martin Breese - now owned by Lybrary.com.

This is a new edition of the famous and unique magic dictionary by Bart Whaley. Bart has continued to correct entries in this dictionary until the present. We have converted everything to PDF and added bookmarks for each entry in the dictionary as well as inserted thousands of hyperlinked cross-references to make browsing and using this dictionary as convenient as possible.

There is simply no other such encyclopedia. Some have tried but nobody has achieved what Bart Whaley has. The depth and breadth is mind boggling. Almost 4000 terms are described. This is the absolute must have magic desk...

• Preface - Paul Gordon
• About the Author by Martin Breese
• Introduction - Paul Gordon
• Edward George Brown - a biography by Paul Gordon
• Obituary by Francis White
• Heartfelt Tributes
• - John Carney
• - Roger Crosthwaite
• - Members of The Magic Circle
• Trevor H. Hall & The Card Magic of Edward G. Brown
• Willane's Methods for Miracles
• Ibidem - P. Howard Lyons
• The 'Lost' Magic of E.G. Brown
• - Divination of Two Mentally Selected Cards
• - The Three Billet Test
• - A Cigarette Change
• - The Penetrating Tumbler
• - Handkerchief and Glass to Hat
• - A Nap Hand
• With Thanks to Edward George Brown
• - The Brown Detective - Peter Duffie
• - Thin...