Magic & Conjuring: page 213

"Quicker Than The Eye was John Mulholland's second book, and the first under solely his own name. It is a tale of adventure and creativity. The pages abound with names, dates, and thrilling stories of the great names in stage conjuring. It is an almost anecdotal history told in an easy-going, very readable style. Professionals today,...

A few sporadic contributions to magical journals here and abroad followed The Art of Magic. The most important of these stray papers was the first account, in The Sphinx, of a thought-reading card trick of my own invention that has since enjoyed considerable popularity. I refer to the experiment commonly known as "The Telephone Trick." No one was more surprised than myself at the immediate and widespread popularity of this trick. That its success was not ephemeral, I judge from the fact that Mr. Thayer still keeps it in stock, and that many writers,...

So the telephone rings and the client says ... "Can you provide two hours entertainment?" ... "Of course!" ... you say, doing a quick bit of mental arithmetic to double your normal fee. Having confirmed the booking, you make a bee-line for the book-shelf to search for this book. Because this book ... plus a few bits and bobs ... will furnish the wherewithal for that extra hour of entertainment.

Think of the advantages! You need only do one show in an afternoon instead of two ... no mad dash when the first show runs late ... less packing ... less wear and tear on...

A history of the vice in ancient and modern times, and in both hemispheres; an exposition of its alarming prevalence and destructive effects; with an unreserved and exhaustive disclosure of such frauds, tricks and devices as are practiced by "professional" gamblers, "confidence men" and "bunko steerers."

Unless I am mistaken, the routine explained in this modest little volume is the first sleight of hand trick I learned. I was then at school - over sixty years ago - and as I have been performing it constantly ever since, I have had, obviously, a lot of practice!

Although I have always done the trick fairly well, I have added, quite recently, a number of improvements which make it, I think, a routine not unworthy of the attention of any close-work magician.

Broadly speaking, it is similar in effect to the Chinese Marble Trick described by Edwin Sachs in...

It is now over fifty years since I started to experiment with the Cap and Pence trick, and I have worked out several methods of using the standard apparatus.

The present routine, lucidly and minutely explained by Victor Farelli, is not the result of a "brain wave" it was gradually evolved by a process of trial and error, and I trust that the reader will decide to study it thoroughly and that he will add it to his programme.

For the last thirty years, or more, it has been one...