Illusions, Escape & Stage in Magic & Conjuring: page 2

This is one of the best books by Houdini, because here he writes about something he really knows a lot about. With many of his escapes he had to be very familiar with the knots he was tied up. This book has many good illustrations and several photos where Houdini himself demonstrates certain ties. It is a great collector item as well as source of information. If you can only buy one book by Houdini, by this one.

1st edition, 1920, Will Goldston Limited, London; 80 pages.

4. Photograph - Ira E. Davenport and "Houdini".
5. Foreword
8. For Opening of Rope Act
11. A Simple Release
12. The Kellar Tie ...

A rare insight into Al Mann's least-known manuscript, The Sensational Boiler Escape. In 1987, Mann revised this effect and sold the exclusive rights to Devin Knight as a unique demonstration of psychic powers to be used on a TV show. The effect was as follows:

The performer is visibly locked into an examined metal boiler, which is then filled with boiling water! The performer claims he will be able to survive the scalding waters because of his psychic powers. The level of the water is seen rising on the indicators and the temperature is recorded on the boiler's thermometer.

The boiler...

A fast, modern escape act you can present at nightclubs, casino floor shows, and TV.

It's an ever-changing world. And with these changes come new modes in everything, including show business. Houdini could be heavily shackled, then retire to a cabinet for thirty minutes, liberate himself and the audiences clamored for more. But that was then ... Paying customers today demand two things: speed and comedy. Many successful professional magicians throw good tricks away if the item won't produce at least six laughs and takes more than two minutes to perform.

This act has been streamlined to appeal...

A modern seance, with a tie that is like lightning for speed, and yet is the most convincing of all ties. Each wrist is securely tied with a length of rope. Any number of knots may be used and knots can be sealed. The ends of the rope are made secure to the back of the chair. Feet are also tied to chair legs. All ties are thoroughly inspected and the committee is convinced that there is no slack in the ropes and that magician is really secure. The cabinet is placed around magi ready for the tests. For instance, a card is selected and shuffled back into the pack, the pack placed between the...

The art of rope tying and methods of obtaining releases from ropes, chains and shackles. New cut and restored rope effects including a number of original ties and releases.

• Houdini Did Not Steal This Book!
• Introduction
• Special Instructions For Beginners Suggestion As To Arrangement And Application
• Handling Committee
• Rope Tying And Release Methods
  • The Mysterious Knots
  • The Kellar Tie
  • The Improved Kellar Tie
  • The Figure 8 Tie
  • The Mysterious Tie
  • B. H. Strangle Rope Tie
  • Important Points
  • "New Spirit Tape Tie"
  • The Twentieth Century Tie
  • B. H. Triumph Tie
  • The Ten Ichi Thumb Tie
  • The Excelsior...

This was the showstopper of Laurie Ireland's school show. This illusion is big and flashy while still lightweight, easy to handle, packs flat, is self-contained, requires no special stage conditions, and only requires one assistant. This ebook explains everything you need to construct, perform, and present this fantastic illusion.

Effect: An assistant enters a cabinet just big enough to accommodate her. Panels open to show head and feet. The magician then pushes five metal rods clear through the center of the box and right thru the ribs of the victim. Two more rods are then shoved through...

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

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   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 a very clear description of how to build a Houdini-style Sub Trunk from readily available parts. Matt added several clear photos to illustrate various stages and subassemblies. If you have never built an illusion or if you don't know the secret of this classic trick, you will find this ebook very useful.

1st edition, 2004

Although published anonymously, this was very likely written by U. F. Grant. 19 easy to build illusions.

4. Atomic Sight
5. The Bunny Girl Illusion
7. Chen Lee’s Laundry Bag Illusion
9. Flat Model Head Vanish
11. The Gate - Way Illusion
13. Ghost & Witch
16. Resista
18. The Miracle Dove Act
20. Modern Sawing Thru A Girl
22. Nu-Way Doll House
24. Nu-Tronic Spirit Cabinet
26. Shooting Thru A Girl
28. Spot-Lite Girl Vanish
30. Superior Dove Vanish
32. The Girl In The Balloon Illusion
34. Torture Of A Princess
38. The Victory Girl Production
40. Witch's Broom & Rope Illusion
42. The Zig Zag

Five easy to build and practical levitations by the creative master of thrift, U.F. Grant. One could even be called an impromptu levitation because most supplies are available in a typical household. Every levitation is illustrated.

Paul Fleming wrote:

Self-levitations have been recently popularized by street performers like David Blaine and others. U.F. Grant as usual was way ahead. Here you will find a lovely self-levitation as well as four other easy to build levitation apparatus.

If you are into levitations you should also check out Modern Levitations by U.F. Grant.

14 pages

3. Contents
4. Introduction
5. Uncanny Self-Levitation
7. Casket Asrah
10. Girls In The Air
11. Easy-Do Board Suspension
13. The Floating Head Illusion

This is not your typical grandma's (ala Grandma's necklace) version of rope through body. Instead, this is ropes through body on steroids. It uses no gimmick rope either and everything can be examined. This is an illusion that fits into a briefcase and yet fills the stage with three spectators and yourself. Talk about playing big and packing small, this is the ultimate. It's based on an historical fact that pirates use to torture people for both information and for the entertainment of the crew. This is a historical fact that makes this version of the trick not only logical, but historically...

This is one of the best books ever written on escapes and escape magic, bar none. Grant wrote this treatise for the average magician wanting to add an escape to his act, not the professional escape artist. The nice thing is that none of these escapes involve having to pick locks or for the performer to have muscular strength such as required in many escape feats.

All of these are easy to do, and none are life threatening. You can do all of these with no fear of killing yourself! With the information in this treatise an enterprising magician could put together an entire escape act full of...

As usual with Grant instructions, they leave a lot to the imagination and "know-how" of the magician. However, the method was a clever one, simple but very effective. Ken de Courcy has taken the original instructions and added to them his own presentation points, and not only that, his improvements and various novel dressings which lift the effect up and turn it into acceptable modern entertainment.

In the original effect, a committee was invited on the stage to examine a solid steel plate. Then circular drawstring curtains were placed at the front and the rear, the magician walked behind...

One of the great publicity stunts. The box may be made by a local concern and placed on display for examination before being used. The magician is tied with a length of rope, placed in the box, and a committee is allowed to fasten the lid with either screws or nails. Nails may be driven into any part of the box. The box is lowered into the water and almost immediately magician is seen emerging from the water at some distance from the box. After he has been identified he sinks from view. The box is raised from the water, the lid removed, and out steps the magician.

PDF 4 pages.

As 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,...

John Henry Pepper took a projection invention of Henry Dircks, called The Ghost, with his permission, and made it practical so that it could more easily be performed. He earned a lot of money staging it. Even though Dircks did not want any payments from Pepper, there was a falling out between the two because the invention became known as Pepper's Ghost. Dircks wanted to have his name associated with it. This prompted Dircks to write The Ghost. Pepper's answer to that publication and dispute came almost 30 years later in this work The True History of the Ghost.

He also includes the history and working of Metempsychosis...

This is called the Marvelous Devil Illusion because you will marvel at its cleverness. Imagine producing the Devil, surrounded by a committee from the audiences, under test conditions. This is an almost forgotten U. F. Grant idea that has been revised and updated for today's magicians by Devin Knight.

Here is the original Grant ad copy:

• 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...

At last, here is a new illusion effect and one that any performer may own. Yet, here is an illusion which will compete with the best of them and it will not cost you several hundred dollars to own it or even a tenth of that. In my opinion this is more effective than the Interlude Illusion at a fraction of the cost.

EFFECT: Setting at the center of the stage are four chairs, in a row facing the audience. There is a space between the two center chairs wide enough for the performer to walk through. A girl assistant is then placed in a reclining position across the seats of the four chairs....

NOTICE: This is an expanded version of Santa Clause Arrives in Grant's Lost Illusion Secrets. There are more ideas in this PDF.

Yes, Santa Clause arrives - and in such a manner that any performer can bring about his appearance. There is no elaborate or expensive equipment required. Indeed, you can build the necessary items right in your own home without any difficulty. If desired, some of the items may be purchased at a very low cost. Yes, you can have a full stage illusion for less than you have to pay for many club effects.

Here is an illusion which has eye appeal, will mystify your audience and, most important,...

NOTICE: This is an expanded version of an illusion described in Grant's Lost Illusion Files. It gives you far more information.

Although this illusion can be done year-round, this makes a great illusion for spook shows or Halloween shows. For those affairs, it is the perfect illusion and it would be hard to find an illusion more suited for those occasions.

EFFECT: The magician shows a three-fold screen with a black interior. He forms the screen into a three-sided cabinet with opening at the front. The performer says that he is going spook hunting. As the saying goes, it takes a thief to catch a thief.

The performer...

From the introduction:

With this method, you can cause a girl to vanish from a nightclub floor.

When this was first introduced, Thayer claimed it was the dream of every magician. We agree. It seems impossible. Perform it on a regular nightclub floor. No stage traps, wings, flies or other conveniences that you'd find in a theater environment. That's what makes this illusion seem so utterly convincing. You even invite a committee of spectators (not stooges) to supervise and ensure that all's fair.

The girl enters a box, sitting atop a four-legged table. The box is lifted from the table and falls to the floor,...