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This is a great book written by one of the greatest magicians of all time, Robert-Houdin. He describes in his own words his development from a little boy to a star performer. How he started as a watchmaker, performed in the St. James Theater, and ended up helping France with a conflict with the Marabouts. Read it. Highly recommended.
1st UK edition, 1859, Chapman & Hall, London; 1st edition US edition, 1859, Geo. G. Evans, Philadelphia; reprint, circa 1880, Porter & Coates, Philadelphia; reprint, 1942, Laurie, London; reprint, 1944, Jones; reprint, 1964, Dover; 436 pages.
Table of Contents | page | | page |
- Editor's Preface
- The Author's Overture
- CHAPTER I
My Birth and Parentage
My Home
The Lessons of Colonel Bernard
Paternal Ambition
My first Mechanical Attempts
Had I but a Rat!
A Prisoner's Industry
The Abbé Larivière
My Word of Honor
Farewell to my darling Tools.
- CHAPTER II
A Country Idler
Dr. Carlosbach, Conjurer and Professor of Mystification
The Sand-bag and the Stirrup Trick
I turn Lawyer's Clerk, and the Minutes appear to me very long
A small Automaton
A respectful Protest
I mount a Step in the Office
A Machine of Porter's Power
The Acrobatic Canaries
Monsieur Roger's Remonstrances
My Father decides that I shall follow my bent.
- CHAPTER III
My Cousin Robert
The most important Event in my Life
How a Man becomes a Sorcerer
My first Sleight-of-Hand Feat
An utter Failure
Practising the Eye and the Hand
Curious Experiment in Prestidigitation
Monsieur Noriet
An Action more ingenious than delicate
I am Poisoned
Influence of Delirium.
- CHAPTER IV
I return to Life
A strange Doctor
Torrini and Antonio: a Conjurer and a Fanatic for Music
A Murderer's Confession
A perambulating House
The Fair at Angers
A portable Theatre
I witness for the first Time a Conjuring Performance
The blind Man's Game at Piquet
A Dangerous Rival
Signor Castelli eats a Man alive.
- CHAPTER V
Antonio's Confessions
How to gain Public Applause
The Count de
Mountebank
I repair an Automaton
A Mechanician's Shop on Wheels
Nomadic life
Happy Existence
Torrini's Lessons
His Opinions about Sleight-of-Hand
A Fashionable Greek, Victim of his own Swindling
The Conjurer Comus
A Duel at Piquet
Torrini proclaimed Conqueror
Revelations
New Catastrophe
Poor Torrini!
- CHAPTER VI
Torrini relates his Life
Treachery of Chevalier Pinetti
A Conjurer through Malice
A Race between two Magicians
Death of Pinetti
Exhibits before Pius VII.
The Cardinal's Chronometer
Twelve Hundred Francs spent on a Trick
Antonio and Antonia
The most bitter of Mystifications
Constantinople.
- CHAPTER VII
Continuation of Torrini's History
The Grand Turk orders a Performance
A marvellous Trick
A Page cut in two
Pitying Protest of the Harem
Agreeable Surprise
Return to France
Torrini's Son Killed
Madness
Decay
My first Performance
An annoying Accident
I return Home.
- CHAPTER VIII
The Prodigal Son
Mademoiselle Houdin
I go to Paris
My Marriage
Comte
Studies of the Public
A skillful Manager
Rosecolored Tickets
A Musky Style
The King of Hearts
Ventriloquism
The Mystifiers Mystified
Father Roujol
Jules de Rovère
Origin of the word prestidigitateur.
- CHAPTER IX
Celebrated Automata
A Brazen Fly
The Artificial Man
Albertus Magnus and St. Thomas d'Aquinas
Vaucanson
His Duck
His Flute-Player
Curious Details
The Automaton Chess-Player
Interesting Episode
Catherine II. and M. de Kempelen
I repair the Componium
Unexpected Success.
- CHAPTER X
An Inventor's Calculations
One Hundred Thousand Francs a Year by an Inkstand: Deception
My new Automata
The First Magician in France: Decadence
I meet Antonio
Bosco
The Trick with the Cups
An Execution
Resurrection of the Criminals
Mistake in a Head
The Canary rewarded.
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- CHAPTER XI
A Reverse of Fortune
Cookery and Clockwork
The Artist's Home
Invention of an Automaton
Voluntary Exile
A modest Villa
The Inconveniences of a Speciality
Two August Visitors
The Throat of a mechanical Nightingale
The Tiou and the Rrrrrrrrouit
Seven Thousand Francs earned by making Filings.
- CHAPTER XII
The Inventive Genius of a Sugar-baker
Philippe the Magician
His Comic Adventures
Description of his Performance
Exposition of 1844
The King and Royal Family visit my Automata.
- CHAPTER XIII
My proposed Reforms
I build a Theatre in the Palais Royal
Formalities
General Rehearsal
Singular Effect of my Performance
The Largest and Smallest Theatre in Paris
Tribulation
My first Performance
Panic
Discouragement
A Fallible Prophet
Recovery
Success.
- CHAPTER XIV
New Studies
A Comic Journal
Invention of Second Sight
Curious Experiments
An enthusiastic Spectator
Danger of being a Sorcerer
A Philter or your Life
Way to get rid of Bores
An Electric Touch
I perform at the Vaudeville
Struggles with the Incredulous
Interesting Details.
- CHAPTER XV
Seductions of a Theatrical Agent
How to gain One Hundred Thousand Francs
I start for Brussels
A lucky Two-Sou Piece
Miseries of professional Travelling
The Park Theatre
Tyranny of a Porter
Full House
Small Receipts
Deceptions
Return to Paris.
- CHAPTER XVI
Reopening of my Fantastic Soirees
Minor Miseries of Good Luck
Inconvenience of a small Theatre
My Room taken by Storm
A gratuitous Performance
A conscientious Audience
Pleasant Story about a Black Silk Cap
I perform at the Chateau of St. Cloud
Cagliostro's Casket
Holidays.
- CHAPTER XVII
New Experiments
Aerial Suspension, &c.
A Performance at the Odéon
A Friend in Need
1848
The Theatre deserted
I leave Paris for London
Manager Mitchell
Publicity in England
The Great Wizard
A Butter-mould used as a Puff
Singular Bills
A Prize for the best Pun.
- CHAPTER XVIII
The St. James's Theatre
Invasion of England by French Performers
A Fete patronised by the Queen
The Diplomatist and the Sleight-of-Hand Man
Three Thousand Pounds taken at one Haul
I perform at Manchester
The Spectators in the Pillory
What capital Curacoa!
A Torrent of Wine
A Catastrophe
Performance at Buckingham Palace
A Wizard's Repast.
- CHAPTER XIX
An Optimist Manager
Three Spectators in a Room
A Magical Collation
The Colchester Public and the Nuts
I return to France
I give up my Theatre
A Farewell Tour
I retire to St. Gervais
An Academician's Predictions.
- CHAPTER XX
Travels in Algeria
Convocation of the Chieftains
Performances before the Arabs
A Kabyle rendered powerless
Invulnerability
A Moor disappears
Panic and Flight of the Audience
Reconciliation
The Sect of Aissaoua
Their pretended Miracles.
- CHAPTER XXI
Excursion in the Interior of Africa
The Abode of a Bash-Aga
A comical Repast
A Soiree of Arab Dignitaries
A Marabout mystified
rent-life in Algeria
I return to France
A terrible Storm
Conclusion.
- CHAPTER XXII
A Course of Miracles.
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word count: 122272 which is equivalent to 489 standard pages of text
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