Memoirs of Robert-Houdin

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.

3. Editor's Preface
13. The Author's Overture
    
17. 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.
    
26. 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.
    
42. 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.
    
55. 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.
    
73. 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!
    
90. 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.
    
121. 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.
     
136. 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.
     
155. 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.
     
176. 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.
192. 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.
     
221. 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.
     
234. 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.
     
253. 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.
     
273. 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.
     
294. 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.
     
312. 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.
     
330. 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.
     
359. 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.
     
371. 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.
     
398. 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.
     
422. CHAPTER XXII
     A Course of Miracles.

word count: 122272 which is equivalent to 489 standard pages of text