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Customer rank: +2 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.
The original French title of this work is Confidences d'un Prestidigiteur. The translation was done by Dr. R. Shelton Mackenzie.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
word count: 122272 which is equivalent to 489 standard pages of text
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