Here are a devil's dozen effects, moves and miracles for the semi-professional that, for the most part, don't rely on external gimmicks. It's one of those rare books that, the more you read it, the more you'll appreciate it. Not written for the faint of heart. If you're after bold, professional magic, this is the book for you. (And yes, the title is a pun on H. G. Well's Outline of History. Kudos if you caught that.)
You'll find effects for close-up, platform and stage. The details are provided as if you were a trusted confidante of the author.
Partial Contents:
- Introduction
- The Spell of Color - A mental effect with silks.
- Just Imagine - A miraculous card effect.
- Sight Unseen - Another fine card effect.
- Libation - Boldly produce a glass of (real) wine.
- Turnabout - Fools magicians.
- The Razor's Edge - Threaded razor blades on thread.
- Location No. 1 - Card location.
- Up Devil! - Card effect using the previous move.
- Me, Too! - New method of the Invisible Pass.
- Pop-Up - Impromptu thimble through handkerchief.
- A Deck Is Born - Produce a full deck of cards from nothing.
- Location No. 2 - Card location.
- Cortini? Frascati? Cremation - No-gimmick torn and restored paper strip.
- In Conclusion
- About the Author
"For me, the author's irreverent style had me hooked after the first few paragraphs. Talk about a book being ahead of its time -- it's as fresh today as it was when first written, over 70 years ago." - T. A. Whitney
"'Just Imagine' should appeal to card addicts, for it can be made into a small miracle." - J. G. Thompson, Jr.
"This material is aimed at entertaining audiences. Thirteen effects, of all types, and all good, using simple, clean-cut methods. Particularly fine is 'Turnabout,' which makes a platform trick of The Unknown Leaper." - Fred Braue
1st edition 1947, PDF 42 pages.word count: 13418 which is equivalent to 53 standard pages of text