The Drawing Room Entertainer
by Cecil H. Bullivant

Ventriloquism, conjuring, shadowgraphy, mimicry, comedy, reciting.

• PART I. VENTRILOQUISM
  • CHAPTER I. The Practical Ventriloquist
    • No New Thing
    • Practice makes Perfect
    • There is Hope for All
    • A Useful Accomplishment
    • How to Begin
  • CHAPTER II. Breathing and Use of Figures
    • Methods of Breathing
    • Vocalisation
    • How to speak without moving the Lips
    • Ventriloquial Figures
    • Estimate of Outlay
    • A Few Practical Hints
  • CHAPTER III. Voice Illusions
    • Near and Distant Voices
    • The Drone
    • The Basis of the "Near" Ventriloquial Voices
    • Different Kinds of "Distant" Voices
    • Voices from Above
    • Voices Below
    • Level Voices
  • CHAPTER IV. The Near Voice
    • "Near" Voices
    • The Old Man
    • The Negro Voice
    • The Costermonger
    • Farmer and Sailor
    • Other Voices
    • Voice for "Little Girl" and "Little Boy"
  • CHAPTER V. Distant Voices
    • From Near to Distant
    • Dialogue for Two Figures
    • Short Humorous Recitations
    • Use Handy Accessories
  • CHAPTER VI. A Complete Performance
    • What to Do and what to Avoid
    • How to Dress
    • A Few General Hints
• PART II. CONJURING
  • CHAPTER I. Easy Tricks without Apparatus
    • Modern Conjuring
    • Coin Tricks
    • Heads or Tails?
    • To Place a Halfpenny in the Hand and Make it Disappear
    • To Catch Coins
    • To Vanish a Coin
    • A Disappearing Halfpenny
    • The Multiplied Sixpence
    • Tricks with Paper
  • CHAPTER II. Miscellaneous Drawing-room Tricks
    • Paper Rings
    • The Magic Plate
    • Bending a Watch
    • Some Card Tricks
    • To Produce and Vanish a Handkerchief
    • A Meal of Cotton Wool
  • CHAPTER III. Simple Appliances for more Difficult Tricks
    • The Enchanted Canister
    • Hat Tricks
    • The Mysterious Cones
  • CHAPTER IV. Mesmerism and Mysteries
    • Mesmeric Influences
    • Table Lifting Extraordinary
    • The Productive Vase of Water
    • A Shower of Cards
    • The Changing Silks
  • CHAPTER V. Some Startling Illusions
    • A Novel Hat Trick
    • The Vanishing Bird-Cage
    • D'Albert's Cylinder
    • A Summing Up
• PART III. POPULAR ENTERTAINMENTS
  • CHAPTER I. Vocal Mimicry
    • Voice Imitations
    • The Blue bottle
    • The Saw-mill
    • Wind
    • The Boiling of a Kettle
    • The Little Dog
    • Farmyard Noises
    • The Cuckoo
    • A Sheep
    • The Banjo and Trombone
  • CHAPTER II. Clairvoyance or Second-Sight
    • What Is Clairvoyance?
    • Tricks of Divination
    • Divination with a Watch
    • Which Number was Struck Out?
  • CHAPTER III. Some Strange Experiments
    • A Simple Method of Thought-Reading
    • To Name, Blindfolded, the Cards in a Pack
    • To See through a Folded Handkerchief
    • A Simple Code
  • CHAPTER IV. Further Marvels
    • Dr. Lynn's Experiment
    • A Simple Drawing-room Trick
  • CHAPTER V. The Art of Recitation
    • How to Speak Acceptably
    • Pitch
    • Pronunciation
    • Articulation
    • Gesture
    • Tone
    • Emphasis
    • Pauses
    • Two Valuable Reciters
    • An Ample Choice for Selection
    • A Good Humorous Reciter
  • CHAPTER VI. The Art of Shadowgraphy
    • The Light
    • The Screen
    • Presentation
    • A Shadow Pantomime
• PART IV. THE PLATFORM STAGE
  • CHAPTER I. The Drawing-room Comedian
    • A "Patter" Comedian
    • How Best to Begin
    • Take Hints from Useful Models
    • The "Make-Up"
    • Rehearsing is Essential
    • The Pianist's Part
  • CHAPTER II. The Sketch Artist
  • CHAPTER III. Variety Programmes
    • The Sketch Artist and the Conjurer
    • Clairvoyance with Shadowgraphy
    • Imitations and Recitations
    • The Drawing-Room Comedian and the Ventriloquist
  • CHAPTER IV. Methods and Management
    • Home Entertainments
    • Engagements
    • Fees and Charges
    • How to Fulfil Engagements
    • Dress
    • Manner
  • CHAPTER V. Some Valuable Hints
    • Clear Enunciation
    • A Bright Manner
    • How Failure may be Met
    • The Services of an Accompanist
    • Programme
    • How to Check Interruption
  • CHAPTER VI. How best to Secure Engagements
    • The Services of Agents
    • In the Country
    • Cards and Pamphlets
    • Whom to Approach
    • Parish Institutions
    • Cultivate a Courteous Habit
    • Work in Towns
    • Clubs
    • Garden Parties
    • Public Bodies

1st edition 1903, 2nd edition 1919, 122 pages; PDF 94 pages.
word count: 37487 which is equivalent to 149 standard pages of text