Montague was a member of the Hous of Commons and a hobby magician, which lead to his nickname "Conjurer of the House of Commons." Most of the tricks described here are of his invention.
From the introduction by Will Goldston:
All the tricks explained in the book are thoroughly practical; that I should know if I had not seen the written explanations of the secrets, because all the tricks described in this book have been performed by the author at the Magicians’ Club. That being the case, I strongly recommend the reader to study the book thoroughly and thus add some of the tricks to his repertoire; he will be amply repaid for the trouble he has taken. The reader will find that the majority of the tricks are suitable for the platform, stage and drawing-room.
The enthusiastic student of magic will also derive much pleasure from close examination of the very original methods devised by the author and, I do not doubt, some readers will discover that these methods can be advantageously used in tricks which are not described in this book. Possibly some readers will find that tricks which have always been a little beyond them can be simplified by applying methods which are fully explained in this volume.
Table of contents:
- About The Author And His Book
- Introduction
- Transparent Cylinders And Coloured Silks
- The Silken "Flight" Par Excellence
- Balls, Cone, Tumbler And Gas Glass
- "As You Like Them"
- Screen And Shadow Rings
- The Very Latest Spirit Slate
- To Present The Trick
- Notes On The Slate Trick
- An Alternative Slate
- A Suggestion About Patter
- The "Phoenix" Restored Rope
- How The Rope Is Prepared
- How The Trick Is Worked
- By Way Of Suggestion
- The "Do It Again" Rope Trick
- Glass Tumbler Levitation
- A Cigarette And A Box Of Matches
- Startling Card Effects
- Arrangement Of Cards
- 1. A Miracle Of Flight
- 2. A Magic "Spell"
- Spelling Chart
- 3. Under Your Very Nose
- Explanation
- The Torn Card With A New Touch
- The "Montague" Pivotal Pass And Palm
- The Second Position Pass And Palm
- The "Bluff" Pass And Palm
- Something Like A Flash
- The Card In The Crystal
- A New Coin Vanish
- The Wand And Ribbon
- A Novel Cut And Restored Tape
- Burnt And Restored Handkerchief
- Silent Second Sight
- One Valise - Two Tables
1st edition 1928, 95 pages; PDF 75 pages.
word count: 18646 which is equivalent to 74 standard pages of text
