Modern Magic: A Practical Treatise on the Art of Conjuring

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.
Introduction.
	PAGE
Introductory Observations	1
The Magic Wand	4
The Magician’s Table	5
The Magician’s Dress	8
Profondes	9
Pochettes	9
“Loading” Pockets	9
CHAPTER II.
General Principles of Sleight-of-hand applicable to Card Tricks.
The Cards	11
To “Make the Pass”	12
To “Force” a Card	21
To Make a “False Shuffle”	23
To “Palm” a Card	27
To “Ruffle” the Cards	27
To “Change” a Card	28
To Get Sight of a Drawn Card	34
To “Slip” a Card	35
To “Draw Back” a Card	36
To “Turn Over” the Pack	37
To Spring the Cards from one Hand to the Other	37
To Throw a Card	38
The “Bridge”	39
CHAPTER III.
Card Tricks with Ordinary Cards, and not requiring Sleight-of-hand.
Simple Modes of Discovering a Given Card	42
Various Modes of Disclosing a Discovered Card	44
To Make a Card Vanish from the Pack, and be found in a Person’s Pocket	46
To place the Four Kings in different parts of the Pack, and to bring them together by a simple Cut	47
The Four Kings being placed under the Hand of one Person, and the Four Sevens under the Hand of Another, to make them Change Places at Command	48
Four Packets of Cards having been formed face downwards on the Table, to discover the Total Value of the Undermost Cards	49
To Name all the Cards of the Pack in Succession	50
The Cards being Cut, to tell whether the Number Cut is Odd or Even	51
The Whist Trick. To deal yourself all the Trumps (see also page 119)	51
To allow a Person to think of a Card, and to make that Card appear at such Number in the Pack as another Person shall Name	52
The Cards revealed by the Looking-glass	53
To Guess Four Cards thought of by Different Persons	53
The Pairs Re-paired	54
The Magic Triplets	55
Another Mode of Discovering a Card thought of	55
To Guess, by the aid of a Passage of Poetry or Prose, such one of Sixteen Cards as, in your Absence, has been Touched or Selected by the Company	200
The Miraculous Casket	202
The Half-Crown or Florin Wand	203
The Shower of Money	205
The Vanishing Plate, or Salver	208
The “Changing” Plate	210
The Tray of Proteus	211
CHAPTER IX.
Tricks with Watches.
To indicate on the Dial of a Watch the Hour secretly thought of by any of the Company	213
To Bend a Borrowed Watch Backwards and Forwards	214
The Watch-mortar and the Magic Pistol	215
The “Snuff-box Vase”	217
The “Watch Box”	219
The “Watch Target”	220
The Mesmerised Watch. (To Make any Watch a Repeater)	222
CHAPTER X.
Tricks with Rings.
The Flying Ring	225
To Pass a Ring from the one Hand to either Finger of the other Hand	227
To Pass a Ring through a Pocket-handkerchief	228
To Pass a Ring through the Table	228
To Pass a Ring invisibly upon the Middle of a Wooden Wand, the Ends being held by two of the Spectators	230
The Magic Ball and Rings	231
To Pass a Borrowed Ring into an Egg	233
The Magic Rose	234
CHAPTER XI.
Tricks with Handkerchiefs.
Introductory Remarks	236
The Handkerchief that cannot be Tied in a Knot	237
The Handkerchief that will not Burn	237
The Vanishing Knots	238
To Exchange a borrowed Handkerchief for a Substitute	240
The Locked and Corded Box, and the Washerwoman’s Bottle	241
The Reversible Canister	245
The Burning Globe	246
The Transformed Handkerchief	246
The Handkerchief cut up, burnt, and finally found in a Candle	249
The Shower of Sweets	251
The Feathers from an Empty Handkerchief	254
The Flying Plume	256
The Magic Laundry	258
The Egg and the Handkerchief	260
The “Hand-Box,” for Vanishing a Handkerchief	263
CHAPTER XII.
Tricks with Dominoes and Dice.
To Arrange a Row of Dominoes face downwards on the Table, and on returning to the Room to turn up a Domino whose points shall indicate how many have been moved in your absence	457
The Demon’s Head	458
The Magic Picture Frame	463
The Flying Watches and the Broken Plate	465
The Magic Picture and the Chosen Cards	467
The Magic Portfolio	468
The Glove Column	469
The Vanishing Pocket-handkerchief, found in a Candle	470
The Sphinx	471
The Cabinet of Proteus	475
The Indian Basket Trick	477
Electrical Tricks	480
The Light and Heavy Chest	482
Spirit-Rapping	485
The Magic Bell	486
The Crystal Cash Box	487
The Magic Drum	492
The AËrial Suspension	495
CHAPTER XVIII.
Concluding Observations.
Hints as to Working up Tricks	502
Arrangement of Programme	505
Stage Arrangements	508
Parting Counsels	510
APPENDIX.
CHAPTER I.
Introductory	515
CHAPTER II.
Kempelen.
Kempelen’s Speaking Figure	522
Its Construction	523
Houdin	524
His Talking Figure	524
The Magic Harlequin and its Construction	524
The Magic Clock	526
The Performing Clown	526
The Cook of the Palais Royal	526
The Orange and Rose Trees	527
Electric Bell and Drum	528
Suspension in the Air	528
CHAPTER III.
Theodin.
Theodin	530
Robin and Anderson	530
The Magic Windmill	530
Anderson’s Old Man	531
Col. Stodare’s Living Head	531
Pepper and Tobin	532
Proteus; or, We’re Here and Not Here	532
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