FUN WITH MAGIC • FUN WITH PUZZLES
FUN WITH FABRICS • FUN WITH STRING
FUN WITH FABRICS • FUN WITH STRING •
FUN WITH MAGIC • FUN WITH PUZZLES •
FUN WITH MAGIC
LfEM
FUN WITH MAGIC HOW TO MAKE MAGIC EQUIPMENT; HOW TO PERFORM MANY TRICKS, INCLUDING SOME OF THE BEST TRICKS OF PROFESSIONAL MAGICIANS AND HOW TO GIVE SUCCESSFUL MAGIC SHOWS
By Joseph Leeming Drawings by Jessie Robinson
SPENCER PRESS, INC., CHICAGO
COPYRIGHT, MCMXLIII, BY JOSEPH LEEMING All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced without the written permission of the Publishers. This special edition is printed and distributed by Spencer Press, Inc., by special arrangement with J. B. Lippincott Company, East Washington Square, Philadelphia, Pa,
Printed in the United States of America
Foreword
T
his book is one of the first on its subject ever to be prepared specially for younger readers. It is an introduction to magic, but it is also intended to be much more than this, and to give the reader a knowledge of many of the secrets that are used by professional magicians. Some of the tricks described are elementary; but most of them by far are "real magic." They are tricks that, when performed by professional wizards of the stage, have mystified thousands of people all over the world. Magic is a word to conjure with. It is a hobby that will give many hours of absorbing fun and amusement, and it grows more interesting the more you know about it. Magic is an honored art, as well as a hobby, and this is one of the real reasons why so many people have found in it a life-long source of pleasure. As you learn more and more of the secrets of magic, your enjoyment of it will increase. At the same time your performance of magic will become more skillful, and more mysterious and amazing to your friends. There is a fascination about magic that appeals to young and old alike. People love the extraordinary, the baffling, and the mysterious; and strange as it may seem, they love to be fooled. The magician who really bewilders them gives them the greatest pleasure. To be able to mystify your friends, either with one or two good tricks or with a regular magic show is real fun; and it is hard to say who gets the most fun out of it—the magician or the members of the audience. It is my hope that this book will teach many beginners enough about the art and fascination of magic and will tell them enough of what goes on behind the scenes, to make them want to find out more. My aim has been to select a special kind of trick for this book—tricks that can be done by beginners who will give a little time to practice, but which at the same time are not beginner's tricks. This selection, it is my hope, will make a different kind of magic book than any that has previously been available. It is strange but true that some of the best and most deceptive tricks in the whole realm of magic are the simplest to perform. They appear impossible; but when the secret is known, they are seen to be incredibly simple both in principle and execution. Many of the tricks in this book
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FOREWORD
are of that kind. You must always remember, therefore, that despite their apparent simplicity they are time-tested audience-bafflers. Keep their secrets and you will soon gain a reputation as a real master of the magic art. With these tricks, it should not be long before you can give a magic show which, as the great Kellar used to say, will "baffle the senses, astound the mind, and mystify the human brain." JOSEPH L E E M I N G
Contents 1. GETTING READY FOR THE SHOW
The Magician's Table The Servante The Magic Wand Gimmicks The Magician's Costume 2. GIVING THE MAGIC SHOW
1
2 3 4 5 6 7
The Magician's Rule No. 1 Practice Makes Perfect Misdirection Patter Arranging the Program
7 7 8 9 10
3. TRICKS WITH HANDKERCHIEFS
13
Handkerchief from Nowhere Handkerchief from an Empty Pocket The Disappearing Handkerchief The Mystic Dissolving Knot The Magically Released Handkerchief The Demon Handkerchief Boxes The Yogi Handkerchief Tube The Wizard's Dye Tube The Twentieth-century Silks The Ching Chang Handkerchief Basket 4. TRICKS WITH COINS
A Coin Vanishing Pull The Buddha Coin Vanish The Coin Vanishing Handkerchief The Mephisto Coin Box The Flying Penny Handkerchief, Coin and Match Box Invisible Flight of a Coin Finding the Chosen Penny vii
14 15 16 17 17 18 20 21 22 24 25
25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32
viii
CONTENTS
The Mystic Coin Penetration Passe Passe Coin Transference The Surprise Coin Tube The Phantom Money Box Multiplying Money 5. TRICKS WITH CARDS
Making the Pass The False Shuffle The Card at the Chosen Number The Magic Prediction The Tell-tale Voice The Wonder Spelling Trick Miracle Card Location Fun with the Royal Family Magic Subtraction The Incredible Cut Naming a Secretly Chosen Card The Wise Queen You Do as I Do The Phantom Cards The Svengali Seven-card Trick 6. TRICKS WITH RINGS
The Liberated Ring The Dissolving Rings The Ring Magically Knotted on a String From Hand to Hand The Ring on the Wand The Bewitched Slave Bangle The Magic Ring of the Mahatmas 7. MIND READING AND SPIRIT TRICKS
The Odd Number Mental Magic The Spirit Mathematician The Great Book Test Second Sight Book Test The Magician's Bank
33 34 36 37 38 40
40 41 42 43 43 44 45 46 46 47 48 48 50 51 52 53
53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
60 60 62 64 65 65
CONTENTS
ix
Magic Forethought The Dictionary Test Written By the Genii Second Sight Extraordinary
67 67 68 70
8. TRICKS WITH STRING AND ROPE
71
The Arab Slave's Escape Cutting a Person in Two with Tapes The Yogi's Knot The Knot in the Loop The Vanishing Ring of String Self-Tying Knots Grandmother's Necklace 9. MISCELLANEOUS TRICKS
The Afghan Bands Candy from Confetti The Magic Production Tubes The Magic Red, White and Blue Cards The Magically Transferred Colors Paper Ribbons from a Hat Out of the Hat Dealers in Magic and Magic Supplies
71 72 74 75 76 76 77 79
79 80 81 83 84 85 85 86