The Magic Show Book By ALEXANDER, the Magician ILLUSTRATED WITH MANY SKETCHES AND DIAGRAMS
Haven't we all wished at some time to be magicians? Here's your chance, for in this new book you can learn hundreds of ways to mystify your friends and make them think you have that special gift of magic. In
THE
MAGIC SHOW BOOK a
professional magician tells boys and girls briefly something of the interesting history of magic, some of the important underlying principles in this entertaining art and "tricks of the trade." Then he gives instructions on how to perform over a hundred marvelous tricks and also how to make all the necessary equipment. Here you will find all kinds of tricks with strings, straws, paper, coins, handkerchiefs, etc., that will challenge your nimble fingers and will amuse your friends. Some of the tricks are very simple ones, others quite difficult but if you learn them one by one you'll find you'll soon be able to do them all. Perhaps you know some of them already, but there are lots of new ones! A gold mine of suggestions for good times with magic. With this book at hand you'll be able to produce a magic show at home, at school or at your club, like a real professional. Ages 10-14.
THE MACMILLAN COMPANY Publishers
New
THE MAGIC SHOW BOOK
T H E MACMILLAN COMPANY NEW YORK - BOSTON • CHICAGO • DALLAS ATLANTA • SAN FRANCISCO MACMILLAN & CO., LIMITED LONDON • BOMBAY - CALCUTTA MELBOURNE T H E MACMILLAN COMPANY OF CANADA, LIMITED TORONTO
The MAGIC SHOW BOOK By Alexander, the Magician
NEW YORK THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 1937
Copyright, 1937, by THE MACMILLAN COMPANY. All rights reserved窶馬o part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review written for inclusion in magazine or newspaper. Set up and electrotyped. Published April, 1937.
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OP AMERICA BY THE STRATFORD PRESS, INC., NEW YORK
INTRODUCTION the dark corners of a dimly lighted barn, a handful of awed and half-frightened spectators watched the early magician. Pigeons—supposedly conceived out of the nowhere—flew to the rafters, ducks waddled off to piles of hay, rabbits scurried over the broken and dirty floor; and little colored balls were made to appear and disappear in a most surprising manner. These same tricks have been done by Magic Men for thousands of years and are still being done today, in large theaters, beautifully lighted and appointed, private homes and clubs, schools, churches, in fact almost anywhere. But with many changes. Yet magicians still mystify. There is a fascination about magic that is hard to explain. Prominent business and professional men make it their hobby. There are magic societies and clubs throughout the world, with thousands of members. Almost everyone can do some sort of trick. The professional magician of today is, in almost every instance, the amateur of yesterday. There is just as much fun for the person doing tricks as for those watching, and that is, in a large measure, responsible for the popularity of magic. Many books have been written about the art of FROM
INTRODUCTION magic. Some of these are devoted to the history of magic and to the lives of famous magicians. Others deal with card tricks, parlor magic, stage illusions, and professional secrets; many more tell of mind reading, mentalism, and mathematical tricks; while many more have "explained" the secrets of "handcuff kings." All these books tell, in one way or another, how "tricks" are done by magicians; some of them explain how you can duplicate these same tricks. After you have learned the secrets of the effects described, you need the apparatus for their performance. Sometimes this is very expensive and not easily obtained. Every trick in this volume can be performed after a little practice and effort. There is no exceptional skill required, and all the apparatus needed can be built very easily. The materials used are common and inexpensive. By following the instructions to the letter, and with care, you can have all the apparatus necessary. If you were to buy this apparatus, it would cost you several hundred dollars. The tricks in this book are arranged in groups; each group begins with the easiest-to-do trick of its group. The chapters are divided into tricks of a certain kind. One will tell about tricks with handkerchiefs; one will deal with mental tricks or with "mind reading"; and another explains many tricks that can be done by using combinations of effects. There are certain elementary principles of magic which are indispensable and which are explained in a separate chapter. One chapter is devoted to arrangvi
INTRODUCTION ing the tricks you will learn into a routine or program; the last chapter tells you how to give a magic show. Don't be hasty and try to learn a great many tricks at one time. Select the ones you think you would like to do, build the apparatus, and then practice until every detail of the presentation is perfect. When you feel sure that you have mastered every move, try doing them in front of an audience. Then you will be repaid for all your efforts. You'll have a good time and so will they, for it is really "fun to be fooled." I am sure that you will be a successful magician. So welcome, readers, to the secrets of the Magi, and good luck from
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Much of the material in this volume has been revised by the author from his column "The Magic Club" which appears weekly in Young America, the National News Weekly for Youth.
CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTION
I.
V
FIRST INSTRUCTIONS, WARNINGS, AND
Gimmicks
i
Producing the Wand. The Vanishing Wand. Sleight of Hand. The Vanishing Handkerchief. A Routine of Sleights. The Climbing Ring. The Coin or Ring Box. Catch Tricks. Impromptu Tricks. Mind-reading Tricks. II.
EASY-TO-DO TRICKS
18
The Elusive Coin. The Coin and Orange. The Coin Tray. String and Straw. The Joined Silks. The Broken Match. Color Clues. Rings on a String. Pins and Ribbons. Rattle Boxes. The Chinese Ticket. Seeing Through. String and Ring. Another One. III.
POCKET TRICKS
36
Paper Squares. Cubes and Glass. The Paper Bridge. Pencil and Ring. Television. Spectators' Choice. Penetration. Walking Through. Coin and Paper. "Heads." The Stick and Pin. Five Sides Alike. Coin Vanish. The "Spirit" Drinks. The Spirit Glass. The Mystic Cross. IV.
SILKS
52
The Knot. Instant Knot. Another Knot. Silk and String. Dyeing Silks. Handkerchief Ball. The Magic Tubes. Novel Production Tube.
ix
CONTENTS PAGE V.
MAGIC TUBES
65
Passe Tubes. "Drum Head Tubes." The Swift Messenger. VI.
FEATURE TRICKS
78
Nest of Boxes. The Rabbit in a Hat! A Hatful of Handkerchiefs. A Load of Wood. Loads of Other Things. Eggs in the Hat. "Transposition"—a Grand Finale. VII.
REAL MAGIC
97
The Bran Glass. The Magic Vase. The Die Box. Red and Black. VIII.
113
NUMBER TRICKS
All Alike. Thought Number. Another Thought Number. Magic Number. Omitted Number. Number Mystery. Spirit Slate. Clock Numbers. IX.
MISCELLANEOUS MAGIC
124
The Appearing Rose. The Pine Tree. Egg and Confetti. Laundry Ticket and Confetti. Money Divination. Another Code. Magic Disks. Magic Marble. Spirit Answers. X.
T H E MAGIC SHOW
139
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THE MAGIC SHOW BOOK