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Provenance
1st edition, 1926, George Sully and Company.
Later published as 1st volume together with "200 More Tricks You Can Do" as "400 Tricks
You Can Do", 1939, Blue Ribbon Books, New York
 CONTENTS
CONTENTS ................................................................................................................................. 3
PREFACE ..................................................................................................................................... 8
A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF HOWARD THURSTON ................................................................ 9
INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................12
CHAPTER I BALL TRICKS .....................................................................................................14
1. The Appearing Ball .........................................................................................................14
2. The Vanishing Ball.......................................................................................................... 15
3. The Diminishing Ball ...................................................................................................... 15
4. The Self-Rolling Ball....................................................................................................... 15
5. The Aerial Ball .................................................................................................................16
6. Balanced Golf Balls ........................................................................................................16
7. The Mysterious Ball........................................................................................................16
8. The Ball Tube...................................................................................................................16
CHAPTER II CARD TRICKS ..................................................................................................18
1. The "One-Way" Pack .....................................................................................................18
2. The Pencil-Mark Pack ....................................................................................................18
3. Pointed Cards ..................................................................................................................19
4. The Double Card .............................................................................................................19
5. The Short Card................................................................................................................19
6. The Bent Corner ............................................................................................................ 20
7. False Shuffling................................................................................................................ 20
8. Cut to the Card ...............................................................................................................21
9. The Spelling Trick...........................................................................................................21
10. The Wise Queen .......................................................................................................... 22
11. The Four-Ace Trick...................................................................................................... 23
12. The X-Ray Cardcase ................................................................................................... 24
13. The Color-Changing Pack.......................................................................................... 25
14. The Color-Changing Card.......................................................................................... 25
15. The Three Jacks........................................................................................................... 26
16. Card At Any Number .................................................................................................. 26
17. The Card in the Pocket .............................................................................................. 26
18. The Turn-Up Card ........................................................................................................27
19. The Burglars ..................................................................................................................27
20. Kings and Queens ....................................................................................................... 28
21. Mental Telepathy......................................................................................................... 29
22. Long Distance Telepathy........................................................................................... 29
23. Magnetic Cards ............................................................................................................ 30
24. The Vanishing Card .....................................................................................................31
25. The Automatic Rising Card ....................................................................................... 32
26. The Card on the Hand................................................................................................ 32
27. The Spirit Card............................................................................................................. 32
28. The Aces From the Pocket ........................................................................................ 33
29. The Reversing Card .................................................................................................... 33

3
 30. The Traveling Ace ....................................................................................................... 34
CHAPTER III CIGAR AND CIGARETTE TRICKS .............................................................. 35
1. Cigar from Pocketbook................................................................................................. 35
2. Disappearing Cigar Band ............................................................................................. 35
3. Cigar Balanced on Hat.................................................................................................. 35
4. The Revolving Cigar...................................................................................................... 36
5. The Reversing Cigarette .............................................................................................. 36
6. The Magnetic Cigar ....................................................................................................... 36
7. The Invisible Cigarette ................................................................................................. 36
8. The Automatic Cigarette...............................................................................................37
9. Stretching a Cigarette ...................................................................................................37
10. The Tippy Cigarette .................................................................................................... 38
CHAPTER IV COIN TRICKS ................................................................................................. 39
1. Match Box Coin Vanish ................................................................................................ 39
2. Coin in Ball of Wool....................................................................................................... 39
3. Ring and Vanishing Coin.............................................................................................. 39
4. The "Wisenheimer" Coin Trick.................................................................................... 40
5. Three Appearing Coins................................................................................................. 40
6. The Fade-Away Coin..................................................................................................... 40
7. The Whirl-away Coin .....................................................................................................41
8. The Changing Coin .........................................................................................................41
9. The Multiplying Coins ....................................................................................................41
10. Odd and Even............................................................................................................... 42
11. The Coin on the Door ................................................................................................. 42
12. A Coin Box .................................................................................................................... 42
13. Where Is the Coin? ..................................................................................................... 43
14. Catching Three Coins ................................................................................................. 43
15. Coin Vanishes From Hands ....................................................................................... 43
16. Heads and Tails ........................................................................................................... 44
17. The Marked Coin ......................................................................................................... 44
18. Coin, Cards, and Rings .............................................................................................. 44
19. Coin Through the Table ............................................................................................. 45
20. Heads or Tails .............................................................................................................. 45
21. The Coin in the Knot .................................................................................................. 45
22. "Vanishing" Coin from Handkerchiefs .................................................................... 46
23. The Missing Coin ......................................................................................................... 46
24. Coin, Glass, and Plate................................................................................................ 46
25. A Coin Joke ....................................................................................................................47
26. A Quick Coin Vanish ....................................................................................................47
27. The Talking Coin...........................................................................................................47
28. Box and Coin Trick...................................................................................................... 48
29. The Coin Through the Sleeve................................................................................... 48
30. The Coin at the Elbow................................................................................................ 48
CHAPTER V DICE AND DOMINO TRICKS ........................................................................ 49
1. The Magnetic Dice ......................................................................................................... 49
2. Naming the Total ........................................................................................................... 49
4
 3. The End Numbers.......................................................................................................... 49
4. The Incomplete Game.................................................................................................. 50
5. Sixteen Dominoes ......................................................................................................... 50
6. Totalling Three Dice...................................................................................................... 50
CHAPTER VI EGG TRICKS .................................................................................................... 51
1. The Balanced Egg........................................................................................................... 51
2. Spinning an Egg.............................................................................................................. 51
3. The Floating Egg ............................................................................................................. 51
4. Eggs, Spools, and Glasses .......................................................................................... 52
5. Egg to Confetti ............................................................................................................... 52
CHAPTER VII HANDKERCHIEF TRICKS............................................................................ 53
1. The Balanced Handkerchief ........................................................................................ 53
2. The Doubling Knot......................................................................................................... 53
3. The Appearing Knot ...................................................................................................... 54
4. Non-Burning Handkerchief.......................................................................................... 54
5. The Flyaway Knot ...........................................................................................................55
6. The Draw-Away Knot.....................................................................................................55
7. United and Untied ......................................................................................................... 56
8. Match in Handkerchief.................................................................................................. 56
9. The Disappearing Handkerchief................................................................................. 56
10. The Fadeaway Knot Trick...........................................................................................57
CHAPTER VIII LIQUID TRICKS .......................................................................................... 59
1. Ink to Water ................................................................................................................... 59
2. Water to Ink ................................................................................................................... 59
3. Water to Wine ................................................................................................................ 59
4. Wine to Water ................................................................................................................ 60
5. Two Goblets .................................................................................................................... 60
6. Wine and Water (Without Chemicals)...................................................................... 60
7. The Balanced Tumbler ..................................................................................................61
8. Gravity Defied .................................................................................................................61
9. The Dry Hand ................................................................................................................. 62
10. Disappearing Water .................................................................................................... 62
11. Glass of Water from Pocket...................................................................................... 62
12. The Fountain Pencil .................................................................................................... 62
13. The Traveling Glass .................................................................................................... 63
14. The Glass and the Hat ............................................................................................... 63
15. The Whirling Glass ...................................................................................................... 64
CHAPTER IX MATCH TRICKS.............................................................................................. 66
1. Four Triangles................................................................................................................. 66
2. The Vanishing Matches ................................................................................................ 66
3. Monte With Matches ..................................................................................................... 66
4. Cutting Through a Match-Box .....................................................................................67
5. Appearing Matches.........................................................................................................67
6. Penetrating Matches ..................................................................................................... 68
7. The Missing Light........................................................................................................... 68
8. Mystic Safety Matches.................................................................................................. 68
5
 9. One at a Time................................................................................................................. 68
10. Balancing a Match....................................................................................................... 69
11. Burn-out Matches........................................................................................................ 69
12. Ribbon From the Match ............................................................................................. 69
13. Matches Through the Table ...................................................................................... 69
14. The Adhesive Match Box ........................................................................................... 70
15. The Match Square ....................................................................................................... 70
16. Lighted Match From Pocket ....................................................................................... 71
17. Self-lighting Match....................................................................................................... 71
18. The Multiplying Match ................................................................................................. 71
19. The Standing Match.....................................................................................................72
20. The Diminishing Match-Box.......................................................................................72
CHAPTER X MISCELLANEOUS TRICKS..............................................................................74
1. Glass Balanced on Plate................................................................................................74
2. Blowing Through a Bottle .............................................................................................74
3. The Mystic Cross.............................................................................................................74
4. The Jumping Ruler .........................................................................................................74
5. The Dry Bowl ...................................................................................................................75
6. The Removable String...................................................................................................75
7. The Improved Multiplying Corks.................................................................................75
8. Changing Spools .............................................................................................................76
9. The Ribbon from the Orange.......................................................................................76
10. The Flower in the Buttonhole....................................................................................77
CHAPTER XI PAPER TRICKS ............................................................................................... 78
1. The Torn and Restored Cigarette Paper .................................................................. 78
2. The Restored Paper Napkin ........................................................................................ 78
3. The Celebrity Trick .........................................................................................................79
4. The Three Paper Balls .................................................................................................. 80
5. The Balls and the Hats ................................................................................................. 80
6. Breaking the Pencil ....................................................................................................... 82
7. The Tough Napkin ......................................................................................................... 82
8. The Paper Bridge ........................................................................................................... 82
9. The Magic Number ........................................................................................................ 82
10. The Marked. Paper...................................................................................................... 83
11. Three Paper Slips ........................................................................................................ 83
12. Traveling Tissue Paper............................................................................................... 84
13. The Shower of Paper.................................................................................................. 84
14. Production of Paper Money....................................................................................... 85
15. The Favorite Number ................................................................................................. 85
CHAPTER XII PENCIL TRICKS ............................................................................................ 86
1. The Magnetic Pencil ...................................................................................................... 86
2. The "Vanishing" Pencil ................................................................................................. 86
3. Turnabout Pencil............................................................................................................ 86
4. Naming the Suit............................................................................................................. 87
5. Pencil From Pocketbook............................................................................................... 87
CHAPTER XIII RING TRICKS .............................................................................................. 88
6
 1. The Phantom Ring......................................................................................................... 88
2. The Improved Phantom Ring...................................................................................... 88
3. Ring Tied on String ....................................................................................................... 88
4. The Ring on the Finger................................................................................................. 89
5. The Ring and String ...................................................................................................... 89
6. The Released Rings....................................................................................................... 89
7. The "Vanishing" Ring .................................................................................................... 90
8. The Ring in the Egg ...................................................................................................... 90
9. The Ring From the String ............................................................................................ 90
10. The Cardboard Ring Trick ..........................................................................................91
11. Instantaneous Appearance of Six Rings.................................................................91
12. The Dropping Ring ...................................................................................................... 92
CHAPTER XIV SPIRIT TRICKS............................................................................................ 93
1. The Taped Slates ........................................................................................................... 93
2. The Three Spirit Slates ................................................................................................ 94
3. The Spirit Name............................................................................................................. 94
4. The Spirit Hand .............................................................................................................. 95
5. Contact Telepathy ......................................................................................................... 95
6. Reading Sealed Message ............................................................................................. 96
7. Improved Envelope Test.............................................................................................. 96
8. The Great Rope Tie ........................................................................................................97
CHAPTER XV SUGAR TRICKS............................................................................................. 98
1. Floating Sugar ................................................................................................................ 98
2. Burning Sugar ................................................................................................................ 98
3. The Cloud of Sugar ....................................................................................................... 98
4. The Mystic Letter ........................................................................................................... 98
CHAPTER XVI THIMBLE TRICKS...................................................................................... 100
1. A "Vanishing" Thimble................................................................................................ 100
2. Color-changing Thimble............................................................................................. 100
3. The Jumping Thimble ................................................................................................. 100
4. Thimble From Paper..................................................................................................... 101
5. Thimble Through Handkerchief................................................................................. 101
6. Complete Penetration..................................................................................................102
CHAPTER XVII WATCH TRICKS ........................................................................................103
1. The Stop Watch ............................................................................................................103
2. Number Six ....................................................................................................................103
3. Telling the Time ............................................................................................................103
4. The Mystic Alarm Clock...............................................................................................104
5. The Watch from the Handkerchief ...........................................................................104
6. Down the Sleeve...........................................................................................................104

7
 PREFACE
In the compilation of this book, selection has been made from nearly two
thousand available tricks in order to obtain the most workable and most up-to-
date material.

They are intended not only for the beginner in magic, but also for the advanced
amateur magician, who will find many new and interesting items in the following
pages.

In order that this compendium of magic may be used to best advantage, the
contents has been divided into chapters, each section dealing with tricks with one
particular type of article.

As there are certain tricks which are difficult to classify, they have been placed in
the chapters where they seem properly to belong; but if they hold any claims to
belonging to another division of the book, they are mentioned and indexed under
the other heading as well.

The various chapters have been arranged in alphabetical order, according to their
headings.

8
 A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF HOWARD THURSTON
Howard Thurston, the World's Master Magician, was born in Columbus, Ohio,
July 20, 1869.

When he was a small boy, Alexander Herrmann, the great magician of that day,
came to Thurston's home city, and young Howard attended the performance.
That experience awoke in him a love and enthusiasm for the art of magic that
never left him. From that time on, his greatest ambition was to become a
magician, and to follow in the footsteps of the Great Herrmann.

After a varied and adventurous boyhood, he decided to enter the ministry, and to
become a missionary. He had maintained his interest in magic, and had become
an expert amateur conjurer; but had not decided to take up magic as his life work.
He attended the Dwight L. Moody School at Mt. Hermon. He took the regular
Bible course, applied himself to his studies and was greatly interested in athletics,
setting the record at Mt. Hermon for the hundred yard dash.

After graduation, he set out for Philadelphia, intending to enter the University of
Pennsylvania, to study medicine, as he had decided to become a medical
missionary. The fifth of January, 1893, found him in Albany, New York, waiting
for a train to New York City. That day was to be the turning point in his career.

Walking up town, in Albany, Thurston discovered that Herrmann the Great was
billed for a performance that evening. He decided to delay his journey, and once
more witness the fantastic entertainment which had so greatly impressed him
more than ten years before. He did so, and found that the charm and mystery of
magic intrigued him more than ever.

The next morning, Thurston went to the station, and to his surprise and delight
saw Herrmann in the waiting room. He heard the magician say the words:
"Syracuse, 8.20." When Thurston went to the window, and asked for a ticket to
New York, he received one of the greatest surprises of his life. Instead of a ticket
to New York, he received one to Syracuse! Acting on the impulse of the moment,
he abandoned all his plans; kept the ticket that was given him, and followed
Herrmann to Syracuse, where he again witnessed the magician's performance.

Those two nights of enchanting mystery were deciding factors in the life of
Howard Thurston. Instead of continuing his journey to Philadelphia, he returned
to Detroit, where his family was living, with the determination to set out upon a
career as a magician.

For several years, he sought in vain for the fame which he felt would some day be
his. He traveled through many states, giving magical performances under
difficult circumstances and conditions. Finally, after inventing his remarkable

9
version of the famous "Rising Card Trick," he obtained vaudeville engagements,
and arrived in Denver, Colorado.

As chance would have it, Leon Herrmann, nephew and successor of Alexander
(who had died in 1896), was playing at the Tabor Grand Theatre, in Denver. He
heard of Thurston's unusual performance, and agreed to have the young magician
appear before him as the stage of the Tabor Grand. The special performance was
an immense success. Herrmann was enchanted with the mystery of the new
"Rising Cards," and Thurston was heralded far and wide as "The Man Who
Mystified Herrmann."

Sensing that the time for action had arrived, Thurston traveled to New York, and
endeavored to convince theatrical agents that an act of card tricks was suitable
for the stage. He finally managed to obtain a try-out at Tony Pastor's Theatre. His
single-handed card manipulation, and his "Rising Card Trick" won him instant
popularity and recognition. He became a star attraction in vaudeville, and made a
successful tour of Europe, where he appeared before King Edward VII of
England, the President of France, the Emperor of Austria, and other rulers and
men of high importance.

Thurston happened to be at Copenhagen, when King Edward VII, the Czar of

Russia, and the King of Greece were visiting the King of Denmark. As there was
no opportunity for him to obtain a command performance, he posted himself in a
conspicuous place, and as the four monarchs approached in their carriage, he
stood up, and produced the four kings from a pack of cards, apparently
materializing them from the air. King Edward immediately recognized him as the
man who had entertained him some time before. He smiled and spoke to his
companions. Thurston bowed, and the four kings smiled and bowed in
acknowledgment.

Returning to America, Howard Thurston decided to embark upon a newer and

greater field, with a full evening show. He learned that conditions were favorable
in Australia, and he went there in 1905. By the time he arrived there, he had
exhausted all his money in transportation; but his fame had preceded him, and
he obtained engagements immediately, under arrangements that enabled him to
build up his show to a greater size. His Australian tour was wonderfully
successful, and he continued on through China, Java, and other Oriental
countries, where he appeared before native potentates.

Then he visited India, the home-land of mystery, and astounded the natives with
the wonders of Occidental magic. His adventures in that country were varied and
numerous. In traveling through the north of India, Thurston was obliged to carry
a huge tent, with interior arrangements of a stage and seats, as there were no
theatres in the northern provinces that could accommodate his large show.

In the meantime, Harry Kellar had become the leading magician of the American
stage. Thurston's success had made its impression upon him, and he cabled to his

10
fellow-magician, asking him to join his show. Thurston returned to the United
States, and he and Kellar toured together during the season of 1907-08.

In May, 1908, on the stage of Ford's Opera House, in Baltimore, Kellar

announced his retirement, and introduced Thurston as his successor, the future
leader of magic in America.

Since then, Howard Thurston has toured the country every season, presenting
new mysteries and novel creations of magic for the entertainment of the
American public. His success has been constant and well-deserved. He has won
the hearts of his audiences, and they have responded by demonstrating their
unfailing interest in the wonder show of the world.

The Thurston show has more than doubled in size since 1908, until now it
requires more than thirty people and two carloads of paraphernalia. It is by far
the largest and most spectacular entertainment of its kind that has ever been
presented on the stage. Its phenomenal success may be attributed to one primary
cause—the tireless efforts and the congenial personality of Howard Thurston—a
great magician, and a great man.

WALTER B. GIBSON,

President, Philadelphia Assembly, Society of American Magicians.

11
 INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this book is to explain clearly, concisely, and conveniently, two
hundred mystifying tricks that can be performed by the average person.

Magic is not difficult to perform, and digital dexterity is not essential to the
impromptu magician. The object in performing tricks is not to display skill, but to
mystify. Many of the best tricks and illusions are performed by comparatively
simple means.

None of the tricks in this book requires elaborate apparatus; nor are any of them
beyond the skill of an average person. Therefore, the reader can concentrate his
efforts upon the actual presentation of the various mysteries, without having to
spend time or money in the technical details.

Presentation is the important part of every trick. The best tricks can be spoiled by
poor presentation; on the other hand, very simple tricks can be turned into
excellent mysteries by good presentation.

In presenting tricks, try to build a little mystery around them. Do not attempt any
trick until you have practised it, and feel sure you can do it. Your talk, or patter, is
an important item. Fit it to the trick, and have something to say at the crucial
moments.

In performing a trick, do not state what you are going to do. By keeping your
audience in doubt as to what is to occur, you will often prevent them from
obtaining a clue to the trick.

When you have finished a trick, never explain how it is done. A trick always loses
its charm and its interest when its secret has been explained. Of course it is quite
all right to explain a trick to a person who really wants to learn it; but you should
be sure that such a person is not just a curiosity seeker. There are many persons
who always try to find out how they have been mystified, and who will promise
faithfully to keep secrets to themselves; and yet they will immediately turn
around and expose the trick some time while you are performing it. Such persons
have no interest in magic; they will never take the trouble to read explanations of
tricks in books. Only the real student does this. So it is advisable never to tell
them the secret of any trick at all.

It is very easy merely to smile when someone asks, "How did you do it?" That is
your own secret, and you can say so. But when some person sees a trick and then
says, "Do it again!" you will be confronted by a more difficult problem. A trick
should never be done twice, although there are a few exceptional tricks that
prosper by repetition. The best way out of the "do it again" dilemma is to go on
with another trick—particularly a trick similar to the one you have just shown,
but one that involves a different working method.

12
Even if you are sure you will not be caught, repeating a trick is bad policy, for the
element of surprise will be lacking.

The best way to learn magic is to do magic. Pick out a few tricks and learn them;
then do them often, and you will find that they improve with age.

The foregoing remarks should be carefully remembered, for they apply to all
tricks, and they are not repeated during the book. Some authors go to the
extreme of giving patter with every trick; but outside of a few suggestions, patter
has been eliminated from this volume, for two important reasons:

First, because very few persons ever follow the patter that they read in books. The
working method of a trick may be adhered to, but presentation—and patter is
part of presentation—is a matter of individuality.

Second, because this book is designed to explain a great number of tricks, and the
available space can be put to no better use than the description of workable
mysteries.

Study the effect of your tricks upon your audiences, and you will soon learn why
you are successful with some tricks, and why you fail with others. You must use
your wits when you perform magic. Some beginners in the art feel disappointed
because no trick is perfect. If there were such a thing as a perfect trick, there
would be no satisfaction in performing it. The fascination of magic lies in the art
of concealing the imperfections in tricks, and thereby producing perfect effects
that seem unexplainable to the onlooker.

13
 CHAPTER I
BALL TRICKS
In most ball tricks performed by magicians, small wooden balls are used, and
they are generally referred to as miniature billiard balls. In some tricks, golf balls
may be used; in others, small solid rubber balls will answer the purpose. Wooden
balls are the best for most tricks, and they are not difficult to obtain. They are
sold separately in many stores, and they may also be purchased with ten-cent
miniature bowling outfits. Ping-pong balls may also be used, but they are
somewhat light for certain purposes.

1. The Appearing Ball

The magician shows the palm of his hand, absolutely empty. He reaches in the
air, and catches a wooden ball at his finger tips.

A ring must be worn on the second finger of the right hand. A thread about an
inch long is attached to the ring, and the other end is wound around a small tack
which is imbedded in the ball. When the hand is held with the fingers pointing
upwards, the ball hangs out of sight behind the hand. When the hand is swung
upwards and turned slightly forward, the ball will appear instantly at the finger
tips.

14
2. The Vanishing Ball

The magician takes a small ball from his vest pocket. He squeezes it between his
hands and the ball immediately disappears.

The ball has a tack in it, and to the tack is attached a foot or more of black cord
elastic, which runs through the loops of the trousers, and is tied at the further
end. The ball is put in the vest pocket. When the ball is exhibited, the magician
stands with his left side towards the audience, as the elastic runs under the coat
from the left vest pocket. The elastic is stretched when the ball is shown, and as
the hands close over the ball, it is released. Hidden by the left arm, the ball flies
under the coat, and the hands are shown empty.

3. The Diminishing Ball

This is a very new trick which requires a nickeled metal ball about an inch (or a
little more) in diameter. The magician shows a three-inch cardboard tube, just
large enough to receive the ball. The tube is painted black on the inside.

The ball is set in the tube, which is tilted slightly, and the ball slides through
slowly. As people watch the ball they see it gradually diminish in size until it is
about the size of a pea. Then the ball is allowed to slide back, and it emerges, its
original size.

The trick is an optical illusion. The black lining of the tube throws a shadow, and
makes the ball seem to diminish in size. If he wishes, the magician may have a
tiny metal ball, which he holds between the fingers of his left hand at the bottom
of the tube. As soon as the large ball reaches the bottom of the tube, it is caught in
the bent fingers of the left hand, which carry it away, and drop the tiny ball on the
table, while the right hand gives the tube for inspection.

4. The Self-Rolling Ball

This is an exceptionally interesting dinner-table trick. A golf ball (or wooden ball)
is laid on the table, and it mysteriously rolls across the table. While it is in motion
any person may pick it up and examine it.

Method: Under the tablecloth, have a small ring, with a thread attached. The
thread runs to a confederate on the other side of the table. When the ball is set on
the hidden ring, and the confederate pulls the string, the ball will roll across the
table. As soon as the ball is lifted, the confederate pulls the ring away from under
the cloth.

The thread may be operated by the performer himself if he wishes. In this case it
is advisable to run the thread across the table, through a screw-eye under the
table and back to the magician. Thus when he pulls the thread the ball will go

15
away from him, and not toward him, which is more effective than the simple plan
of having the thread run direct to the performer.

5. The Aerial Ball

A ping-pong ball is best for this trick. The ball is held in one hand, and it
suddenly glides through the air to the other hand.

A lop of black thread does the trick. The forefingers of both hands hold the loop
taut, forming a sort of track along which the ball slides. The lightness of the ping-
pong ball is an asset in this trick, although a light wooden ball will work.

6. Balanced Golf Balls

Balancing one golf ball upon another sounds like an impossibility; and it would
be, if there were not a trick to it!

A little dab of lead plaster, secretly attached to the upper ball, is all that is
necessary. The upper ball is pressed upon the lower so that the wax comes at the
contact point, and the upper ball will remain, apparently balanced.

7. The Mysterious Ball

The magician holds a small ball in his right hand. He covers the hand with a
handkerchief and turns the hand back up. He then invites several persons to
reach in under the handkerchief and satisfy themselves that the ball is still in the
hand. This is done, but as soon as the last person has felt the ball, the magician
snatches away the cloth and the ball has disappeared!

The handkerchief is draped over the hand again and people reach under to make
sure the ball has not returned. After everyone agrees that the hand is empty, the
handkerchief is removed and there is the ball, back again!

This trick seems impossible, and it might be, if the magician attempted it alone.
But the last person who reaches under to feel the ball is a confederate, and he
calmly takes the ball away when he removes his hand! Hence the remarkable
disappearance. When the empty hand is held beneath the handkerchief, the
confederate reaches under—last again— and puts the ball back in the magician's
hand. It is a bold trick that works.

8. The Ball Tube

The "Ball Tube" is an appliance that can be constructed from a cardboard mailing
tube. A ball is dropped through the tube from the top, and of course it comes out
at the bottom. But when the ball is dropped in again, it stops half way, and then
falls through at the magician's command. The tube is too thick to be pressed, and

16
as the ball slides freely through, its sudden stopping and starting again is very
mysterious, especially as the ball may be seen while suspended in the tube, and
the tube may be so held that people can see through it.

Various means have been devised for halting the ball in its progress through the
tube.

The simplest device is a length of black thread stretching across the tube. One
end is knotted. The other end, which is twice as long as the diameter of the tube,
has a small bead tied on the end. A strip of colored paper should be pasted
around the tube to hide the knotted end of the thread. The bead is covered by the
thumb.

When the ball is dropped through the tube, it falls freely until the thumb draws
down the bead, tightening the thread, which stops the ball. As soon as the thumb
releases pressure, the ball falls again. The interior of the tube may be shown
provided it is not held directly in front of the light. It is advisable to have a
duplicate tube (unprepared) which may be left where some one will examine it. A
light ball should be used.

17
 CHAPTER II
CARD TRICKS
Card tricks constitute the broadest field of impromptu magic. There are many
magicians who specialize in card tricks only, and the skillful sleights and passes
that are possible with cards are exceedingly numerous. On the other hand, there
are many perplexing tricks with cards that require very little skill, and some of
the best of these form the present chapter.

Before attempting to perform card tricks, the amateur magician should first learn
to shuffle and deal cards with ease and precision. If he handles the pack clumsily,
the people watching him will quickly realize that he is not performing feats of
skill; but if he proceeds with smoothness, they will attribute his tricks to skill in
sleight-of-hand, and will take an interest in his performing.

A great many card tricks consist of the surprising discovery or revelation of a

certain card which has apparently been chosen at random by a spectator.
Therefore, the magician must find ways of learning, or of controlling a selected
card, either before or after it is taken from the pack. We will first consider a
number of simple but effective methods by which this end may be accomplished.
There are other methods which form intrinsic parts of certain tricks, and they will
be explained later in the chapter.

1. The "One-Way" Pack

Certain packs of cards have what is known as "one-way" backs. This is
particularly true of high-grade cards. Instead of a symmetrical design on the
backs of the cards, these packs have pictures or initials. Suck a pack is especially
suited to the needs of the magician. He first arranges the cards so that the
pictures are all pointed in the same direction. Then he fans the cards and allows a
person to select one. As soon as the card has been drawn, the magician quietly
turns the pack around. Thus when the chosen card is returned, its design will be
reversed. The pack may be shuffled, but as soon as the magician runs through the
cards, he will discover the one that is reversed, and will know that it is the chosen
card.

"Bicycle" cards do not, as a rule, have "oneway" backs. There is one exception,
however, in the pattern known as the "Emblem Back." This design is reversible,
although it does not appear so at first glance. Such a pack is the best available for
this trick.

2. The Pencil-Mark Pack

Any pack of cards may be made "one-way" by a very simple process. Square up
the pack and make two or three straight pencil lines at one end of the pack, the

18
lines crossing every card. When a card is selected, the pack is turned around, and
the chosen card is returned. A glance at the marked end of the pack will reveal a
break in the pencil lines; at the other end of the pack, tiny pencil dots will appear.
The breaks at one end and the dots at the other indicate the chosen card, and the
pack should be cut at that point.

3. Pointed Cards
A glance through a pack of cards will reveal the fact that certain cards are
"pointers."

Take for example, the seven of spades. It has seven spots and five of them point in
one direction. The nine of hearts has five points in one direction. The aces of
spades, hearts, and clubs are "pointers." The seven of diamonds is a "pointer,"
because it has one odd point above the center.

To make use of this interesting principle, take all the "pointers" from a pack, and
arrange them with their principal points in one direction. Group these cards at
the center of the pack, and fan the cards so that one of the "pointers" will be
selected. Turn the pack around, and let the chosen card be returned. After the
pack has been shuffled, a glance at the faces of the cards will reveal the chosen
card, for it will be pointing the opposite way from the others.

4. The Double Card

This is an ideal form of "card locator" for the magician who performs with his
own pack. A pack of cards with white margins should be used. Take the odd card
which generally comes with such packs and trim off the white margin. Then paste
the trimmed card on the back of one of the cards in the pack. At a very close
distance, the double thickness cannot be detected.

As soon as a card has been taken from the pack, square up the cards and riffle one
end of the pack. Your finger will encounter a sudden stop as soon as the double
card falls. Let the chosen card be replaced at that point, and it will be directly
above the double card. Then the pack may be squared up and cut. Your fingers
will naturally lift off the cards above the double card, and thus the chosen card
will be brought to the bottom of the pack.

5. The Short Card

The short card serves the same purpose as the double card. It is simply a card
which has about a sixteenth of an inch trimmed from one end. It is handled just
the same as the double card and serves as a locator when the chosen card is
replaced just above it.

19
The short card, however, may be adapted to any pack of cards, if the magician
takes the precaution to carry a pair of small scissors (preferably folding ones) in
his pocket. By pocketing a card from the pack, and finding an opportunity to
leave the room, he may trim the end of the card and return it to the borrowed
pack.

6. The Bent Corner

In this trick, the magician fans the pack and holds the cards with the faces toward
a spectator, inviting him to touch one of the cards. As soon as the spectator does
so, the magician's left thumb, which is hidden behind the pack, bends up the
corner of the selected card. After the pack has been shuffled, a glance at the
corner of the pack reveals the position of the chosen card, and the pack can be cut
at that point.

7. False Shuffling
False shuffling is the means whereby a card may be kept at the top or the bottom
of the pack while the magician is shuffling the cards. A false shuffle should not be
shown as a trick in itself. No especial skill is required in false shuffles; anyone
who can shuffle a pack of cards in the ordinary manner can execute the false
shuffle just as easily.

First, suppose that the pack is to be shuffled in the dovetail fashion, by cutting it
into two heaps and riffling the ends together. The magician has located the
chosen card and has cut the cards to bring it to the top of the pack. In riffling the
ends of the pack, he merely retains the top card with his thumb, so that it is the
last card to fall and its position is undisturbed.

Second, for an ordinary shuffle, to keep the chosen card on top of the pack, grip
the pack between the thumb and fingers of the right hand, the thumb at one end
and the fingers at the other. Hold the pack with the bottom card facing the
audience. Now the left thumb comes up, and pulls away some of the cards from
the bottom of the pack. As it does so, the left fingers bring along the top card also.
Then the right hand, aided by the left thumb, shuffles the remaining cards in
front of the first group. The chosen card still remains on top. If the chosen card is
originally on the bottom, the right hand holds the pack with the back of the top
card toward the audience. Otherwise the shuffle is the same. 1

Third, there is a very simple shuffle in which the chosen card is undetectably
transferred from the top of the pack to the bottom, or vice versa. Hold the pack as
previously described, with the top card toward the audience. The left thumb pulls

1 In order to avoid confusion, the reader should study all card tricks with the pack in his hands.
He should begin by laying the cards on the table as though ready to be dealt. The uppermost card
is then known as the TOP card; the lowermost is the BOTTOM card. These conditions are always
considered the same, no matter in what position the pack may be held.

20
away the top card alone and the remaining cards are then shuffled on top of it, so
that the chosen card becomes the bottom card. To bring the bottom card to the
top, the magician should first take the precaution of turning his right side toward
the audience; then he takes the pack between the fingers and thumb of his right
hand, with the top card toward the palm. The left thumb pulls down the bottom
card alone, letting it fall into the bend of the left fingers; then the remaining cards
are shuffled from the right hand into the left, the desired card then being on top
of the pack.

8. Cut to the Card

The items previously described in this chapter are not complete card tricks in
themselves. They are methods that lead up to clever conclusions which would be
impossible without their aid. The following trick, which is a great mystery, is
dependent upon a method given before.

Effect: A card is chosen and returned to the pack, which is thoroughly shuffled.
The magician takes a card from the pack, and exhibits it. It is not the chosen card.
With a sudden movement, he thrusts the card face up into the center of the pack,
and using it as a lever, lifts off the upper portion of the pack. When he turns the
upper portion face up, behold! the chosen card is on the bottom of the upper
portion! The quick thrust into the pack has discovered the chosen card.

Method: Refer to trick six of the present chapter. The trick is performed by the
aid of the bent corner. When the magician holds the pack, he turns the edge
toward himself and looks for the bent corner, which stands out quite plainly. It is
a simple matter to thrust the odd card, face up, just below the card with the bent
corner.

9. The Spelling Trick

A card is selected from the pack and is reinserted. The magician cuts the pack
several times. Then he asks the name of the chosen card. Suppose it is the queen
of clubs. He deals off the cards one by one, spelling a letter as he deals each card,
thus: "Q-U-E-E-N O-F C-L-U-B-S." He turns up the last card. It is the queen of
clubs!

Method: After a card has been taken from the pack, square up the cards in the left
hand and then start to push the top cards to the side so that the chosen card may
be inserted. In so doing, count the cards as your left thumb pushes them to the
right, and as soon as you have reached eleven, calmly lift that group of cards, and
let the chosen card be placed under them. This must be done nonchalantly. After
your right hand has lifted the eleven cards, the left thumb should still push along
a few more cards in a careless manner, but the break should be made just below
the eleventh card.

21
The selected card is then the twelfth from the top of the pack. Cut the pack into
four heaps, and lay them thus:

1234

Heap 4 is the top heap, and it should contain at least fifteen cards. Throw heap 4
on heap 2. Then drop heap 3 on heap 1, and place heaps 2 and 4 on 1 and 3. This
apparently mixes the cards, but it does not change the position of the top twelve. 2

Then ask the name of the chosen card. No matter what that card may be, you
can spell its name in such a way that your count will end on the twelfth card.

For example, ace of spades; spell A-C-E O-F S-P-A-D-E-S, and turn up the next
card.

Ace of clubs; Turn the top card of the pack face up and appear surprised to find
that it is not the ace of clubs. Toss it aside, and start spelling with the second
card: A-C-E O-F C-L-U-B-S, and turn up the next card.

Ace of diamonds: Spell A-C-E O-F D-I-A-M-O-N-D. Turn up the last card on the
letter D. It will be the ace of diamonds.

Queen of diamonds: Spell Q-U-E-E-N D-I-A-M-O-N-D and turn up the card on

letter D.

King of diamonds: Spell K-I-N-G D-I-A-M-O-N-D-S and turn up the card on the
letter S.

By employing one of these various methods to suit the chosen card you can
always end your spelling on the twelfth card. The joker should not be used in the
pack. As soon as the chosen card is named, you can do the spelling mentally, or
with your finger tips. With a little practise the trick presents no difficulties.

10. The Wise Queen

This is a very effective mystery. A spectator is invited to shuffle the pack. The
magician takes the cards and asks, "Which is your favorite queen?" Suppose the
queen of diamonds is named. The magician runs through the pack and removes
the queen of diamonds. Then he lays the pack face down on the table and divides
it into three piles. The spectator selects one of the piles and removes the top card;
he lays it face down on the table without looking at it.

2 This procedure is known as a "False Cut." It may be employed in other tricks instead of using a
"false shuffle."

22
The magician remarks that the queen of diamonds is very wise. He holds the
queen to his ear, and pretends to converse with it. Then he touches the queen to
the card that is on the table, and again holds the queen to his ear.

"Ah!" he says, "The queen tells me that that card is the nine of spades." The card
is turned up, and it is the nine of spades!

Method: In looking through the pack to find the queen of diamonds, the magician
calmly glimpses the top card and remembers it. When he cuts the pack, he lifts
off about two-thirds, leaving a small heap; then he moves to the right and drops
another third; and he drops the top group in the center. He therefore knows the
top card of the center heap, which we are assuming to be the nine of spades.
When the magician asks a spectator directly in front of him to choose a heap, that
person will almost invariably take the center heap, which fits right in with the
magician's plans. The top card of the heap is chosen, and the rest of the trick is
merely by-play.

Should the spectator choose another heap, the magician need not worry, for he
has not yet stated what he intends to do. He turns to another person and says,
"You take one also," at the same time indicating the other end heap with a wave
of his hand. If the spectator takes that heap, the magician says, "Now we have one
heap left. We will use it."

If the second spectator takes the center heap, the magician immediately forgets
the first person, and centering his attention on the second person, tells him to lay
aside the top. card of his heap.

11. The Four-Ace Trick

There are many variations of the famous Four-Ace Trick, some of which require
exceptional skill. The following version is quite easy of execution, yet it is
thoroughly mystifying.

The magician lays four aces face down on the table so that they form the corners
of a square. Then he deals three cards on each ace. He asks that one heap be
chosen. That heap is placed to one side and the others are picked up and are
pushed into the pack.

There are now three aces in the pack; and a fourth ace, with three indifferent
cards, is on the table. The magician snaps the pack, and says: "Go!"

Then he deliberately riffles the end of the pack, very slowly, before the eyes of the
audience, so that they may see every card. But as he runs through the pack in this
manner, not an ace appears. The three aces have disappeared! Some one is
invited to turn up the cards on the table, and there are all four aces!

23
Method: Three duplicate aces, spades, clubs, and diamonds, are required. The
ends of these aces are previously trimmed about a sixteenth of an inch. This
should be carefully done with a large pair of scissors.

The three short aces, and the genuine ace of hearts, are the ones that are laid on
the table, thus:

Ace of Diamonds Ace of Hearts

Ace of Clubs Ace of Spades

The three remaining aces, which are genuine, are the seventh, eighth, and ninth
cards down from the top of the pack.

The magician carefully shows the aces on the table, and puts them faces down. He
deals three cards on the ace of clubs, three on the ace of diamonds, three (aces)
on the ace of hearts, and three on the ace of spades. Then he asks a person to call
one, two, three, or four. As soon as the number is named, the magician counts
around the square of piles, in such a manner that his count ends on the ace of
hearts, thus:

He picks up the remaining heaps and inserts them in the pack, which may be
shuffled. When he riffles the end of the pack, the aces will not appear, for, being
short, they will fall in back of other cards, and will be passed unseen. When the
heap on the table is turned over, it will be seen to contain all four aces.

12. The X-Ray Cardcase

The magician takes a pack of cards from the case. He holds the case behind his
back and invites anyone to insert a card, face down, in the case, closing the flap of
the case so that the card will be entirely concealed.

The magician then holds the cardcase to his forehead and instantly names the
card that is in the case, although no one has seen it!

Method: A small hole is cut in the lower right corner of the back of the card case.
The case is held back downwards, behind the back. with the thumb always
covering the tiny opening.

In raising the case to his forehead, the magician moves his thumb aside and thus
catches a glimpse of the index corner of the card inside the case.

24
13. The Color-Changing Pack

Effect: The magician exhibits a pack of cards with the joker on the face (the
bottom). He riffles the end of the pack, and shows that it contains red cards only.
He blows on the pack, and riffles it again. This time the cards are all black! He
blows on the pack once more, and this time the cards become both red and black.
The pack may be thoroughly examined.

Method: Separate the reds from the black, and dovetail the two portions very
carefully, so that every odd card is red, and every even card black. Push the two
sections together, but stop before the ends are quite flush. Then put the joker on
the bottom of the pack. The result is this: When one end of the pack is riffled,
only red cards will be seen. In blowing on the cards, and transferring them from
one hand to the other, they are turned around, and when the other end is riffled,
only blacks will appear. In blowing on the cards again, the fingers push the two
sections flush together; so when the cards are riffled the third time, both colors
will be in evidence.

The pack must be held quite firmly during the trick.

14. The Color-Changing Card

This is a very smart and surprising trick. The magician turns the top card of the
pack face up and shows that it is the six of diamonds. He throws the pack upon
the floor, and the card instantly changes into the six of spades.

Method: The second card of the pack is the six of spades. Just before dropping
the pack, push the two top cards, as though they were one, about three-quarters
of an inch over the side of the pack. The pack must be thrown squarely upon the
floor, and not too violently, or the cards will scatter. The pressure of the air

25
causes the two top cards to turn over, so that the six of diamonds falls face down,
while the six of spades comes face up. To the observer, it appears as though the
six of diamonds has magically been transformed into the six of spades in the
twinkling of an eye.

15. The Three Jacks

The majority of tricks do not bear repetition, but here is one that becomes more
and more perplexing as it is repeated. It should not be overdone, however.

The magician takes the pack and deals two heaps of three cards each, dealing the
cards one at a time. He turns up the first hand dealt and shows that it contains
three jacks. He gathers up the cards and repeats the deal; again the first hand
receives the three jacks. The deal is repeated several times, yet every time the
three jacks fall in the first hand.

This is apparently a feat of skillful dealing, but in reality, no dexterity is required.

Four jacks actually figure in the trick. On the top of the pack are three jacks, then
an indifferent card, and then the fourth jack. The cards are dealt one at a time, in
two heaps of three each; but when the sixth card is dealt, it must be slid under the
second heap, being used as a lever to pick up that heap and put it back on the
pack. Then the first heap is shown to contain three jacks, which are replaced on
the pack. The cards are then set to repeat the trick.

16. Card At Any Number

Effect: After a card has been selected and returned to the pack, the magician
states that he will make that card appear any number down from the top of the
pack. Suppose that the number sixteen is requested. He counts off sixteen cards,
and turns up the last one, but it is not the chosen card. Rather surprised at this,
the magician hands the pack to the chooser and tells him to count the number for
himself. When the spectator counts off sixteen cards, he finds that his card is the
sixteenth.

Method: The selected card is brought to the top of the pack by one of the methods
previously explained; and is kept there by a "false shuffle." When a person calls
for sixteen, the magician counts off sixteen cards one toy one, and replaces them
on the pack, before he turns up the last removed. Of course it is not the chosen
card; but in counting the cards the magician has reversed their order so that the
sixteenth card now is the chosen one, ready for the person to count to it.

17. The Card in the Pocket

This trick depends upon a variation of the principle just explained. A pack of
cards is shuffled, and the magician tells a person to count off any number of
cards, say ten, and then look at the next card (the eleventh) after which he is to

26
replace the cards he has counted off, leaving the selected card in its original
position.

This is done while the magician's back is turned. Then the pack is given to him
and, looking through the cards, he removes one and puts it in his pocket. The
pack is given back to the spectator, who is told to count down to his card; but
when he reaches the eleventh card, he finds that his card is gone. The magician
thereupon removes the chosen card from his pocket! It must be remembered that
the magician does not know the number of cards counted off by the spectator,
and this makes the trick appear very mysterious.

Method: In giving the pack to the spectator and explaining how he must count off
the cards, the magician notes the top card. In counting the cards off one by one,
the spectator reverses the order of the cards. When he looks at the eleventh card
and puts the ten cards back on top, the card which the magician knows comes
directly over the chosen card. The magician merely has to look for his own card
and remove the card below it.

18. The Turn-Up Card

The Turn-Up Card is a very pretty conclusion for a card trick. The magician
simply slides the pack along the table, and the chosen card mysteriously turns
over in the middle of the pack, and lies face up.

In its original form, this trick was done by having the chosen card on top of the
pack, brought there by the magician's customary method. As the pack was
dropped, the top card was allowed to project, as in the Color-Changing Card, so
that it would turn face up on the pack.

In the improved method, the magician holds the pack crosswise in his right hand.
The right thumb pushes forward the top card and the fingers lift it slightly. Then
he slides the cards along the table, in an easy sweep. The air pressure turns over
the top card, which falls in the midst of the sliding cards just as though it
emerged from the center of the pack.

There is nothing difficult about this trick, but there is a certain easy knack that,
once acquired, makes the trick a perfect illusion.

19. The Burglars

There is an old trick called the "Four Burglars," which is now so ancient that it is
hardly worth performing. There is, however, a new adaptation of the trick which
is entirely different in method, and it makes a very interesting experiment in
impromptu magic.

27
Three jacks are shown, representing three burglars. A king is also used to
represent a detective, while the pack represents a house.

The story goes as follows: "The three burglars decided to rob the house, so one
went in the front door." (A jack is placed on the bottom of the pack.) "Another
entered the back door." (A jack goes on top.) "The third went in a window." (The
third jack is pushed into the center of the pack.) "The detective seeing this, went
in the back door also." (The king is placed on top.)

"The burglars, hearing the detective, ran around in the house." (Here the pack is
cut three times.)

The pack is then fanned, and in the center of the pack are found the three
burglars, each one guarded by two detectives. That is, in the center of the pack,
seven cards are discovered clustered together in the following order; King, jack,
king, jack, king, jack, king.

Before commencing the trick, secretly place the fourth jack between two kings at
the bottom of the pack, and put a king on top of the pack. No one knows of this
preparation. When one jack "goes in the window," push it in the pack quite a little
above the center. Place the other cards as described. Then when you cut the
cards, the three jacks and four kings will be together as described. One cut is
sufficient, but two additional cuts add to the effect.

20. Kings and Queens

Effect: The four kings and four queens are removed from the pack. They are
gathered together in a pile, which is cut and apparently thoroughly mixed. The
magician puts the cards behind his back and brings out the king and queen of
clubs, then the king and queen of spades, then diamonds, and finally hearts. All
the kings and queens are paired!

The cards are stacked together again, and the heap is cut. This time the magician
brings out the four kings in one hand and the four queens in the other.

Method: In arranging the cards, lay the four queens together, and the four kings
together; take care that the order of suits is the same in each group; say
diamonds, clubs, spades, hearts. Put the two groups together. The packet may be
cut any number of times, and you can make this more effective by taking off three
or four cards from the top and putting them on the bottom, and then peeling off
five or six cards from the bottom and placing them on the top, all in one
continued movement.

Simply put the cards behind your back and hold them in your left hand, your
forefinger separating the top four cards from the lower so that you have two
packets. With your right hand take the top cards from each group. They will be

28
the king and queen of the same suit. The next two cards will also be of the same
suit and so on.

For the second part of the trick, put the paired kings and queens in one group,
but take care that their order runs king, queen, king, queen, king, queen, king,
queen; or queen, king, queen, etc. Put the cards behind your back and draw off
the top card between the right thumb and forefinger; the second between the
forefinger and second finger. Proceed thus so that the odd cards are in one group,
the evens in the other. One group will contain the kings, the other the queens.

21. Mental Telepathy

The magician shows three cards and asks a person to think of one of them. He
puts the three cards in his trousers pocket. Then he draws out two of the cards
and lays them on the pack.

"If you have been thinking of your card," announces the magician, "it will be the
one that is still in my pocket. Tell everyone the name of your card."

"The three of clubs," replies the person who is thinking of the card.

The magician reaches in his pocket and brings out the three of clubs:

In his pocket, the magician has previously hidden two indifferent cards. When he
shows three cards, and puts them in his pocket, he notices the order in which
they lie. Then he reaches in and brings out the two indifferent cards, but does not
show their faces. The audience believes that they are two of the three cards he
just put in his pocket.

When the spectator names the card of which he is thinking, the magician has
simply to bring out the correct one of the three cards that are in his pocket!

He then has two cards remaining, so he can repeat the trick. By watching a
person's eyes, it is often possible to discover the card he is choosing, in which
case the secreted cards do not have to be used; instead, the magician can bring
out the two cards that the person is not thinking of, and carelessly drop them
faces up. This diverts suspicion from the usual method.

22. Long Distance Telepathy

This is an excellent trick to perform in connection with the previous experiment.
After your audience is worked up to the height of perplexity, ask them to choose
any card from the entire pack. Suppose the ace of hearts is selected. You then
state that if all present will concentrate on the ace of hearts, any person may call
up your friend Mr. Adams, whose telephone number is Market 1416 (or whatever
the number may be), and he will name the card selected.

29
This is done, and when Mr. Adams comes to the other end of the wire, he
promptly names the ace of hearts as the card selected.

This trick will never fail to create astonishment: but the secret is very simple. On
a card in your pocket, you have a list of names, such as the list below.

When you look on the card for the phone number of your friend, you also find the
name that goes with the playing card that has been selected by the company. If
the eight of spades is selected, you tell the audience to call up and ask for Mr.
Hood. Mr. Klein is the key name for the jack of clubs, and so on.

Diamonds. Clubs. Hearts. Spades.

Ace ... Alberts Ames Adams Atkinson
Two... Brown Bates Billings Black
Three ... Carter Chester Crown Callahan
Four ... Davis Dodd Dale Dobbins
Five ... Earle Emerson Ellis Engle
Six ... Franks Fisher Farnum Flood
Seven ... Graham Gibson Girard Glover
Eight... Harris Hale Herbert Hood
Nine ... Irwin Idler Ives Ingersoll
Ten ... James Judson Jansen Jarvis
Jack ... Knight Klein Kaufman Keyser
Queen ... Lewis Lane Lawrence Lee
King ... Morris Moore Myers Mulholland
Joker—Rice

Your friend at the other end of the line has a duplicate list, so as soon as the
fictitious name is given to him he knows the chosen card. Note the alphabetical
arrangement of the list. The trick cannot be repeated. Your excuse for this is that
so much concentration is necessary that your "mind reader" can only visualize
one card in the course of an evening; so if the trick were repeated, he would
simply repeat the name of the first card chosen.

23. Magnetic Cards

The effect of the Magnetic Card trick is quite surprising. The magician lays a
number of cards on the palm of his hand, and when he turns the hand over, the
cards remain attached to it, as though magnetized; until, at the magician's
command, they fall to the floor.

30
There are several methods of working this trick, and an explanation of different
ways of performing will enable the reader to use the method which best suits him.

Method 1: Tie a fine hair around the center of the hand, so that it forms a loop
about the palm. Tuck one card under the hair, and push the other cards—seven or
eight of them—under the corners of the first card. The first card will then support
the others. The hair is invisible at a short distance; and a spreading of the hand
will break it, releasing the cards at the desired moment.

Method 2: Use a pack of cards with an ornamental circle in the center of the back
design. Cut one of the circles out of an odd card, bend the circle in half, and paste
it to the center of another card so that it forms a flap. The flap is gripped between
the fingers, which thus support the card, while other cards may be tucked under
the supporting card. When the fingers are spread slightly, the cards will fall.

Method 3: Bend up one corner of a card and grip that corner between the last two
fingers, so that the card runs diagonally across the palm. Pressure by the base of
the thumb, at the other end of the card holds the card in place, so that other cards
may be tucked into place.

Method 4: If you customarily wear a finger ring, insert the point of a pin under
the ring, and tuck a card under the head of the pin, which extends towards the
palm. This will support that card, and the other cards may be tucked in under it 3

Method 5: Obtain a piece of diachylon (lead plaster) from a drug store, and rub it
all over the palm and fingers. The appearance of the hand will not be changed,
but the hand will be very sticky. Lay six or seven cards on the table, and press the
hand firmly upon them. Then lift, and the cards will come up. When the hand is
shaken the cards will fall.

24. The Vanishing Card

This trick is performed with a playing card, a tumbler, and a handkerchief. The
card is placed beneath the handkerchief, which is held over the glass; and the
card is pushed down into the glass. When the handkerchief is removed, the glass
is shown empty. The playing card is really a piece of transparent celluloid, cut to
the size and shape of a playing card. The celluloid card is hidden beneath the
handkerchief, at the outset. When an ordinary card is shown and placed beneath
the handkerchief, it is dropped on the table among the remaining cards of the
pack, and the celluloid card is held underneath the handkerchief, where it
appears and feels like an ordinary card. When the celluloid card goes in the glass,
the handkerchief may be removed and the glass held up for all to see; for the
celluloid will be invisible through the sides of the glass.

3In tucking cards in under the supporting card, other cards may be inserted under the secondary
cards, so that they will partly mask the face of the supporting card.

31
25. The Automatic Rising Card

A drinking-glass is employed in this trick also. Any card is taken from the pack
and is pushed down into the glass. A spectator is told to ask the card to rise. The
card, however, does not obey the command. The magician removes the card from
the glass, strokes it on his sleeve, and inserts it in the glass, from which it
immediately rises to his outstretched hand.

Method: Use a smooth-finished glazed card, and a glass with tapering sides. Take
a piece of dry soap and rub it on the inside of the glass, making two narrow
channels at opposite points, running from the top of the glass to the bottom.
When the card is pushed down into the glass so that its edges come in contact
with the smooth paths, the card will rise; but if it is not pushed in at the correct
point, it will not rise. The soap should be applied carefully and evenly; then its
presence will not be observable.

26. The Card on the Hand

This is a surprising finish to a card trick. After a chosen card has been brought on
top of the pack by any one of the methods described, the pack is cut into two
portions. The magician places the lower portion on the palm of his hand and
tosses it in the air. He thrusts his hand among the falling cards, and the chosen
card appears on the back of his hand, apparently caught out of the others.

Method: The magician has a tiny bit of lead plaster affixed to the back of his
hand. When he places the lower heap on the palm of the hand, he momentarily
rests the back of the hand on the upper heap. When the hand tosses the lower
heap in the air, the chosen card sticks to the back of the hand. The hand is simply
turned over amongst the falling cards, and the illusion is complete.

27. The Spirit Card

The Spirit Card is a perfect little mystery that requires a minimum of skill. An
envelope is shown empty, and a tiny piece of cardboard is put in it. Then a pack of
cards is cut, and the envelope is inserted between the two halves of the pack. The
spectators then look at the card just below the envelope. It is the four of
diamonds. The envelope is opened, and the tiny card is shaken out. On it is a
picture of the four of diamonds! The envelope is then tossed on the table.

Method: The envelope is a double one, made by cutting off the front of another
envelope and inserting it in a genuine envelope. When the two flaps are stuck
together, the envelope appears quite innocent. 4

4 It is best to use a small envelope with the flap at the end.

32
In the front compartment of the envelope, place the tiny four of diamonds (or
whatever card you wish to use). The tiny card can be drawn with ink; a tiny
photograph or a printed card is preferable if one can be obtained.

The top card of the pack is a four of diamonds. Show the envelope apparently
empty, and drop in a blank card of the same size as the miniature that is hidden
in the envelope. Cut the pack, and after sealing the envelope, calmly place it on
the top portion of the pack, putting the lower portion on the envelope. This is a
bold procedure that never fails to pass detection. The spectators look at the card
underneath the envelope.

Remove the envelope, cut it under the flap, thus opening the front compartment,
and let the tiny card fall out. While every one is examining it, and the surprise is
great, calmly put the envelope in your pocket. There you have a duplicate
envelope, which is unprepared, and which has been sealed and opened. As an
afterthought, you bring out the envelope (really the duplicate) and drop it
carelessly on the table. No one ever notices this simple exchange, as it is done
quite naturally. Do not say anything about the envelope; after a while some one
will pick it up and examine it.

28. The Aces From the Pocket

Allow a pack of cards to be thoroughly shuffled. Show that the inside pocket of
your coat is quite empty, and put the pack in there. State that the aces respond to
your sense of touch, and thrust your hand into the pocket. Each time you reach
in, you bring out an ace! After the aces have all been produced, the pack is
brought out, and all the cards may be examined.

Method: Previously remove the aces from the pack, and put them in your upper
right vest pocket. Let the pack be shuffled; no one will notice that the aces are
missing, as you do not mention them until you have put the pack in your inside
pocket.

Each time you reach for an ace, put your hand in your vest pocket. By holding the
coat well over with the right hand, no one can tell that you are not reaching into
the inside pocket.

29. The Reversing Card

The effect of this trick is not new; but the method has been so simplified that the
trick may be performed with very little practice.

A card is taken from the pack and noted. It is returned to the magician, who
pushes it face down into the pack, holding the pack well squared to show that he
cannot keep track of the card.

33
The pack is laid on the table and the magician waves his hand over it. He deals off
the cards one by one, and suddenly he comes to a card that is face up. It is the
chosen card!

To perform this trick, use a pack that has white margins around the edges of the
backs. Secretly turn the bottom card of the pack face up. Then fan the cards,
taking care not to show the bottom card, and have a card selected.

While those present are looking at the card, turn your back so that you will not
see it. This gives you time to square up the pack and turn it over, so that the
bottom card is on top. 5 When you put the chosen card back in the center of the
pack, it really goes in upside down; the reversed bottom card makes the pack
appear normal. Hold the pack in your left hand, the fingers at one side and the
thumb at the other, with the palm upwards. As you approach the table, turn your
hand over (back up) with a sweeping motion, and lay the pack on the table. Pass
your hand over the pack and deal the cards until you come to the chosen card,
which will be face up.

30. The Traveling Ace

Take a pack of cards and show the ace of clubs, which you place on top of the
pack for a moment. Then remove the card and push it into the center of the pack;
when the card is one-third in, tilt the pack up so that everyone may glimpse the
ace.

As soon as the ace is fairly in the pack, the cards are snapped, and the bottom
card is turned up. It is the ace of clubs, back on top!

Method: When you show the ace of clubs, the three of clubs is in back of it, the
two being held as one. The cards should be bent slightly outwards by pressure of
the thumb and fingers at opposite sides. Then the double thickness will not be
detected. The cards are laid on the pack, and the three (supposedly the ace) is
removed and pushed in the center. When the card is one-third in, tilt up the pack,
holding your finger tips over the end of the card. Only the center spot of the trey
will be observed; push the card all the way in, and everyone will be satisfied that
the ace is actually in the center of the pack.

5The reversal of the bottom card may be left until you turn your back, but it is safer to attend to it
beforehand if possible.

34
 CHAPTER III
CIGAR AND CIGARETTE TRICKS
1. Cigar from Pocketbook
A small pocketbook is opened in the left hand, and a cigar is drawn from it,
although the cigar is much larger than the pocketbook.

Method: Take the band off the cigar and hold the cigar lengthwise in the right
hand, bending the thumb in to hold it there. Open the pocketbook with the left
hand, and place the tips of the right fingers in the pocketbook. (The back of the
right hand is away from you.)

Grip the ends of the cigar with the left thumb and fingers, through the sides of the
pocketbook, and slowly withdraw the right hand. As the hand runs up the cigar it
looks as though the cigar is being pulled out of the pocketbook. When the right
hand reaches the end, it carries the cigar out of the pocket-book. The illusion is
very deceptive.

Note: Rubber cigars are now being sold which are perfect imitations of genuine
cigars. One of these cigars can be rolled up and enclosed in the pocketbook, and
may then be produced from it.

2. Disappearing Cigar Band

This is a smart little trick that is not difficult. A cigar band suddenly disappears
from a cigar, and then comes back again.

Cut a cigar band in half so that only the emblem remains. Glue the half band to a
cigar. When the cigar is shown, the band appears to be quite ordinary.

Wave the cigar and give it a half turn between the thumb and forefinger, thus
turning the banded side away from view. The band apparently disappears.
Another half turn will bring it back. A little practise will make this an effective
trick.

3. Cigar Balanced on Hat

Balancing a cigar on a hat is not a difficult trick—when you know the secret! A
derby hat is the best to use; but another hat will do.

Simply push a pin through the crown of the hat from the inside. Then set the end
of the cigar on the pin, and the cigar will balance perfectly on the hat.

35
In doing this trick, the magician should pretend that it is quite difficult—a feat of
genuine balancing. By reaching up inside the hat the magician can remove the pin
and release the cigar.

4. The Revolving Cigar

The magician sets a cigar on its side on the crown of a hat, and flips one end of
the cigar. The cigar immediately revolves on the hat, spinning around and
around.

As in the last trick a short pin, through the crown of the hat, is responsible. In
this case, the side of the cigar, at the center, is pressed on the pin. Hit the end of
the cigar and it will revolve on the unseen pivot.

5. The Reversing Cigarette

A cork-tipped cigarette is pushed through the left fist, the cork tip going in first.
When the cigarette comes out the other side, the cork tip comes last.

This is accomplished by cutting the cork-tip from a cigarette, and putting it on a

smaller cigarette. Thus the cork-tip will slide freely along the cigarette. When the
cork-tip end is pushed into the fist, the fingers retain the tip, and let the cigarette
slide through until the end of the cigarette is reached; then the tip is released, so
it comes out on the other end of the cigarette

6. The Magnetic Cigar

A cigar is laid upon the finger tips of the left hand. The hand is slowly turned
over, and the cigar remains there as though magnetized. The hand may be held in
any position, but the cigar does not fall until it is removed and laid on the table.

A small pin does the trick. The pin is set with the head between the knuckles of
two fingers of the left hand. The cigar is set on the pin point, which projects
straight inwards, and it will adhere there.

When the cigar is removed, the fingers are opened slightly, allowing the pin to fall
unobserved to the floor.

7. The Invisible Cigarette

This is an interesting pantomime which ends with a trick as the climax.

The magician lays a partly opened box of matches on the table. Then he pretends
to take a cigarette paper from his pocket. He opens an imaginary tobacco pouch
and loads the invisible cigarette paper. Then he goes through the actions of
rolling a cigarette, which he pretends to place in his mouth.

36
As if to add a bit of realism to the pantomime, the magician lights a match and
holding his hands cupped on account of a pretended wind, he proceeds to light
the imaginary cigarette. When he finishes the action, he is smoking a real
cigarette, which has appeared from nowhere!

Method: Take a box of safety matches and cut a piece out of one end of the
drawer, just large enough to admit a cigarette. Insert a cigarette in the drawer.
Push the drawer part way open at the other end and take care that the cigarette is
covered with real matches.

Everything is pantomime up until the match is lighted. The box is held in the left
hand, and the right strikes the match. As if to avoid a wind, both hands are
raised, cupped to the mouth. The left hand pushes the drawer shut, which causes
the cigarette to project from the inner end. As the hands reach the mouth, the lips
grasp the cigarette. The hands are brought forward a bit so that the cigarette is
drawn clear from the box, and the cigarette is immediately lighted from the
match. When the hands are lowered, there is the lighted cigarette!

The right hand shakes out the match while the left hand pockets the match box.

8. The Automatic Cigarette

A pack of cigarettes is held in the left hand. At the magician's command, one of
the cigarettes rises out of the pack, of its own accord.

The cigarette is not in the pack at all. It is in back, where it is held by the thumb,
which is in the rear of the pack, the fingers being in front, pointing upward.

The back of the pack is pressed in slightly, as the pack is not entirely full of
cigarettes.

The right hand makes passes above the pack, and the left thumb pushes the
hidden cigarette upwards. From two feet away, it appears as though the cigarette
is rising from within the pack. The right hand takes the cigarette when it has
emerged and the pack may then be examined.

This is a very effective little illusion.

9. Stretching a Cigarette
This is a trick that requires a bit of skill.

A cork-tipped cigarette is taken between the hands, which draw upon it and
stretch it to twice its usual length!

37
Certain brands of cigarettes are made in long sizes, and the magician must obtain
one of these long cigarettes. The long cigarette is hidden in the left hand,
lengthways, just as the cigar was held in the cigar and pocketbook trick.

The hands then take a normal cigarette of the same brand, and pretend to push it
together, as though it were telescopic. In doing this, the cigarette is pushed into
the right hand, where it is held by the thumb.

The backs of both hands are towards the audience and the finger tips are
touching.

The left thumb pushes forward the long cigarette, and the hands begin to draw
upon it, instead of the other cigarette. As the hands are gradually pulled apart,
the cigarette appears to stretch. When it has finally developed to its full length, it
is transferred to the left hand, while the right hand quietly goes to the coat pocket
and brings out a box of matches—leaving the original cigarette in the pocket.

As a great many persons are not familiar with the long cigarettes, this trick often
creates more than ordinary surprise.

10. The Tippy Cigarette

A cigarette is placed on the edge of the table so that part of it overhangs. The
magician holds another cigarette a few inches below it. As he moves the lower
cigarette, the one on the table begins to tip towards it, as though magnetized; and
finally it falls off the table, into the outstretched hand.

Magnetism has nothing to do with the trick. It is simply offered as the reason to
draw attention from the real method. As the magician leans over the table, he
breathes lightly on the extended cigarette, thus causing it first to tip, and finally
to fall from the table.

38
 CHAPTER IV
COIN TRICKS
1. Match Box Coin Vanish
A coin is placed in a match box; the drawer is closed and the box is shaken to
show that the coin is still there. When the box is opened the coin has
disappeared.

The box is prepared by cutting in one end of the drawer a slit just large enough to
admit a coin. The opening will not be noticed. When the box is shaken sideways,
the coin will rattle; but as soon as you tilt the box towards yourself, with the trick
end inwards, the coin will slide out into your hand. The other hand should then
take the box and lay it aside, to be opened later.

2. Coin in Ball of Wool

After "vanishing" the coin in the manner explained, you can reproduce it from the
center of a ball of wool. To do this, make a flat, stiff tube, of metal or cardboard,
through which the coin can slide, and wind the wool around it. When you have
secretly gained possession of the coin that was in the match box, turn to get the
ball of wool. Drop the coin through the tube, pull out the tube and bring on the
ball of wool. Put the wool in a glass; let someone unwind it, and the coin will drop
"clink" into the glass. A marked coin should be used.

By using a loose ball of wool, you can work the trick without the tube. The coin is
merely pushed through the wool and the ball squeezed around it.

3. Ring and Vanishing Coin

For this trick you require a ring about an inch and a half in diameter. The ring is
laid on a piece of paper and is covered with a small square of cardboard. When
the ring is set over a coin and the cardboard square is lifted, the coin will be gone.
It will come back as soon as the ring is covered and lifted away.

A circle of paper, the size of the ring and the same color as the paper upon which
the ring is laid, is pasted to the bottom of the ring. No one observes this, as the
disc appears to be part of the sheet of paper. When the ring is placed over a coin,
of course the coin will be out of sight.

This trick is rather well-known, so it should be used only as a forerunner to the

next trick:

39
4. The "Wisenheimer" Coin Trick

The effect of this trick is identical to that of the last. A cardboard is set over a
ring; the ring is set over a coin; when the cardboard is lifted, the coin is gone.
Some "wise" person picks up the ring but finds that there is no paper pasted to it,
after all!

Hidden underneath the cardboard you have a little piece of wood, pasted to a
strip of cardboard that is as wide as the cardboard square. Thus the little wooden
affair can be lifted up with the square of cardboard. The bottom of the wooden
piece is dabbed with wax or lead plaster. When the cardboard square is set over
the ring, and both are put over the coin, the wooden piece picks up the coin.
When the cardboard square is lifted, the coin is taken away and is calmly dropped
in the pocket. The person who "knows all about it" picks up the ring and is
surprised

5. Three Appearing Coins

Three coins are held edgewise between the thumb and forefinger of one hand.
The coins are overlapping and they are shown on one side—three heads—and on
the other side— three tails. The hand shakes the coins, and when it is opened, the
three have multiplied to six.

The six coins are there all the time, but the method of holding makes them look
like three. On one side are three heads, overlapping outward; on the other two
more coins—tails— overlap outward in the opposition direction. This allows space
in between for the sixth coin. When you show one side, and remark, "Three coins
heads on this side, and" (turning the hand around) "three tails on this side," every
person will believe that he saw the same three coins each time.

6. The Fade-Away Coin

This is a very clever vanishing coin trick. A half dollar is used; and beside the coin
you require a small disc of metal, with a hole punched near one edge. The disc is
smeared with wax or lead plaster and a piece of cord elastic is hitched to the hole
in the disc. The elastic runs up the right sleeve and terminates in a safety-pin. The
metal disc should hang just above the cuff, inside the coat sleeve.

To perform the trick, draw the disc from the sleeve and affix it to the half dollar,
which is held at the tips of the fingers. The back of the hand is turned to the
audience.

The right hand places the coin on the trouser leg, just above the knee, and holds it
there, while the left hand folds some of the cloth up over the coin. A standing
position must be assumed. As soon as the coin is covered, the right hand releases
pressure and the coin flies up the sleeve. Then both hands take hold of the

40
upturned cloth and bend it downwards. Then the cloth is pulled out straight, and
the coin is gone.

7. The Whirl-away Coin

This is a quick little trick that requires some practice. A coin is whirled in the air
and is caught in the right hand, which slaps it on the back of the left.

"Which is it," you ask, "heads or tails?" As soon as the guess has been made you
lift your hand and show that the coin is not there at all.

In "catching" the coin in the right hand, you must hold your fingers straight up,
with the back of the hand towards the audience. As the coin apparently falls into
your hand, you do not catch it, but let it drop into your coat sleeve. You close your
fist, however, and pretend to slap the imaginary coin on the back of your left
hand. This is a very effective illusion that is not difficult to perform after a time.

8. The Changing Coin

This is a feat of dexterity that will require careful practice, until the knack is
acquired. A person is invited to hold out his hand, flat, with a quarter on the
palm. When you strike his palm with your finger tips, he must close his fist
immediately, so that you cannot get the coin.

You strike his hand; he closes his fist, and he thinks he has the quarter safe—but
when he opens his hand, he finds a five-cent piece instead!

Method: Hold the five cent piece in the crook of your little finger. As you strike
his hand sharply with your finger-tips, extend your little finger, letting the nickel
fall. The force of the blow will make the quarter bounce, and you may easily catch
it as you withdraw your hand from his closing fist.

This must be done very quickly and adroitly but it is not a difficult trick. It simply
requires care, speed and precision.

9. The Multiplying Coins

Three pennies are laid on the table. Both hands are shown empty. The right hand
sweeps the pennies off the table into the left. When the left hand is opened it
contains four coins instead of three.

The fourth coin is attached to the underside of the table by a dab of soap. While
the left hand is receiving the three coins the left fingers secure the hidden coin
and take it along with the others.

41
10. Odd and Even

This is more of a catch than a trick; yet it is quite bewildering. A person is asked
to take several coins in his hand, and close his fist. Then the magician takes some
coins in his hand.

"I will add my coins to yours," announces the magician, "and if you now hold an
odd number you will then have an even total. But if you now hold an even
number, I will make your total odd."

The person counts his coins, and finds that he has an odd number. The magician
adds his, and the total is even, just as the magician stated it would be.

The method is so absurdly simple that very few persons catch on to it. The
magician merely has to take an odd number of coins. Then when they are added
to the spectator's coins, they will surely make an even total odd, or an odd total
even.

11. The Coin on the Door

The magician takes a coin and sets it against the door, where it remains, as
though magnetized.

Take a quarter or a half dollar and make two small nicks in the edge, side by side,
thus raising a tiny projecting point. When the point is pressed against the door,
the coin will stick flat against the woodwork. The little notch will hardly be
noticed, but you can knock the coin on the floor, and in picking it up substitute
another coin to give for examination. A coin can be borrowed in the first place,
and the notched coin substituted for it while you turn to walk to the door.

12. A Coin Box

There are various appliances called "Coin Boxes." This one is easily constructed.
It may be made from a piece of a cardboard cylinder, or a wooden or metal tube.

A little cylindrical box is shown and is filled with half a dozen coins of the same
size. The box, still filled with coins, is set on the back of the left hand. The right
hand covers the box, and presto, the coins disappear. The right hand and the box
are both shown empty. The left fist is opened, and there are the coins. They have
apparently passed through the back of the hand.

Method: The box is nothing but a cylinder. The bottom is a coin which is wedged
in place. On the inside of the box, the coin is covered with a disc of paper to make
it appear as the inside of the box.

42
The box is filled with coins. It is set on the palm of the left hand, and is secretly
turned over. The spectators see the coin that forms the bottom of the box, and so
they think they are seeing the top coin of the stack.

The right hand lifts the box and of course the coins remain in the left hand, which
is immediately formed into a fist and is turned back up. The box is set on the back
of the hand, and the people still think it is filled with coins.

In passing over the box, the right hand inverts it, so the box appears to be empty.
The right hand picks up the box and sets it on the table, and the left hand opens
to reveal the missing coins.

13. Where Is the Coin?

Three little covers, such as the tops of pill boxes, are needed in this trick.

A half dollar is laid on the table, and anyone is invited to cover it with one of the
covers, the other two covers being laid beside it so that the magician cannot tell
which cover is over the coin. Yet when he passes his hand over the covers, he
immediately names the one that conceals the coin.

Method: On the underside of the half dollar a short hair is affixed by means of a
piece of wax. No one will observe the hair, because no one is looking for it. The
hair protrudes from under the cover which is over the coin, and by looking
closely, the magician can discover the location of the coin.

14. Catching Three Coins

This is a feat of jugglery, but there is a trick to it. Three coins are laid on the back
of the right hand. They are tossed in the air, and the hand catches the falling
coins, one by one.

Spread out the coins, the first at the finger tips, the second at the middle of the
hand, the third at the wrist. Tilt the fingers upwards, in tossing the coins, and
they will come down separately, not all at once, and by quick work each coin may
be caught individually, with a throwing motion of the hand.

Practise with two coins at first. Persons who do not know the secret will be unable
to catch two coins separately.

15. Coin Vanishes From Hands

A coin is laid between the palms of the hands, which are rubbed together. The
coin disappears, but comes back when the hands, are rubbed once more.

43
Fix a dab of soft soap to the bottom of the coin. Lay it on the left palm. The right
palm is laid crosswise upon the left, and the right fingers push the coin over in
back of the left hand. The fingers hide the coin, and they press it firmly against
the back of the hand so the palms of both hands may be shown.

To bring the coin back, put the hands together, and this time the fingers of the
right hand draw the coin back from its hiding place.

16. Heads and Tails

Lay eight coins in a row, alternately heads and tails. The trick is to move two
coins that are side by side to a new position in the row. This maneuver may be
done four times, after which the four heads must be together, and so must the
four tails.

Method: Counting from the left, move coins 2 and 3 to right end of the line. Then
count from the right and move coins 5 and 6 to the vacancy created by the first
move. Counting from the right, move coins 2 and 3 to the new vacancy. Then take
the two coins from the left end of the line and slide them into the latest gap. The
four heads will be together; likewise the four tails. Practise these moves and no
one will be able to duplicate them.

17. The Marked Coin

A coin is marked with a pencil and is dropped in a hat along with a number of
other coins of the same value. When you reach in the hat, you immediately bring
out the chosen coin, although the hat is held behind your back.

When the coin is being marked, you ask that a number of people examine it. As
they do so, their hands make the coin warm. The other coins will be cold so it is a
simple matter to pick out the chosen coin.

18. Coin, Cards, and Rings

A coin is laid on the table and two cards are dropped upon it. Two metal rings of
the merry-go-round type are also lying on the table. The magician puts one ring
on top of the two cards and slides the card and ring across the table, leaving the
coin beneath the other card. He sets the other ring upon that card.

But when he lifts the card and ring that cover the coin, the coin is gone; and when
the other card and ring are lifted, there is the coin!

Method: A hair is attached to one ring and runs to the coin, being affixed to the
under side by a dab of lead plaster. The coin and ring lie close together on the
table. The two cards are laid over the coin. (The cards are humped up in the
center). The attached ring is placed on top, and the hair thus runs under the cards

44
to the end and over to the ring. Take hold of the upper card and slide it away,
pushing it against the hair. The coin will slide along, unseen beneath the upper
card. Cover the lower card with the loose ring and finish the trick.

19. Coin Through the Table

Four coins are laid on the table. The left hand picks up one and goes beneath the
table.

The right hand covers the three remaining coins. Then the left hand comes up
and drops two coins on the table. The right hand is lifted, and there are only two
coins beneath it!

Method: An extra coin is used, held concealed in the left hand or stuck under the
table with a bit of soap. That accounts for the appearance of the extra coin in the
left hand. To make one of the right-hand coins vanish is simple, but clever. The
right hand pushes the three coins forward on the table, but in so doing, releases
one coin, so that it lies under the wrist. When the right hand is lifted, only two
coins remain. The wrist is held flat on the table, hiding the third coin, and by
drawing the wrist slowly backwards the coin is allowed to fall in the lap, which
should contain a handkerchief or a napkin to catch the coin.

20. Heads or Tails

A coin is laid heads up in the palm of the right hand, which slaps the coin on the
back of the left hand. Of course the coin is turned over and now lies tails. But the
next time you start with the coin heads up, it still lies heads when slapped on the
left hand. In fact, you can start it with either side up and make it come up anyway
you choose.

The trick is undetectable. If you turn the hand over naturally, the coin will always
turn over with the hand. But if you give the coin a tiny toss and then turn the
hand quickly, the. hand alone will turn. The slight toss given the coin is
impossible to see, as you do it while starting to turn the hand. The trick is very
easy to learn and the knack is often acquired the first time a person tries it.

21. The Coin in the Knot

A handkerchief is twisted in a rope-wise fashion. The center is then tied in a knot,

and the handkerchief is given to someone to hold. The magician makes a coin
disappear; when the handkerchief is untied, the coin is discovered in the knot!

Method: The coin is a duplicate, which is held in the fingers of the right hand.
When the handkerchief is twisted rope-wise, it forms a sort of tube, sagging in
the middle. The magician releases the coin and lets is slide down inside this tube

45
so that it secretly comes to the center of the handkerchief, where it is when the
knot is tied.

22. "Vanishing" Coin from Handkerchiefs

This is a good method by which a coin may be "vanished" in connection with the
trick just described. A coin is pushed down into the center of a handkerchief;
when the handkerchief is shaken, the coin has disappeared.

The magician holds one hand beneath the center of the handkerchief. Around the
thumb and forefinger of that hand he has a stout rubber band. The coin is pushed
down into the rubber band, which is released so that it grips the cloth and forms a
pocket. The handkerchief may be shaken but no trace of the coin will remain.

23. The Missing Coin

The magician holds out his left hand. He takes a coin in the right hand and slaps
it against the left hand two or three times. Finally both hands are shown empty.

In raising the right hand for the last slap, the coin is dropped in the hair. Or, if
the magician is wearing a hat, the coin can be left on the brim of the hat. If this
little trick is practised a few times it will be found to be a capital mystery.

24. Coin, Glass, and Plate

A glass is inverted on a plate. The magician takes a paper or cardboard cylinder,
drops a pencil through it, and puts the cylinder over the glass, which it just fits.
Then a half dollar is dropped in the top of the cylinder. It falls on the glass. But
when the cylinder is lifted the coin is gone. The glass and plate are raised, and
there is the coin, beneath the plate!

46
A duplicate coin is used, and is previously hidden under the plate. The trick lies in
the cylinder, which has a partition of paper, with a small hole in the center which
lets the pencil fall through. When the glass is covered with the cylinder, the paper
partition fits against the top of the glass so that the coin, when dropped in, is
heard to strike the glass. When the cylinder is removed, the coin goes away with
it. The cylinder may be made very easily, and should be very plain in appearance.

25. A Coin Joke

This little trick should be performed on a wooden table or window sill. The
magician has a coin which he is changing from hand to hand. Finally he extends
his right hand and says, "take the coin," at the same time clicking it down on the
wooden table. When the person reaches to take the coin, it has disappeared!

The coin is simply retained in the left hand, which rests on the table away from
the extended right hand. When the right hand pretends to lay down the coin, the
left hand clicks it against the table. The sound is illusive and the coin seems to be
in the right hand.

26. A Quick Coin Vanish

A coin is borrowed and taken in the right hand, which makes a throwing motion.
The coin immediately disappears.

For this trick, you require a hooked metal clip; several types of these clips are
made, and they are sold in stationery stores for hanging up cards etc. The clip has
a clamp which will hold the coin, and the hook is on the side.

Borrow a coin, clamp the clip on it, and, stand with your right side away from the
audience. When you make the tossing motion, drop your hand to your side for an
instant, and you can hook the coin on your coat without the least bit of hesitation.
Then make the tossing motion and show the hand empty.

27. The Talking Coin

A coin is dropped in a glass; the lights are dimmed, and the coin begins to "talk"
by jumping in the glass. One jump means "yes;" two mean "no." After the coin
answers some questions, it suddenly leaps out of the glass. Everything may then
be examined.

Method: Attach a fine black silk thread to the coin by a dab of lead plaster. You
have the other end of the thread beneath the table, and every time you pull the
thread the coin jumps. At the finish, give the thread a hard sudden pull; the coin
will jump out of the glass and will fly clear of the thread.

47
28. Box and Coin Trick

A coin is dropped into a cylindrical box. The coin is shaken to show that it is
there, but when the box is opened the coin has disappeared.

The box is just the diameter of the coin, and it should be rather deep. It may be
made of cardboard or metal. Adhesive tape boxes will answer the purpose. The
box is colored on the inside preferably black; and a piece of paper of the same
color is pasted to one side of the coin. The other side of the coin is shown, but
when the coin is dropped in the box, it is turned over, so the box will appear
empty, the coin seeming to be part of the bottom.

29. The Coin Through the Sleeve

The magician drops a coin down his left sleeve, and pulls the coin through the
sleeve at the elbow. There is no hole in the sleeve, so the coin has apparently
passed through the cloth.

Two coins are used. One is hidden behind the sleeve by being wedged between
the button at the cuff. The hand drops the first coin, and then, reaching behind
the sleeve, draws the duplicate down to the elbow.

30. The Coin at the Elbow

There is an old trick of rubbing a coin into the left elbow, with the right hand.
After considerable rubbing the coin disappears. This is done by dropping the coin
"accidentally;" in picking it up, the left hand takes the coin, and the right hand
pretends to hold; it and rubs the imaginary coin into the elbow.

Here is a new addition to the older trick. After the coin has been rubbed away, the
right, hand rubs the elbow once more. The left arm is held straight upwards, and
is twisted so the back of the wrist is toward the audience.

The right hand keeps rubbing the left elbow, until only the heel of the hand is
touching it. The fingers and palm are extended off in back of the left arm. At that
point, the fingers of the left hand open slightly and let the coin slip out. It drops
in back of the left arm and falls into the right hand. Then the right fingers slowly
draw the coin out from the elbow.

Worked in combination, this forms an excellent finish to the old trick; for the
coin is first "vanished" at the elbow, and is then caused to reappear.

48
 CHAPTER V
DICE AND DOMINO TRICKS
1. The Magnetic Dice
A pair of dice are placed on the table, and one die is set upon the other. When the
upper die is lifted, the lower one clings to it as though magnetized.

Method: Previously moisten the tip of your forefinger, and apply it to the under
side of the upper die. When the dice are pressed together, they will stick, and they
may be lifted as one.

2. Naming the Total

Tell a person to roll a pair of dice on the table, while your back is turned. He must
add the total made by the dice. Then he should pick up one die and, turning it
over, should add the number on the bottom of the die. Having done this, he must
roll the single die and add the number that appears on the top side.

When you look at the dice as they lie on the table, you can immediately name the
total that the spectator has reached!

Method: Simply count the spots on the dice as they lie on the table, and add seven
to the total. You will then have the grand total. Here is the reason why: The
opposite sides of a die always total seven. The roller let one die remain on the
table. But when he picked up the second die and added both the top and bottom
into his total, he was merely adding on seven. When he rolled the die again, its
new number lay there for you to see, along with that of the first die.

3. The End Numbers

Place a set of dominoes on the table, and invite two or three persons to line up the
dominoes, as though playing a game; but as the dominoes are all face up, the
game can be finished in a few minutes. Before they start, you write something on
a piece of paper and lay it where all can see.

When the game is finished, there will be two ends to the row of dominoes.
Suppose the end number on one row is five; on the other row, three. When the
piece of paper is unfolded, it will bear the numbers five and three. You have
foretold what the end numbers will be!

Method: Secretly remove one of the dominoes (not a double) before the game
begins. The numbers on the domino (in this case 3 and 5) will tell you what the
end numbers will be.

49
4. The Incomplete Game

In this case, two people are invited to play a game of dominoes, but somehow or
other they cannot finish it. Several dominoes will be left over.

For this trick, you take away two dominoes, bearing four different numbers, say
3—5 and 6—1. If this trick follows the last, simply take away one domino besides
the one you already have. The game cannot be completed. As soon as the players
have realized this, mix up the dominoes and slip back the two you have taken.
Then tell them that the magic spell has been lifted and that they can go ahead
without interruption.

5. Sixteen Dominoes
Lay sixteen dominoes in a row on the table. While your back is turned, any
person may move as many dominoes as he chooses from the right to the left of
the line. The dominoes must be moved one by one, and not more than a dozen
may be moved.

When you come back, you immediately turn a domino with the spots up, and the
spots on the domino tell how many have been moved!

Method: Arrange the dominoes from left to right so that the spots total 12, 11, 10,
9, etc., down to 0 (the double blank). The three dominoes on the right of the row
are odd ones.

Now, if no dominoes are moved, and you turn up the fourth domino from the
right, it will register zero—double blank. If one domino is moved, the fourth from
the right will be 1; if two are moved it will be 2, etc. Simply turn up the fourth
domino from the right of the row.

6. Totalling Three Dice

Place three dice in a tumbler and put your hand over the open end, holding the
glass between your palms. Approach a person who is seated, and shake the glass
so the dice jump about; then ask him to look up through the side of the glass and
count the spots on the bottom of the dice. He has hardly done so before you tell
him the total; although you cannot see the bottom sides of the dice.

Method: Add the top sides of the dice, which you can see, and subtract your total
from 21. That will give you the total of the bottoms.

50
 CHAPTER VI
EGG TRICKS
Inasmuch as Christopher Columbus has been given credit for performing the first
known trick with an egg, this chapter will begin with an explanation of how that
famous feat might have been accomplished. According to the story, Columbus
balanced an egg on end. The trick is a very interesting dinner table experiment, so
here are three methods of performing it:

1. The Balanced Egg

Method 1. Shake the egg so that the yolk will settle. Then set the egg carefully
upon the table, and as the bottom of the egg is heavier than the top, it will be
possible to balance the egg on end.

Method 2: Before performing the trick, spill a little salt on the tablecloth and
gather it up into a tiny mound. Press the egg carefully on the pile of salt, and it
will balance there.

Method 3: Have a tiny ring under the table cloth with a thread attached. Balance
the egg by setting it on the ring. When you lift the egg away, pull the thread with
your other hand so that the ring will be withdrawn.

2. Spinning an Egg
Two or three eggs are laid on the table, and people are asked to spin them. They
find that the task is next to impossible. The eggs start to spin, but topple and fall
on their sides. But when the magician twirls an egg, it spins like a top.

One of the eggs is hard-boiled. It is kept out of right until different people are
busy spinning eggs; then the magician picks up one of the eggs and takes an
opportunity to replace the hard-boiled egg in its stead. The hard-boiled egg may
be twirled with ease.

3. The Floating Egg

An egg is dropped into a pitcher of water and it mysteriously floats halfway down,
neither coming to the surface nor sinking to the bottom!

This is due to the water in the pitcher. The pitcher is half filled with water, which
is then salted. More water is poured in, down the sides of the pitcher, so that the
bottom half of the pitcher contains salt water and the top half fresh. The egg will
then float halfway up.

51
4. Eggs, Spools, and Glasses

This is a very elaborate trick, which can, however, be easily prepared.

Three goblets of water are stood in a row and a thin piece of wood is set upon
them. Over each of the two end goblets, a spool is set, and an egg is balanced on
each spool.

Over the center goblet, another goblet is inverted; a spool is placed on it, and an
egg is balanced on the spool.

The magician suddenly grasps the inverted goblet and pulls it away. The board
and the spools fly to the floor; but the three eggs drop squarely into the goblets of
water!

On the thin piece of board, there are two tiny projecting nail points, which engage
the edge of the inverted goblet in back. These are so tiny that they are not
noticeable, but they are very important in the trick. For when the inverted goblet
is pulled away, it carries the board also, and the light spools will fly away. The
eggs, however, will fall directly down, of their own accord, into the goblets.

5. Egg to Confetti
The magician shows an ordinary egg, and squeezes it in his hand, while he fans it
with the other hand. A shower of confetti pours forth, instead of the egg.

The egg is a real one, but it is prepared for the trick. Punch a tiny hole in each end
of the egg, and you can blow the contents of the egg out into a cup. Enlarge one of
the holes so that confetti may be poured into the egg.

In performing the trick, hold the egg between the tips of the thumb and
forefinger, which cover the holes. When the egg is squeezed, the shell is broken,
and falls with the confetti, which should be dropped into a box.

Note: See also the "Ring in the Egg," page 90.

52
 CHAPTER VII
HANDKERCHIEF TRICKS
There are three types of handkerchiefs used in the performance of tricks: First,
ordinary linen handkerchiefs, which serve the purpose in most impromptu tricks;
second, large thick silk pocket handkerchiefs, which are used in tying knots, as
they slide more easily than linen; and third, thin, small silk handkerchiefs which
are used in connection with various pieces of magical apparatus.

The tricks in this chapter will be confined to the two groups first mentioned,
inasmuch as they are of the impromptu variety. The reader should understand
that linen handkerchiefs are preferable to silk in the following tricks, except
where knots are involved. In such cases, always use a silk handkerchief if one is
obtainable. In fact the impromptu magician would do well to carry a large silk
handkerchief in his pocket, as it is useful in many tricks. The sole advantage in
the linen handkerchief lies in the fact that it is not so transparent as silk; and
sometimes something takes place underneath a handkerchief which the
spectators are not supposed to see.

1. The Balanced Handkerchief

A handkerchief is folded diagonally and is rolled into a long cylinder. It is then
balanced upright on the tip of the forefinger. The handkerchief sways but does
not fall.

This is accomplished by having a piece of whalebone or pliable wire hidden in the

folded handkerchief. The handkerchief is rolled around the wire, and it may then
be: easily balanced on the tip of the finger. The handkerchief should be pocketed
immediately after the trick, and brought out later on, minus the wire or
whalebone.

2. The Doubling Knot

Hold a corner of a silk handkerchief in the left hand. Place the right hand, palm
up, under the center of the handkerchief. Then roll the right hand over toward
the left so that the back of the right hand is up. In so doing the right hand
clutches the handkerchief so that a loop is formed. Insert the third finger of the
left hand in that loop, from beneath, and withdraw the right hand.

Move the right hand further down the handkerchief and form another similar
loop. Place it on top of the first loop and hold the two loops pressed together by
the right hand.

Then the left hand pushes the left end of the handkerchief up through the two
loops, forming two knots, one upon the other. Spread the upper knot so that it

53
surrounds the lower, Then take hold of the left end of the handkerchief and let
the handkerchief dangle. To all •appearances there is a large single knot in the
center of the cloth. Give the silk handkerchief a sudden snap, and instead of the
one knot, there will be two knots, a few inches apart.

3. The Appearing Knot

A handkerchief (linen or silk) is held in the right hand by one corner. Attention is
called to the loose hanging corner. The loose corner is raised to the right hand,
which drops it with a shake, still retaining the upper corner. This is repeated
several times, and suddenly a knot appears in the hanging corner. Method: The
corner originally held in the right hand is previously knotted but the knot is
hidden by the fingers. After raising and shaking out the hanging corner two or
three times, the right hand exchanges the corners, retaining the lower one, and
letting the knotted one drop. This is a perfect little illusion and it seems as though
a knot suddenly appears in the loose corner.

4. Non-Burning Handkerchief
Drawing a handkerchief through a candle flame is a very mysterious trick. It may
be done by simply rolling the handkerchief into a cylinder and drawing it through
the flame slowly, but without stopping at any point. If, however, the handkerchief
has been previously soaked in a solution of borax and water, it will be rendered
nearly fireproof, and the trick can be performed with more deliberation. The
handkerchief should be allowed to dry before it is used. The handkerchief can be
held by the upper corners while the lower edge is drawn through the flame.

54
5. The Flyaway Knot

This is one of the most deceptive of all handkerchief tricks. A handkerchief is

apparently tied in a knot, but the knot dissolves when the ends of the
handkerchief are pulled.

The method of tying the knot is not difficult. Hold the handkerchief by diagonally
opposite corners. The right hand then carries its end away from the body and
over the left wrist. The right hand end is then thrust through the loop thus
formed from the outer side (i. e. from the side of the loop away from the body).
Then when the ends are pulled, the knot will disappear.

Simple though this procedure is, it is not always easy to learn. The only way is to
try it, following the directions carefully, until you finally succeed, which may be
on the first attempt. Once acquired, the trick can be performed very rapidly.

6. The Draw-Away Knot

A loose knot is tied in the center of a handkerchief. The left hand holds the upper
corner of the handkerchief, and the right fist is drawn down over the knot two or
three times. On the last attempt, the hand draws the knot right out of the
handkerchief!

Persons who attempt to duplicate this trick will find that their efforts only serve
to tighten the knot.

That is because there is a very clever trick to it. When the right hand is finally
drawn over the handkerchief, the fist does not grip the knot at all. Instead, one of

55
the fingers of the right hand is hooked into the knot, as the hand sweeps
downward. The finger will pull the knot right down and out of the cloth.

Use a silk handkerchief and do not tie the knot too tightly.

7. United and Untied

Two handkerchiefs are shown separately. They are tossed up in the air and they
come down tied together. The left hand holds the upper handkerchief with the
lower one dangling. The right hand sweeps down over the handkerchiefs and they
fall apart.

Method: Have a rubber band on the tips of the right thumb and forefinger. In
tossing the handkerchiefs into the air, slip the elastic over one end of each
handkerchief and when they come down they will seem to be tied. When the right
hand sweeps down it simply pulls the lower handkerchief and the "knot" is gone.
The elastic is secretly dropped on the floor.

8. Match in Handkerchief
A match is placed in the center of a handkerchief. The match is broken through
the cloth, but when the handkerchief is unrolled, the match drops out, uninjured.

A duplicate match is concealed in the hem of the handkerchief. This is the match
which is broken through the folded cloth—not the original match.

By having a second match concealed in another part of the hem, the trick may be
repeated. The hidden matches should be near corners of the cloth.

9. The Disappearing Handkerchief

This is a most mystifying trick which can, however, be shown to only one person
at a time. Use a very small handkerchief. This you roll into a tight ball, and hold
between your hands right in front of your spectator's nose. Suddenly you clap
your hands, and show them absolutely empty. The handkerchief has completely
disappeared, right beneath his very eyes!

The closeness of the trick is what makes it possible. The advantage is not with the
spectator, but with you. When you are holding the handkerchief right in front of
his face, take hold of it with the right hand, and raising your hands slightly, just
above his eyes, slap your right wrist against your left hand. The palm of the right
hand is directly towards the spectator, and thus you project the handkerchief over
his head so suddenly and so rapidly that he does not catch sight of it. Then you
clap your hands and show them empty.

If possible, throw the handkerchief so that it falls behind a chair or a table.

56
10. The Fadeaway Knot Trick

This is a very pretty disappearing knot trick.

Hold the handkerchief by corners diagonally opposite, between the second

fingers and forefingers of both hands. The right hand, starting from the body,
loops the center of the handkerchief over the left thumb. Then the right hand
pushes the right end of the handkerchief under the left end of the handkerchief,
from the outer side, in towards the body.

The center of the handkerchief is pressed firmly against the upraised knee, and
the hands pull the ends downwards. As a result, the center of the handkerchief
tightens on the knee into what appears to be a genuine knot; but that is due
entirely to the pressure of the knee. When the ends are jerked suddenly, the tight
"knot" dissolves in an instant.

Note: There are more handkerchief tricks besides those in this chapter, but as
many of them involve the use of other articles, they have been included in other
chapters.

57
58
 CHAPTER VIII
LIQUID TRICKS
Tricks with liquids are always effective; for they are easily seen, and always
appear to be difficult. One of the first tricks I ever performed employed liquids,
and I will explain it as the first item of this chapter.

1. Ink to Water
A glass is exhibited, partly filled with ink.) The magician dips a playing card in
the ink, and brings it out, with its lower half covered with the fluid. Then he
covers the glass with a napkin or a large handkerchief. When he removes the
cloth, the ink has changed to water!

Method: The interior of the glass is lined with a cylinder of black silk. A piece of
black thread, with a small button on the end, is attached to the cylinder. The
button dangles over the rim of the glass. When the magician removes the
handkerchief he grips the button through the cloth, and thus carries the lining
away. The handkerchief may then be rolled up and tossed aside.

The inking of the card is accomplished by having a double-faced card with one
side of the card already blackened part way. The card is turned around when it is
dipped in the "ink," and the reverse side is shown. If a large glass receptacle is
used, goldfish may be put in the water and they will be seen swimming there after
the transformation.

2. Water to Ink
The change of a glass of water to a glass of ink is accomplished by an entirely
different method. In this case, the magician uses an "ink tablet," which is hidden
in the folds of the handkerchief. The tablet dissolves quickly in warm water and
makes a glass of ink. Tablets that make an imitation ink are sold by dealers in
magical apparatus; but more concentrated tablets, used for making real ink, may
be purchased at stationery stores. 6

3. Water to Wine
A glass of water, covered with a handkerchief, may be transformed into a glass of
"wine" as easily as into a glass of ink. To do this, obtain a few crystals of
potassium permanganate and drop them into the glass when you cover it with a
handkerchief. Tilting the glass under the handkerchief helps in the dissolution of
the crystals, and a glassful of wine-colored liquid will result.*

6 These liquids are not drinkable.

59
4. Wine to Water

The instantaneous transformation of wine to water may be effected by merely

pouring the liquid from one glass into another. The "wine" is water in which
potassium permanganate has been dissolved. The other glass contains a small
quantity of hydrogen peroxide, which, being colorless, is not observed. As soon as
the "wine" is poured into the "empty" glass, it changes to "water." 7

5. Two Goblets
Take a small goblet about one-third full with water, or some other liquid. Set a
second goblet upside down upon the first.

The trick is to pour the contents of the lower glass into the upper glass, without
touching the upper glass with your hand, and without anyone else touching the
upper glass. To make the problem still more difficult, the lower glass cannot be
set on the table or on the floor until it has had the liquid poured into it!

It sounds impossible, but it can be done.

Bend your head well forward, so that you can grip the further side of the foot of
the upper goblet between your teeth. Then bend your head well backwards, and
you will be holding the goblet firmly in an upright position. Pick up the lower
goblet and pour its contents into the goblet you are holding in your mouth.

Be careful not to use too much liquid; the weight of it is something of a factor, as
well as the difficulty in pouring.

6. Wine and Water (Without Chemicals)

The magician has a glass of wine, standing on a box. He covers it with a
handkerchief, and when the cloth is removed, a green creme de menthe has
replaced the wine. The handkerchief again covers the glass, and this time water is
the resulting liquid. The water is drinkable.

A small goblet should be used. Obtain two pieces of transparent celluloid; one
red, the other green, and cut them to fit the goblet. Fill the goblet with water,
insert the flat pieces of celluloid, and from two feet away, the glass will appear to
contain wine. The refraction of the water makes the illusion perfect.

When the handkerchief is first drawn over the glass, remove the red celluloid and
drop it behind the box. Then show the glass. The next time, take away the green
celluloid, and drop it along with the other.

7 These liquids are not drinkable.

60
If desired the green may be taken away first, leaving claret instead of creme de
menthe. A yellow or amber colored celluloid may also be added; it will not affect
the colors of the others, but if it is left to the last, it will produce another liquid.

7. The Balanced Tumbler

Take a tumbler, partly filled with water, and try to balance it half way between the
horizontal and the perpendicular. Impossible? Not if you know the trick!

Under the tablecloth, place a match-stick. By bracing the bottom edge of the glass
against the hidden match, you can effect a precarious balance.

It is advisable to make away with the match stick after the trick. One method is to
"accidentally" spill a few drops of water, and then quickly put a napkin under the
table cloth to prevent the water from going through. In removing the napkin, take
away the match. Another way is to have a thread attached to the match. Simply
pull the thread, and away comes the match.

8. Gravity Defied
A tumbler is filled with water, and a sheet of paper is placed over the mouth.
Then the tumbler is inverted, but the water does not escape. This is a simple
problem in physics, and many persons know that it can be accomplished, so not
much surprise will be evidenced. But when you deliberately pull the paper from
the mouth of the tumbler, and the water still remains there, a real mystery will be
created!

When the tumbler is held over a pitcher, or a bowl, the water suddenly leaves the
glass and falls into the pitcher.

A stout disc of transparent celluloid is required for this trick; and the glass used
should have a rather flat edge. The celluloid is lying on the table, under the piece
of paper (which should be slightly moistened).

When the glass is filled with water, the paper is laid over its mouth, and the
celluloid is thus adjusted to the tumbler. When the glass is inverted, the water
does not escape. The hand should be pressed against the paper during the
inversion.

When the paper is removed, the transparent celluloid is invisible, and the water
alone appears to occupy the glass. At the proper moment, touch the projecting
edge of the disc with the tip of your finger, and water and disc will drop into the
pitcher.

The glass may be specially prepared for this experiment, by having a tiny hole
bored in the side of the bottom. In this case, a finger is kept over the air-hole until

61
the last instant. When the finger is removed, the inrushing air will release the disc
and finish the trick automatically.

9. The Dry Hand

The magician dips his hand into a bowl of water. When he removes the hand, it is
still dry!

This is due to a preparation applied to the hand. Talcum and lycopodium

powders have been recommended, but neither is entirely satisfactory. The best
substance is stearate of zinc. If this powder is thoroughly rubbed into the hand,
its presence will not be detected; yet when the hand is thrust into the water, and
instantly removed, it will be quite dry.

10. Disappearing Water

This is a trick of a pseudo-spiritistic nature. A glass of water is covered with paper

strips, so that no one can drink from it. The lights are turned out, and the
performer's hands are held. When the lights come on again, the water is gone!

The magician has a drinking straw in his inside coat pocket. He reaches with his
mouth, obtains the straw and drinks the water. Then he drops the straw back in
his pocket, and calls for the lights.

11. Glass of Water from Pocket

The production of a glass, filled with water, from the pocket, never fails to create
amazement; yet the explanation is very simple.

The glass is covered with a cap of sheet rubber. Special caps are manufactured for
this purpose; if they are not obtainable, a sheet of rubber, such as one cut from a
toy balloon, will fill the bill. In this case, a heavy rubber band should be used to
hold the rubber cover in place.

In performing the trick, grip the glass through the coat with one hand, and hold it
upright. With the other hand, reach in, peel off the cover and produce the glass in
a nonchalant manner.

12. The Fountain Pencil

A pencil is borrowed, and is squeezed in the right hand. A stream of water
immediately issues from the top of the pencil.

In his hand, the magician holds a hollow rubber ball, which has a small hole in
the side. The ball is first squeezed and then dipped in water to fill it. When the

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pencil is held upright, and the hole in the ball points upwards, pressure will
produce the fountain.

The ball may be disposed of by drying the hands and the pencil with a
handkerchief; or the rubber ball may be attached to a piece of cord elastic, which
runs back under the coat so that when the ball is released it will fly out of sight. 8

13. The Traveling Glass

The Vanishing Glass is a dinner-table trick par excellence; yet many amateur
magicians have neglected it because they were not acquainted with the subtle
points that make the trick so effective. The Traveling Glass, performed in the
following manner, will prove to be an astonishing mystery.

The magician lays a coin on the table, and sets a glass on the coin. He covers the
glass with a piece of newspaper, shaping the paper to fit the glass. He lifts the
paper and the glass, and expresses surprise to see that the coin is still there. He
covers the coin again, but once more the coin fails to disappear.

The coin is covered with the glass and paper for the third time, and the magician
requests two persons to hold the edges of the paper. He holds his right hand over
the glass; then rising suddenly, he brings his fist down upon the covered tumbler.
The paper collapses. The glass has disappeared!

Then the magician unbuttons the top button of his vest, and extracts the missing
glass!

The trick is usually performed with an empty tumbler but a small quantity of
water can be used in the glass.

The magician has a napkin in his lap. The second time he lifts the glass from the
coin, he looks intently at the coin, and his hand carries the glass to the edge of the
table, where the glass is allowed to fall into the lap. The paper retains the shape of
the glass and it is replaced on the coin.

As the magician poises his right hand over the paper, his left hand pushes the
glass up under the vest. Rising, he strikes the paper, and the left hand pushes the
glass further up to the top of the vest.

14. The Glass and the Hat

This is another dinner-table trick, which is not difficult, but which requires nerve.

8 See "The Vanishing Billiard Ball."

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The magician asks for a felt hat. He lays the hat on the table and puts a coin
alongside of it. He puts the hat over the coin, and waves his left hand above it; but
when the hat is lifted, the coin is still there.

The magician sets the hat over the coin, and again waves his left hand. He lifts the
hat slightly, but the coin is still there. So he replaces the hat and waves his right
hand. This time, when the hat is lifted, a full tumbler of water has appeared
beneath it!

The tumbler of water is previously placed on the seat of the performer's chair,
alongside of his right knee. The coin is laid on the table, and covered with the hat.
The left hand is waved; then it lifts the hat, by taking hold of the crown. The left
hand carries the hat to the edge of the table. At the same time the right hand,
which has been resting in the lap, lifts the glass of water up into the hat, where
the left hand grips it through the crown.

To draw attention from this procedure, the magician leans forward, looks at the
coin in amazement, and exclaims: "What! Still there!" The withdrawal of the hat
is a perfectly natural movement, and is never suspected, provided that the hands
do not fumble.

The left hand replaces the hat and glass over the coin. When the hat is lifted the
second time the glass is picked up with it, through the crown. Then the hat and
glass are replaced; the right hand lifts the hat and reveals the glass.

15. The Whirling Glass

This is a feat of dexterity that appears to be very difficult. The magician picks up a
glass and swings it around in the air, turning it upside down, and finally bringing
it right side up without spilling a drop of the liquid in the glass, which may be
about three-quarters full.

The trick should first be practised out of doors or over a bath-tub. The glass is
held flat on the palm of the hand. Then the arm is held stiff, and is swung in a
semicircle, ending with the glass held in a backhand position. Once the knack is
acquired, the trick may be performed with impunity, as the centrifugal force
keeps the liquid from falling out. People who attempt to duplicate the feat seldom
succeed as their nerve fails them and they unconsciously twist the wrist instead of
holding the arm stiff.

There is a certain type of trick glass, sold by novelty stores that can be used in this
experiment. The glass is made like a goblet, but there is a layer of glass at the
mouth, so that no liquid may be poured in or out. The stem, however, is hollow,
and the glass is filled through the stem, a small cork keeping the liquid in. If the
goblet is filled with milk or grape juice, it has all the appearance of a normal
glass; to add to the illusion, a little of the liquid may be poured on top of the glass,
which is concave. Pretending that the glass is too full, the magician pours out the

64
little liquid that is on top, thus making the glass appear quite ordinary. He may
then whirl the glass in the air, and catch it without spilling a drop. He should, of
course, remove the glass before anyone happens to examine it closely.

65
 CHAPTER IX
MATCH TRICKS
1. Four Triangles
This is more of a puzzle than a trick but it is so perplexing that it deserves
mention. Six matches are laid on the table, to be made into four triangles. All the
triangles must be the same size and the matches must not be broken or crossed.

The solution is to lay three matches in the form of a triangle and set the other
three so they form a tripod, each leg starting from an apex of the triangle. Thus
four perfect triangles are formed, but only one is on the horizontal plane.

2. The Vanishing Matches

A box is shown full of matches, and is laid on the table. After a time the magician
picks it up, and shakes it so the matches rattle.

"Plenty of matches there," he remarks. "Take one out." Someone opens the box. It
is empty!

Before performing the trick the magician substitutes an empty box for the full
one. Up his sleeve he has a partly filled box of matches (preferably a half size
box). When he shakes the empty box, the audience hears the sound of the
matches in the hidden box and suppose the visible box is still full of matches.

3. Monte With Matches

A trick that rivals the famous "Three Card Monte" may be performed with match-
boxes. Three boxes are used one of which contains matches. The magician mixes
them around on the table and asks someone to pick up the full box. Somehow or
other, the spectator always gets an empty box.

This is due to an application of the method used in the preceding trick. A full box,
held in place, up the magician's sleeve, by a rubber band, makes one of the empty
boxes appear to be full when the magician shakes it. The spectators follow the box

66
in which they hear the matches rattle. The trick can be worked with three empty
boxes; but the audience-supposes one is full, and the magician keeps up the
delusion by occasionally shaking a box.

4. Cutting Through a Match-Box

This is an up to date novelty in match tricks. A match-box is shown with a

crosswise slit in the middle of the top and the sides. The magician opens the box
slightly, showing the heads of the matches; then he closes it and pushes a playing
card down into the slit. To the surprise of everyone the card apparently cuts right
through the matches to the bottom of the box. Then the magician pushes the
drawer of the box back and forth, showing the heads at one end and the blanks at
the other!

Method: The drawer of the box is previously divided into three sections,
crosswise and the sides of the middle section are cut away. The end sections are
provided with little blocks of paper or cardboard, which are glued in place, and on
top of these are glued the ends of matches, heads at one end, blanks at the other.
Thus if the drawer is opened slightly, it appears to be full of matches.

The card is inserted slowly as though cutting through a box full of matches. Then
the drawer may be pushed back and forth, showing matches at both ends. The
card stops the progress of the drawer, so there is no danger of revealing the
hollow center.

The box should be pocketed with the card still through it; or the card may be
withdrawn and tossed for examination while the box is pocketed. A duplicate
(unprepared) box can be kept in the pocket to be brought out later on.

5. Appearing Matches
A match-box is shown with the drawer half opened. The box is empty. The drawer
is closed and when it is reopened, a number of matches are within.

The matches are in the box all the time but they are wedged between the end of
the drawer and the inside of the cover. Thus the box may be shown apparently
empty. When the drawer is closed, (the fingers being held at the end to prevent
the matches from pushing out), the matches will fall in the drawer.

A whole layer of matches may be produced in this manner. Some match-boxes

are sold which are only half the height of the usual match-box. They are especially
suited for this trick, as the layer of matches makes a greater showing.

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6. Penetrating Matches

Each hand holds a match, by the ends, between the thumb and forefinger. The
hands are brought together, and the matches apparently pass through one
another, becoming linked. They are drawn apart, and pushed back and forth.

Use sulphur matches for this trick. Moisten the tip of the right forefinger, and
when it is pressed against the head of one match, the match will stick to it. When
the hands are brought together, the right forefinger is raised for an instant; the
match comes up with it, and permits the passage of the left hand match. The
matches are drawn apart in the same manner. The hands should be kept in
continuous motion during the "penetration."

7. The Missing Light

When a person wants a lighted match, try this little trick.

You light a match and hold it out to him. Of course he takes the unlighted end. So
you walk away, carrying the light, while he has nothing but the stump of a match.

The match is previously broken in the center. Hold the two portions together
when you light the match. Extend your hand and the person will take the broken
end while you still have the light.

8. Mystic Safety Matches

Safety matches can only be struck on the box. Everyone knows that. Therefore
they will be surprised to see you blissfully light a safety match on the sole of your
shoe!

This requires a little previous preparation.

Take a match box and rub the side of it against the sole of your shoe, at the
instep. Enough of the striking substance will be transferred so that you can light a
match on your shoe.

9. One at a Time
This is a very pretty trick with matches. Two or three matches are used. The right
hand takes them one at a time, and, moving up and down, causes the matches to
disappear, the hand being shown empty with the fingers wide apart.

Method: You must wear a finger ring on your third finger. Bend in the third and
fourth fingers, while the thumb and first two fingers, which are holding the
match, push it down in under the ring, and in back of the finger. The hand is kept
in motion, and when the match is in place the fingers are spread wide apart.

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10. Balancing a Match

Here is a clever method of balancing a match on the back of the thumb.

Set the bottom of the match upon the kunckle of one thumb and bend the thumb
inward. Then extend your thumb and the match will be set in a wrinkle or crease
in the skin. By moving the hand slightly it is an easy matter to keep the match in
an upright position.

11. Burn-out Matches

Matches that go out as soon as they are lighted always create considerable
amusement. These matches are very easily prepared. Obtain some sodium
silicate, which is commonly known as water glass, and paint the matches with it,
just below the heads. Only a narrow strip needs to be painted around each match.
The matches will light when they are struck, but will go out as soon as the flame
encounters the water glass.

12. Ribbon From the Match

The magician takes a box of matches, after showing his hands empty. He removes
a match and strikes it, and then produces a long coil of ribbon from the lighted
match.

To do this, push the drawer of the matchbox halfway open and insert the coiled-
up ribbon in back of the drawer. The matchbox is laid on the table with the open
end towards the audience.

The hands are shown empty. The left hand picks up the box, while the right hand
extracts the match. The drawer of the box is then pushed shut—a most natural
procedure —which ejects the ribbon into the left hand. The right hand lights the
match, and the left approaches, extinguishes the match and pretends to draw the
ribbon from the smoke.

13. Matches Through the Table

This is a very surprising trick with matches, and one that is quite new. A box of
matches is stood on end, on the table, the drawer being part way open, showing
the box filled with matches.

Holding the box with his left hand, the magician strikes the open drawer with his
right hand and drives it shut. Then he reaches under the table with the left hand
and brings up all the matches. The drawer is opened, and found to be quite
empty.

69
For this trick you require a little contrivance which can be made very easily. Cut
about one third off the end of a drawer of a match box. Cut a number of matches
to the same size, and glue them in the portion of the drawer.

Then take an empty match-box, and stick the imitation drawer on the end. To all
appearances you have a full box of matches, which is pushed part way open.
Stand the box on the table; hold it with the left hand. Then strike the imitation
drawer with the right hand, and carry it away in the bend of the fingers. The
spectators see the end of the genuine drawer, and think you have merely driven
the box shut.

Reach under the table, and bring up a lot of loose matches, which you have
concealed there. Then let the people examine the empty box while you quietly
pocket the imitation drawer.

14. The Adhesive Match Box

This is an interesting little item in connection with match tricks. Taking a box of
matches, you set it against your coat sleeve and it sticks there. The box may be
examined.

Use a box of blue-tipped matches, which has sandpaper on the sides. Place the
side of the box against the sleeve and it will adhere there.

15. The Match Square

This is a puzzle with matches; but it is so novel that it is quite as interesting as the
average match trick.

70
Lay four matches in the form of a cross, as illustrated in Fig. 1. The problem is to
move one match and make the matches form the sides of a perfect square.

Solution: Move one match about a sixteenth of an inch, as shown in Fig. 2. Thus
the matches will form the sides of a square, but it will be a very tiny square
indeed! Nevertheless it fulfills the conditions of the problem to the letter.

16. Lighted Match From Pocket

Taking a lighted match from the pocket is a very surprising little trick. All that is
necessary is to have an empty box of safety matches in the pocket, with a loose
match lying beside it. In taking the match from your pocket, strike it on the box
by merely sliding it out. There is no danger from the match as it comes clear of
the pocket just as the flame breaks forth.

A more elaborate trick is the "Lighted Candle From Pocket," which is performed
in the same way. The candle is in the inside coat pocket, and instead of the wick,
it has a blue-tipped match in its end. While the right hand presses the outside of
the pocket and holds the match-box steady, the left hand reaches in, obtains the
candle and strikes it on the box, immediately bringing it from the pocket.

Wooden candles, made in imitation of the usual wax candle, are often used in this
trick.

17. Self-lighting Match

This is even more surprising than the trick just described, inasmuch as the
magician merely opens a box of safety matches, and draws out a lighted match!

Take another match box and cut a square piece out of the side. Glue the little
square just inside the cover of the box you intend to use, under the top of the
cover. Then insert the drawer, with the blank ends of the matches directly under
the little square of striking material.

Push the drawer about one-third open so that the blank ends of the matches
come into view. Take one of the matches and start to withdraw it from the box. In
so doing, "lever" the match on the end of the drawer, and press downward so that
the head of the match is drawn against the hidden square of striking material.
The match will burst into flame just as you draw it from the box.

18. The Multiplying Match

The magician holds a blue-tipped match between the thumb and forefinger of his
right hand. There is nothing else in either hand. The hands are brought together
and the match immediately is joined by another match so that each hand holds a
single match.

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Only one match is used, but it is previously prepared. Take a sharp knife or a
razor blade and split the match down the center, head and all. Press the two
halves carefully together, holding them at the center, and they can be exhibited as
a single match.

When the hands are brought together, each hand takes a section of the match,
and, while the hands are waving up and down, the matches are turned so that the
flat sides are away from the audience. The matches should be held at the base,
one between the thumb and forefinger of each hand. The spectators can see only
one side of each section, and from two feet away, the halves look like perfect
matches.

If the match has been carefully split, each half may be lighted.

19. The Standing Match

Making a match stand upright on the surface of a wooden table seems to be a feat
of very careful balancing. Anyone who tries it will give it up as impossible, but
you can do it with very little difficulty.

There is a trick to it. Secretly moisten the tips of your left thumb and forefinger.
After various persons have been unable to make the match stand, take it (by the
bottom) between your left thumb and forefinger, thus moistening the end of the
match. Transfer the match to your right hand and you can make it stand upright
by simply pressing it against the table.

20. The Diminishing Match-Box

The following trick requires a slight amount of skill, but it is worth the practice.
You have a half-opened box of matches, which is filled. The left hand is closed in
a fist, and the box is held in the end of the fist. The right hand shuts the drawer of
the box and pushes the box into the left fist. But when the left fist is opened, the
match-box is only one-half its original size!

All you need is an ordinary match box and a half-size box such as can be
purchased at many novelty or cigar stores. The large box should be tightly filled
with matches so that they will not rattle when the box is closed, but the small box
is not quite full.

Push the drawer of the large box nearly open and you will find a large hiding
place inside the cover where you can conceal the small box. Of course the
protruding drawer of the large box is towards the audience. Then you are ready
for business.

Show the box, and grip the inner end in your left fist, by the thumb. Turn your
right side towards your audience. Now the right hand is placed squarely over the

72
protruding drawer, and it pushes the drawer shut, thus ejecting the small box
into the left fist. The right hand firmly grips the large box and carries it away, the
box being hidden in the closed right hand.

At the same instant, the left hand is raised, the eyes follow it, and it is shaken
slightly. The spectators hear the matches rattle, and they catch a glimpse of the
box in the left fist, so they think the large box has been pushed in there. If the
magician is seated at a table, he should lower his right hand and let the large box
fall in his lap. If he is standing, he should immediately turn his left side towards
the audience, while shaking the little box. and then throw the box on the table,
while the right hand pockets the large box.

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 CHAPTER X
MISCELLANEOUS TRICKS
1. Glass Balanced on Plate
This appears to be an extraordinary feat of juggling. A plate is held in the right
hand and the left hand sets a glass on top of the plate. The glass balances there,
until it finally topples off and is caught.

The spectators think this trick is difficult, because they see it from in front. The
right hand grips the plate on the right side, with the fingers in front. The right
thumb is free in back of the plate, and it is extended upward. Thus the glass is set
so its base is partly on the plate and partly on the extended thumb, which makes
the balancing a simple matter.

2. Blowing Through a Bottle

A candles is lighted and is set on one side of a bottle. The magician blows against
the bottle, and the candle is extinguished. He has, apparently, blown through the
solid bottle!

A round bottle must be used. When the magician blows against it, the air currents
are divided; but they rejoin on the other side to extinguish the candle. Two or
three bottles or a bottle and a glass may be used. The result will always be the
same.

3. The Mystic Cross

Take a burned match or a bit of charcoal and make a straight line on the palm of
the left hand. Then close the hand and put a similar mark on the back. Rub out
the mark on the back; open the hand, and the missing mark will be found
crossing the mark on the palm!

This trick virtually works itself. Simply make the mark at an angle, across one of
the lines of the hand. Then, when the hand is closed, the first mark will form a
new one, crossing the original mark. The marking and erasing of the back of the
hand is merely byplay.

4. The Jumping Ruler

A ruler is pushed down into the closed fist At the word "Go," the ruler jumps up
to the ceiling.

Method: Slip a rubber band over the second finger of the hand. Close the fist with
the thumb in front and the elastic will not be seen. Push the ruler down into the

74
fist so that it engages the rubber band, but clench the ruler firmly. As soon as you
release pressure the ruler will jump out of the hand. The rubber band may be
dropped on the floor.

5. The Dry Bowl

Pour some water into a shallow bowl, then drop two or three coins into the water.
The trick is to remove the coins without wetting the fingers. The bowl must not be
removed from its present position. In fact, so many conditions may be imposed
that the trick will seem absolutely impossible.

There is a very ingenious method of accomplishing the desired result. Put some
loose paper into a glass, and set fire to the paper.

While it is blazing, quickly invert the glass in the center of the bowl. The water
will be sucked up into the glass and you can remove the coins.

6. The Removable String

Take off your coat, and hang a long loop of string over your arm. Then put your
right hand in your right vest pocket. The problem is to remove the string without
taking the hand from the pocket.

To do it, take hold of the loop with your left hand and pull it up through the right
arm-hole of your vest. Slide the loop over your head, push it through the left
armhole and put your left arm through it. The string will then be around your
body, beneath your vest. Reach up under the vest with the left arm; get hold of
the string and pull it down your body. Then step out of it.

If some one else attempts the trick, he will probably get all tangled up, especially
if he makes the common mistake of putting his right hand in his trousers pocket
instead of in the vest pocket.

7. The Improved Multiplying Corks

This is not a new trick, but an improvement has been added it it which makes it
more effective.

A small pill-box is opened and is shown to contain three corks. The cover is put
on and the box is shaken. When it is reopened, it is found to contain six corks.
These are poured out on the table.

Use a large pill-box, which has a cover identical with the bottom. The "collar" of
the box being removable, the top and bottom are reversible.

75
By the old method, three corks were glued to the inside of the cover; but in the
improved version, they are simply stuck there by dabs of beeswax or diachylon
(lead plaster).

The box is shown to contain three corks. The cover is put on without showing the
interior. The fact that the lid may be lifted thus indirectly proves that it is empty.

Then the box is shaken, and is turned upside down in the action. This loosens the
corks from the erstwhile lid; and when the new lid (formerly the bottom) is lifted,
there are six corks which can be poured out on the table. If the corks are very
lightly attached, the reversal of the box will be unnecessary.

8. Changing Spools
Two spools, one containing black silk thread, the other red, are threaded on a
string, and the ends are held. A handkerchief is thrown over the spools and the
magician reaches beneath it. When he removes the handkerchief, the spools have
changed their positions. The red, which was originally on the right, is now on the
left.

To perform this trick, obtain two strips of paper which match the thread on the
spools. Cover the black thread with red paper, gluing it to form a tight cylinder;
and cover the red thread with black paper. The spools will appear quite ordinary.
When they are under the cloth, tear the paper coverings off the spools, and
remove the papers with the handkerchief. Thus the spools will apparently be
transposed. Both the spools and the string may be thoroughly examined at the
conclusion of the trick.

9. The Ribbon from the Orange

This is a very effective dinner-table trick which should be performed with a small
orange. You cut open the end of the orange, and produce a long coil of colored
ribbon.

The ribbon actually comes from the orange; but it is not there at the beginning of
the trick. It is threaded to a large needle, and is then coiled about the needle. The
coil of ribbon is held in the left hand, with the point of the needle extending in
from the palm, and the left hand is held beneath the table.

The right hand picks up the orange and in transferring it to the left hand, presses
it down on the needle, which goes up through the center of the orange. In cutting
into the orange, get hold of the needle and draw it out, bringing the ribbon along.
The needle is easily concealed in the right hand as it pulls out the ribbon. Keep on
pulling until the whole coil comes out; then, in smoothing the ribbon, slide the
needle off and let it fall to the floor.

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10. The Flower in the Buttonhole

The Flower in the Buttonhole is a very pretty little trick that has been performed
by a number of professional magicians. The effect is very quick and surprising.
The magician points to his empty buttonhole; waves his right hand over it, and a
flower appears there instantly.

An artificial flower is used, preferably a rose. A piece of black cord elastic is

attached to the stem, and it runs through the buttonhole, under the lapel and
down to a lower buttonhole, where it is pulled taut and firmly looped. The flower
is placed under the left armpit, stretching the cord elastic across from the
buttonhole. As the right hand is passed over the buttonhole, the left arm is lifted
slightly, and the flower makes its instant appearance.

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 CHAPTER XI
PAPER TRICKS
Many clever little tricks may be performed with pieces of paper. In fact, some of
the best experiments in impromptu conjuring are done with paper. One of the
most perplexing of all such tricks is called.

1. The Torn and Restored Cigarette Paper

The magician takes a cigarette paper, and tears it to pieces. He rolls the pieces in
a tiny ball, shows his hands empty except for the little ball, and then proceeds to
unroll it. The torn paper is restored, and the hands are empty!

A duplicate paper ball is used. It is rolled and concealed between the tips of the
first and second fingers of the right hand. All the fingers are bent slightly, and the
position of the hand is very natural.

The original paper is torn, rolled into a pellet, and the two pellets are pressed
together, so they may be held between the left thumb and forefinger and shown
as one, while the hands are shown to be otherwise empty. The paper ball is rolled
more tightly, which enables the first and second fingers of the right hand to take
away the torn paper pellet.

Then the fingers and thumbs of both hands start to unroll the duplicate paper
pellet. To assist this action, the tips of the right fingers are raised to the tongue
and are slightly moistened. The torn bits of paper are left in the mouth, and the
restored pellet is completely opened, the hands being shown empty.

2. The Restored Paper Napkin

The effect of this trick is similar to the last. A paper napkin or a large square of
tissue paper is used, and the magician apparently shows how the trick is done, yet
finishes by mystifying his audience.

Three napkins are used. One is rolled in a ball and is placed inside the other two
which are formed in a loose cylinder. The magician unrolls the cylinder, and
secretly grips the rolled up napkin in the bend of his right fingers.

Then he exhibits the two loose napkins, and rolling one into a ball, shows how it
may be concealed under the left fingers. He tears the unrolled napkin, rolls it into
a ball, and adds the napkin from the right hand. He holds the two balls as one at
the tips of his left fingers, calling attention to the ball that is under the left
fingers.

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"Now," remarks the magician, "I will exchange the torn pieces for the restored
napkin." The right hand approaches, and. squeezes the double ball, removing the
ball of torn pieces, leaving a restored ball at the tip of the left fingers and thumb,
and another restored ball under the left fingers. One restored ball is exchanged
for the other, in plain view; and the ball that was under the left fingers is
unrolled, and held up to view. It is carelessly rolled into a ball, with the torn
pieces from the right hand going inside it, and it is dropped in the pocket by the
right hand.

"Here," says the magician, pointing to his left hand, "I still have the torn pieces.
Of course it is necessary to dispose of them in some way. Perhaps the best
method is to unroll them—and then we find that they have also been mysteriously
restored!"

As an additional effect, the magician may have a fourth paper napkin rolled
tightly inside the third. When he reaches the denouement of the trick, and shows
the torn pieces really restored, he carelessly lets the fourth napkin fall to the
floor, where he quickly puts his foot on it. Of course everyone wants to see the
little paper ball that is beneath his foot; so after feigning embarassment the
magician picks it up and calmly unrolls it.

3. The Celebrity Trick

The magician takes a cigarette paper and lays it on the table. He asks some one to
name a famous celebrity, now deceased. Suppose Washington is named.

The magician asks some one to carefully roll the paper into a tiny ball. He takes
the little pellet, and holding it between the tips of his left thumb and forefinger,
places it on the back of the spectator's hand. A few moments later, the paper is
unrolled, and the name 'Washington' appears written on it!

This pseudo-psychic mystery is quite astonishing. Yet it is not a difficult trick to,
perform.

Place a tablet of cigarette papers and a very short pencil in your right trousers
pocket, or in the coat pocket. As soon as the celebrity is named, put your hand in
the pocket and write the name on the top sheet of paper; then roll up the slip of
paper and hold it between the tips of your forefinger and second finger (as with
the restored cigarette paper). When you take the pellet rolled by the spectator,
bring the hands together and add your pellet, holding the two as one; then, in
dropping the pellet on the spectator's hand, retain the spectator's paper with the
fingers of your right hand, and drop the pellet that bears the message. The right
hand easily disposes of the spectator's pellet, and the trick is virtually completed.
You should be careful to perform this trick in a very impressive manner.

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4. The Three Paper Balls

The magician rolls up three tiny balls of paper. He lays them on the table, and
picking up one with the right thumb and forefinger, drops it in the left hand. He
repeats with the second paper ball, and throws the third ball away. But when the
left hand is opened, three paper balls roll out!

The trick is repeated, without hesitation, time after time, but with the same
result; the third ball, thrown away, mysteriously emerges from the left hand.

Method: Again we employ the artifice of holding a ball concealed between the tips
of the first two fingers. A fourth ball is used, and it is hidden in the right hand.
The natural bend of the fingers allay suspicion. The first ball is picked up and is
dropped fairly in the left hand; but when the second ball is dropped in, the
hidden pellet is dropped also, the left hand immediately closing over it. When the
third ball is "thrown away" it is really retained by the right finger tips. When the
left hand is opened, and three balls are rolled out, the trick is ready to be
repeated.

If the trick is performed seated at a dinner-table, the magician should have a

lump of sugar resting on his knee. After the trick has been repeated a number of
times, he asks a spectator to throw away the third ball. Then his left hand rolls
out three balls, and while attention is on them, the right hand picks up the lump
of sugar, holding it in the bend of the fingers.

The right hand picks up two of the paper balls and drops them in the left, letting
the lump fall also. Then the third ball is thrown away, and when the hand is
opened, the lump of sugar rolls out instead of the third ball.

Another finish is to pick up the three balls (or two if the sugar is used) and
pretend to put them in the left hand, really holding them with the right thumb
and fingers. This is not difficult, as the right fingers merely slap the left palm, and
the left hand closes immediately.

When the left hand is opened, the balls have vanished, The right hand,
meanwhile, lets them fall over the edge of the table.

Before performing this trick, it is not a bad plan to scatter some ten or twelve
paper pellets on the floor. People seeing these afterwards will think that they are
paper balls which have been thrown away.

5. The Balls and the Hats

The magician rolls up four paper balls, each about the size of a golf ball. He lays
them on the table so that they form the corners of a square. Then he takes two
hats and puts each one over a ball. Picking up an odd ball, he reaches beneath the

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table, and thumps the bottom of the table. A hat is lifted, and there is the second
ball! The hat is replaced over the two balls; the other odd ball is thumped under
the table, and three balls appear beneath the hat. The three balls are covered with
the hat, and the magician points to the other hat, which has a ball beneath it. He
lifts the hat, and shows it empty. The ball has gone! And when the three-ball hat
is lifted, all four balls are beneath it!

The trick usually ends here, but there is a very surprising conclusion which may
be introduced. The empty hat is laid on the table. The four balls are set upon it,
and the other hat is pressed down on top. When both hats are lifted they reveal a
large paper ball, as big as the hat itself!

The first part of the trick is not difficult of execution. When the magician starts to
place one hat over each of two balls, he is uncertain which of the paper balls to
cover. He puts the right hand over the ball nearest him; and his fingers, which are
underneath the hat, grip the ball, while the other hand is deciding where to put
its hat. Suddenly he lifts the right-hand hat, carrying the ball beneath it, and
instantly drops the left-hand hat upon the space occupied by the right-hand hat.
As the hats come together, no one has a chance to see that the ball is no longer
there. The right hand drops the hat (and the ball) over another ball.

The right hand then picks up an odd ball and thumps it beneath the table. The
left hand picks up the hat and reveals two paper balls. The left hand carries the
hat to the edge of the table, where it is gripped by the right hand. The fingers of
the right hand go inside the hat, holding the ball there. The hat is dropped over
the two balls and the third ball drops with it.

This maneuver is repeated with the other odd ball, so that three balls appear
beneath the hat; and then the fourth ball is secretly introduced. When the
magician points to the other hat which is supposed to cover a ball, he has merely
to lift the hat, show it empty, and then let someone lift the other hat and find all
four balls!

If the magician adds the large ball effect, he goes about it thus: The large ball is
hidden under the coat, on the left side of the body. It rests against the magician's
hip.

The magician shows the one hat empty, picking it up with his right hand. Then he
transfers it to the left hand, which holds the mouth of the hat close against the
body. A person is requested to lift the other hat. As this is done, all eyes will be
upon the four balls which appear beneath it. No one will be looking at the
magician. As he leans forward and gazes at the four balls on the table, his right
hand reaches beneath the coat and slides the large ball into the hat held by the
left hand. Then both hands immediately drop the hat crown upward on the table.
Everything is then set for the mysterious appearance of the large paper ball.

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6. Breaking the Pencil

This is really a paper and pencil trick; the paper used is a dollar bill, or a bill of
larger denomination. The bill is folded in half, lengthways. A person is asked to
hold the ends of a pencil, and the magician strikes the pencil with the creased
edge of the bill. Suddenly he makes a mighty stroke, and the pencil snaps in half!

To do this, simply extend the forefinger while the hand is sweeping downward.
The finger strikes the pencil and breaks it.

7. The Tough Napkin

A paper napkin is twisted in rope fashion, and a person is invited to tear it in half
by pulling directly on the ends. The paper will prove too tough to tear. But when
others have failed, you take the twisted napkin, and tear it with ease.

To accomplish this, dip your fingers in a glass of water while the other persons
are trying to break the napkin. Twist the paper tighter with your fingers, and in so
doing, moisten the center. The napkin will then break when you pull the ends.

8. The Paper Bridge

Take a sheet of note paper and stretch it between two glasses, so that it forms a
sort of bridge. Ask anyone to set another glass on the bridge; the paper will not
support the additional weight. The trick is to make the paper bear that weight.

The solution of the problem is quite artful: pleat the paper lengthways; then it
will bear the weight of the third glass.

9. The Magic Number

The magician writes a number on a slip of paper and folds the paper. He asks
some one to write down a number of three different figures, as: 6 5 1.

The number must then be reversed, and the smaller subtracted from the larger:

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The result (495) must be reversed and added, thus:

When the folded paper is opened, it bears the total 1089!

The secret? Simple enough! No matter what figures the person uses, if he follows
instructions, the answer will always be 1089! So you have merely to write that
number on your folded slip of paper, and then tell the person what to do!

10. The Marked. Paper

Take a packet of cigarette papers, and let a person write on one of them, very
lightly, so that the paper is not indented. The papers are mixed; then you hold
them behind your back, and instantly draw out the marked paper!

Method: Cigarette papers are cut on the bias. You have merely to turn the marked
paper around, before it is inserted with the others; and when you hold the packet
behind your back, you will discover projecting corners that belong to the marked
paper.

11. Three Paper Slips

Take a small sheet of paper and fold it crosswise into three slips of equal size. Tell
a person to write three names on the paper, one in each section, with his own
name in the center. He then tears the paper along the creases, and folds each slip
in quarters. The paper slips are dropped in a hat, and you immediately reach in
without looking and bring out the slip which bears the person's name.

Method: Both edges of the desired slip will be rough. The other slips will each
have one smooth edge. Feel for the paper with the rough edges.

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12. Traveling Tissue Paper

The requirements for this trick are two match-boxes and two sheets of tissue
paper, one red, the other blue.

Crumple the blue paper and put it in a match-box. Mark the end of the drawer
with a blue pencil, and close the box. Crumple the red sheet and put it in the
other box, marking the end of the drawer with a red pencil. Thus the marks tell
the color of the paper contained in each box.

The two boxes are laid on the table. Pass your hand over them, and open them. In
the box with the red mark, you find the blue paper; while the red paper has
mysteriously passed to the box with the blue mark!

On the reverse end of one drawer you must previously make a red mark, and a
blue mark on the reverse end of the other drawer. As each drawer is part way
open, these marks will not be seen. Put the red paper in the box which has the
hidden blue mark; and put the blue paper in the box which bears the concealed
red mark. Then mark the front end of each drawer with a color corresponding to
the paper that is in the box.

Close the drawers and put the two boxes" together. In stepping to the table, or
moving some object out of the way, turn the boxes around, so that when you lay
them on the table, the red marked box is now blue and the blue is red. Thus when
the drawers are opened, the transposition has been effected.

13. The Shower of Paper

This is a very pretty trick, of Oriental origin. The magician tears up a piece of
tissue paper and soaks the strips in a glass of water. He holds the soaked paper in
his left hand, and picking up a fan with the right, fans the wet papers. A flurry of
paper flakes immediately emerges from the left hand, and a tiny cloud of paper
flies about the magician. The wet paper has disappeared.

Method: Although substitution is required in the trick, no special skill is needed.

First cut up some tissue paper into very fine bits, and enclose the flakes in a piece
of tissue paper of the same color. A small rubber band will keep the packet closed.
Lay the package behind a book, upon which the fan and several sheets of paper
are resting.

Pick up a sheet of paper, and lift the packet with it, holding the packet in the left
hand, under the fingers. Tear up the sheet of paper, dip it in water, and squeeze
it. Bring the hands together and raise the left hand, opening the fingers slightly,
so the packet shows through. The audience sees the colored paper and mistakes it
for the soaked pieces.

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The right hand picks up the fan, and in so doing drops the soaked pieces behind
the book. While the right hand fans the left, the left fingers tear open the packet
and release the paper shower. After the shower is completed, the right hand
closes the fan by striking it against the left; and the left hand takes the fan and
replaces it on the book, dropping the tissue paper covering behind the book.

14. Production of Paper Money

The magician holds a dollar bill in his hands; otherwise his hands are empty. He
pulls up his sleeves, and rubs the dollar bill between his hands. A dozen more
bills appear at his finger tips; the single dollar has increased into a stack of paper
money.

Method: The extra bills are folded lengthways, and are rolled into a tight cylinder,
which is hidden in a fold of the left sleeve, at the elbow. After the hands are
shown empty, the sleeves are drawn up; and in pulling up the left sleeve, the right
hand obtains the roll of bills, which are then spread out between the hands under
cover of the bill already there.

15. The Favorite Number

Write down the number 12345679. Give a person a pencil and ask him to pick out
his favorite figure. Suppose he says 7. Tell him to multiply the number by 63. He
does so, and the answer is a row of sevens, thus:

The secret is very simple: When a figure is named by the person, mentally
multiply that figure by 9, and tell the person to multiply the big number by the
total. Thus 9 X 7 = 63, so 63 produces the row of sevens. If three was named as
the favorite figure, the multiplier would be 27.

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 CHAPTER XII
PENCIL TRICKS
1. The Magnetic Pencil
A pencil is held at the magician's finger tips. It mysteriously adheres there,
although only two fingers are pressed against it. Then the pencil is given for
examination, and the hand is shown to be unprepared.

Method: Take a loop of black thread and pass it through a buttonhole of your
coat. Insert the pencil (which should be a dark one), through the loop. Press
outwards against the pencil with the backs of your fingers, letting the thread run
between the fingers. The pressure will make the pencil stick to the fingers. As
soon as pressure is released, the pencil will slip from the loop, which will fall
unseen against your coat.

A dark coat should be worn when this trick is performed.

2. The "Vanishing" Pencil

A pencil is rolled in a sheet of paper. The paper is immediately torn to pieces, and
the pencil is gone!

The pencil is nothing but a hollow paper tube. A glazed, colored paper is the best
to use. A real pencil tip is inserted in one end of the tube; and the eraser end of a
pencil in the other end. You can write with the pencil and it will appear quite
ordinary. But when you roll it up in a sheet of paper, you can tear the paper into
several pieces, to prove that the pencil has gone.

3. Turnabout Pencil
A pencil is exhibited and is pushed into a paper tube, the point of the pencil going
in last. When the pencil comes out the other end of the tube, it emerges point
first, having apparently reversed itself inside the tube.

The pencil is sharpened on both ends. Then a piece of glazed paper is rolled
around it, and glued to form a paper tube. The glazed covering should be just long
enough so that one point of the pencil will extend.

In pushing the innocent looking pencil through the larger paper tube, the
extending point is pushed into the glazed covering, so that the point will extend
from the opposite end. Thus when the pencil comes out it will be reversed,
coming out point first.

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4. Naming the Suit

A sheet of paper is laid on the table. The magician's assistant leaves the room.
Some person is asked to name any suit of a pack of playing cards: diamonds,
clubs, hearts, or spades.

When this has been done, the magician gives him a pencil and tells him to write
"What suit did I choose?" or any other words that ask the same question. The
person then takes the paper and pencil out to the assistant who immediately
writes the name of the chosen suit.

Pencils are responsible for this trick. The magician has four different pencils in
his pocket, each one representing a different suit. He merely gives the proper
pencil to the spectator to take out to the assistant. When the assistant sees the
pencil he knows the chosen suit.

5. Pencil From Pocketbook

A small purse is opened, and a pencil is drawn from its interior. The pencil is
three times as long as the pocketbook.

The pencil is previously concealed up the sleeve, so that the tip of it comes into
the palm of the hand. The back of the hand is towards the audience.

The bottom of the purse has an opening, so that when the purse is placed in the
hand that hides the pencil, and the pocketbook is opened, the other hand can
reach down through and draw out the pencil.

An ordinary purse may be used: in this case the pencil is drawn up in back of the
purse; from a short distance it will appear to come from inside the purse.

Note: For other tricks with pencils, see: "The Fountain Pencil" (page 62); and
"Breaking the Pencil" (page 82).

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 CHAPTER XIII
RING TRICKS
Tricks with rings cover a wide range, for there are rings of all sorts and sizes. The
rings required for the following experiments are all easily obtained. Tricks with
Chinese coins come under the head of ring tricks, and in such cases as they are
required, plain metal washers may be used instead of the Oriental, cash.

1. The Phantom Ring

A metal ring, some three inches in diameter, is employed in this trick. The ring is
given for thorough examination. Then the magician allows his wrists to be tied
with cord, leaving a length of string between the wrists. He takes the ring, turns
his back for a few moments, and then shows his hands again. The ring is on the
string between the wrists!

Two rings are used in the trick. They should be sufficiently large to pass over the
hand and on to the wrist. Large bracelets may be used, but solid metal rings may
be bought cheaply at a hardware store. One of these rings is on the performer's
arm, under his sleeve. He exhibits the other ring, and as soon as his hands are
tied, turns his back or steps out of sight. He quickly drops the examined ring into
his pocket and lets the duplicate ring slide down his arm, over his hand, and onto
the string. Then he steps out and shows that the miracle has been accomplished.

2. The Improved Phantom Ring

The effect of this trick is the same as that of the last, but the ring is made of
pliable rubber. A ring of this type is used with certain makes of vacuum cleaners,
and costs very little. It will stand minute inspection, for it is unprepared.

This is the only ring used. When the magician turns away, he slides it over his
hand, and pulls it under the loop of string that encircles his wrist. The string is
then on his arm, and can be slipped over the hand and onto the wrist.

3. Ring Tied on String

The effect of this trick is the same as the effects of the last two; but a ring of any
size may be used, and the ring is actually tied on the string between the wrists.

To accomplish this, gather up a loop of string between the wrists, thrust it

through the center of the ring, and push the loop under the string that encircles
the left hand. Then draw the loop over the left fingers and again push it under the
string that encircles the left wrist. Once more pull the loop over the left fingers,
and the ring will be tied on the string.

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There should be plenty of string between the wrists. With a little practice the
various movements can be effected in a very few seconds.

4. The Ring on the Finger

In this trick, the magician's hands are tied behind his back, the wrists being
firmly bound together. A finger ring is placed between the magician's teeth, and
he steps behind a screen or out of the room. The spectators call out and designate
one of the magician's fingers, or thumbs, and a moment later he appears, with the
ring on the chosen finger, but with his wrists still firmly tied.

Method: As soon as he is out of sight, the magician swings his hands as far to the
left as he can get them, so that the right hand is palm up. By turning his head to
the left, he can let the ring drop from his teeth into the right hand. It is then an
easy matter to slip the ring on any finger.

5. The Ring and String

This is a simple trick, and one that can be performed very rapidly. Make a loop of
string and thread a ring on it. Ask a spectator to extend his forefingers upward,
and slip one end of the loop over each finger, so the forefingers hold the string
with the ring between them. The problem is to remove the ring without taking the
string from the person's fingers.

To do this, take hold of one string to the right of ring, and slip the string over the
person's right finger, which will be to your left. Immediately remove the loop that
was already over the right finger, and the ring will fall off, but the string will still
run from finger to finger

6. The Released Rings

A ring is looped on a string, in the center. Then several other rings are dropped
over both ends of the string, so that they slide down and are caught by the bottom
ring. Some person holds both ends of the string, and a handkerchief is thrown
over the rings. The magician immediately reaches under the cloth and removes
the rings!

The secret lies in the manner in which the first ring is "tied" to the string. The two
ends of the string are first pushed through the center of the ring. They are then
run back through the loop at the center of the string, and the string is drawn
tightly against the ring. To all appearances, the ring is tightly affixed to the string,
but by taking hold of the loop and drawing it down the sides of the ring, the
magician can release the ring. This is done underneath the cloth, and, of course,
the other rings drop off when the supporting ring is removed.

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7. The "Vanishing" Ring

The "vanishing" of a ring is not a difficult problem. Simply have a plain ring sewn
in the corner of a large handkerchief. Borrow a ring and put it under the
handkerchief. At the same time push up the corner of the handkerchief so that it
may be gripped through the center of the cloth. Any person may take hold of the
ring and satisfy himself that it is there, but he is holding the duplicate ring, while
your hand calmly goes away with the original. When the handkerchief is shaken
out, the ring will have vanished completely.

8. The Ring in the Egg

The Vanishing Ring trick, just explained, is most effective in combination with a
trick wherein the borrowed ring is mysteriously reproduced. Such a trick is the
Ring in the Egg.

After the borrowed ring has disappeared, an egg is broken, with a buttonhook,
and the hook is inserted in the egg. A moment later the hook emerges, carrying
the borrowed ring!

The egg may be examined before the trick begins.

Method: While the audience is holding the handkerchief, which they believe
holds the borrowed ring, you walk to a nearby table to get the buttonhook, and an
egg cup. The egg cup has some wax or paraffine in the bottom. In picking up the
cup, insert the ring edgewise in the bottom, so that it is imbedded in the wax.
Bring forward the cup and the buttonhook. Take the egg and set it in the cup. The
handkerchief is shaken, and the ring has vanished. Holding the egg with the
fingers of the left hand, break the top with the buttonhook, which is held by the
right hand. At the same time, press down on the egg and the ring will be forced
through the bottom. Thus the ring is actually in the egg, and may be produced on
the end of the hook.

9. The Ring From the String

This is one of the best of ring tricks. Preferably it should be performed with a
Chinese coin or a washer, but a ring may be used.

The ring is threaded on a string, and the ends are held by two persons. Then a
cloth is thrown over the ring. You reach under the cloth, and remove it a moment
later, showing the ring is now tied to the string. Then, while the ends of the string
are still held, you take the ring right off the string!

Two rings are used in the trick. The duplicate is concealed in the right hand. In
reaching under the cloth, the hands gather a loop of the string and push it

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through the center of the loose ring. Then the loop is spread over the ring so that
it is temporarily held to the string.

The left hand covers the original ring, which should be to the left of the duplicate.
The right hand removes the cloth and everyone sees the duplicate ring, which
they think is the original. At this point you carelessly slide your hands along the
string to the ends, and momentarily take the ends away from the spectators so
that you can hold the string up higher. You immediately put the ends back in
their hands. This little procedure has, however, enabled you to draw the original
ring right off the end of the string. While your left hand pockets the original ring,
along with the handkerchief, the right hand mysteriously removes the ring from
the center of the string.

10. The Cardboard Ring Trick

The effect of this trick is identical with "The Ring From the String," but a ring, or
washer, of cardboard is utilized instead of the metal article. A duplicate ring is
used and is threaded on the string; but the original ring may be torn off and
carried away when the handkerchief is removed, thus eliminating the subterfuge
of sliding the hands along and off the ends of the string.

11. Instantaneous Appearance of Six Rings

Metal washers or Chinese coins should be used in this surprising trick. The
magician holds out his right hand, with the palm towards the audience. The hand
is obviously empty, but when he grasps in the air, he instantly catches half a
dozen Chinese coins, which are tossed from hand to hand, and finally given for
inspection.

The coins are first stacked together. A thread, white or pink, is then run through
their centers, and tied in a loop. The loop should be long enough so that when it
is slipped over the right thumb the coins will hang out of sight behind the hand.

With the coins in position, the palm of the hand may be shown quite empty, the
thread being invisible at a distance of a few feet. Swing the hand upward, and tilt
it slightly forward. The coins will fly over into the hand, where they are caught in
the fist.

The coins may be tossed from hand to hand without breaking the thread, or they
may be "vanished" from the right hand. This is done by letting the coins lie on the
palm of the hand. Then the left hand covers the coins, and the left fingers push
them over and in back of the right hand, where they hang out of sight, while both
palms are shown. Then the coins may be caught again, and this time, the string is
broken when the coins are passed from hand to hand, so the coins may be given
for inspection.

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12. The Dropping Ring

This experiment may be worked with a finger ring or a napkin ring. Take a circle
of string and push one end through the center of the ring; then push the opposite
end through the loop thus formed.

A reference to the diagram will show how the string appears. Let two persons
take hold of the string at the points marked X and Y, while you hold the loop Z.
When they pull the ends taut, the string will be held in three ways.

Have your other hand below the ring and say, "Pull." As the persons pull on the
loops, let go of the loop you are holding, and the ring will drop into your
outstretched hand.

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 CHAPTER XIV
SPIRIT TRICKS
The art of modern magic requires the production of apparently supernatural
effects through the application of natural methods. So, for many years, magicians
have been performing tricks which closely resemble so-called psychic
phenomena.

It is a well-known fact that there are many fakers who pretend to produce
genuine manifestations, yet who are really making use of tricks that are known to
most magicians.

The following chapter explains a number of tricks of this type—tricks which are
quite mystifying and highly entertaining, when shown as part of a magical
performance. The chapter has nothing whatever to do with the pros and cons of
psychic phenomena. That is a subject that must be carefully studied and
thoroughly investigated in an open-minded manner, for a great many good
arguments have been presented on both sides of the question.

1. The Taped Slates

Two slates are bound with a piece of tape, which runs crosswise about them. The
surface of one slate is marked with a figure 1; then the slates are turned over and
the other is marked with a figure 2. The slates are untied, and the inner surfaces
are shown, one being marked 3 and the other 4. Then the slates are tied together
with the tape. When they are untied, a message is found between them, written
on one of the slates.

The message, or written word, is on the slate at the beginning. It is on the side of
the upper slate marked 1. It is written lengthwise along the slate with a sharp
chalk or slate pencil, and the letters are just small enough to be concealed by the
ribbon which is around the slates.

When the tied slates are shown and the outer surfaces are marked 1 and 2, no one
supposes that the ribbon hides anything. When the slates are unbound, the side
marked 1 is laid down on the table, the side 2 being up. Thus side 2 is seen; that
slate is turned over and the inner sides are marked 3 and 4. Then one slate is laid
with side 2 up; and the other slate is placed upon it, so that side 1 comes over side
2, while 3 and 4 become the outsides of the slates.

The slates are tied up in the tape, which is later removed and the message is
found. The letters of the message appear much higher than the width of the
ribbon.

The trick may be performed with two slabs of cardboard, the message appearing
in ink.

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2. The Three Spirit Slates

This is a stock item among magicians, but it is usually performed with two slates.
The addition of the third slate is a great improvement.

The magician shows both sides of three slates. Then he asks that one slate be
chosen. This slate he discards, tucking it under his left arm. He numbers the
other slates 1 and 2, and places them together with the numbers on the outside.
When the slates are taken apart, a message appears on the inner surface of one
slate. The slate is given for examination, and the other slate is also handed for
inspection.

Beside the slates, a black flap is used, made of silicate or of cardboard. It lies on
one of the slates, and covers the message, which is written previously. The flap is
just the size of the slate minus the frame, so it hides the message perfectly.

When the magician shows the three slates on both sides, he asks that one be
selected. If it is not the flap slate, he puts the chosen slate under his left arm
saying that that slate will be eliminated. If, however, the flap slate is chosen, he
says: "I will use this slate, and one of the others. Which of the other two slates do
you choose?"

Thus one of the two odd slates finds its way under the left arm.

The flap slate and the unprepared slate are placed together and they are turned
over, which lets the flap fall on the unprepared slate. The slates are laid on the
table, and the upper slate is turned over, showing the message. The flap lies on
the blank slate.

Without hesitation, the magician pushes forward the slate with the message.
Then he picks up the blank slate with his left hand, and with his right hand, takes
the third slate from under his left arm. He sets the third slate on the slate that has
the flap, and turns the two slates over, thus transferring the flap to the odd third
slate, which is immediately replaced under the left arm. Then the second slate,
rid of the flap, is laid on the table for inspection.

"Getting rid of the flap" is considered the most difficult part of the slate trick. This
method makes it very easy, and enables the magician to walk away with the flap
on the innocent third slate leaving the two numbered slates in the possession of
the audience.

3. The Spirit Name

This is a trick that requires careful observation. After it has been tried a few
times, it seldom fails to work.

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Tell a person to think of a spirit name—of some celebrity, if he wishes.

Then tell him that he is to write down a list of names on a sheet of paper, and
somewhere in the list he must place the name upon which he is concentrating.
Eight or ten names will be enough. Before beginning, he should determine
mentally at what number he will write the chosen name.

The person writes down the names, while you are looking on. When he has
finished, you hold his hand and look at the list. Then you immediately pick out
the spirit name of which he was thinking.

Method: While the person is writing down the names, he will generally hesitate to
think of what name he will write next. But when he comes to the point where he
has intended to write the chosen name, he will write it without hesitation. Thus
you can tell which name is the chosen one.

4. The Spirit Hand

The magician holds both his forefingers in front of a person's eyes, and tells the
person to close his eyelids. Then the tips of the forefingers are set against the
eyelids.

"Can you feel both of my forefingers?" asks the magician.

"Yes," is the reply.

"Then," says the magician, "since both of my hands are occupied, I will call upon
a spirit hand to aid me."

At this instant an unknown hand brushes the person's hair, and taps his
forehead. The magician immediately removes his hands and the spectator may
open his eyes. But no one else is nearby. There seems to be no explanation of the
spirit touch.

This trick is done very artfully. As soon as the person shuts his eyes, the magician
extends the first two fingers of one hand, spreads them and places one against
each of the person's eyelids. This leaves the magician's other hand free to act as
the spirit hand. When the fingers are removed from the eyelids, both hands are
held with forefingers extended.

5. Contact Telepathy

This is an interesting experiment performed by two people. One acts as the

transmitter of thoughts. He is told a number, while the receiving person is out of
the room. Then the transmitter is seated in a corner, with his back towards the
room. The receiver is brought in. blindfolded. He is allowed to place the tips of

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his forefingers upon the temples of the transmitter. A few moments later the
receiver announces the number!

There is no mind reading to it. The transmitter signals to the receiver by a very
artful system. By simply tightening his lower jaw, the transmitter causes his
temples to press slightly against the receiver's forefingers. In this manner the
receiver is informed of the number. Suppose the number was 153. The
transmitter would press his jaw once, signifying one; then after a slight interval,
he would make five presses; then another interval, and three presses. Thus any
number of moderate length can be "transmitted" quickly and undetectably.

Ten presses signify zero.

6. Reading Sealed Message

A name is written on a slip of paper, which is put, written side down, into an
envelope. The envelope is sealed.

Holding the envelope to his forehead the magician instantly names the written
name.

Method: A flap is cut in the face of the envelope. This side of the envelope is
down, so the cut is not seen. When the message is inside, the magician raises the
envelope to his forehead. At the same time his thumb lifts up the flap and he sees
the written name.

7. Improved Envelope Test

This is the most effective of all sealed envelope readings. Take a few envelopes
and glue them together. Cut out a space in the center of the envelopes large
enough to hold a small tobacco tin. The tin contains a sponge, saturated with
alcohol.

A number of genuine envelopes are placed upon the dummy stack, and, of course
the bottom envelope of the dummy pile is complete. Thus the hidden sponge
cannot be seen.

A number of envelopes are given out, with slips of paper. Names are written on
these slips which must be inserted, writing down, in the envelopes. The magician
gathers up the envelopes, and adds them to those he still has, so that the
envelopes containing the questions come directly on top of the alcohol sponge.

The magician then draws out the lowermost of the question envelopes and holds
it to his forehead. The alcohol renders its transparent and the magician can read
the name or message that is within. This is repeated with all the remaining

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questions. The envelopes should be laid on the table, leaning against a lamp,
which will quickly dry the alcohol, and make the envelopes opaque once more.

8. The Great Rope Tie

The magician is seated in a chair behind a screen. His arms are crossed, ropes are
tied about his wrists, and the ends of the cords are fastened to the chair rungs.

As soon as everyone has left him alone, bells, placed beside the magician, begin to
ring. Articles are tossed over the screen. But a half-minute later, when the
magician invites people back to see him, he is tied as securely as before. He must
be untied to be released.

The magician does not escape from the ties at all, but he does release himself
sufficiently to ring the bells and throw things from behind the screen. By sliding
down in the chair, the magician can raise one arm over his head, and can then
slip under the other arm. Thus he is partially free. After ringing the bells, he
slides back into the ropes just as he was before. As the ropes have not been
tampered with, the inference is that some unseen force, and not the magician,
rang the bells.

The magician can also tie a ring on the string, as an additional effect. (See "Ring
Tied on String," page 88).

Note: For other spirit tricks see: "The Celebrity Trick," page 79; and
"Disappearing Water," page 62.

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 CHAPTER XV
SUGAR TRICKS
1. Floating Sugar
This is an interesting experiment with a lump of sugar. The lump is dropped in a
cup of liquid, and of course it sinks to the bottom. But, a few moments later, the
sugar suddenly rises to the surface of the liquid and floats there!

The lump of sugar is an ordinary cube of sugar, which has first been dipped in
liquid collodion. When the lump is dry, it appears unchanged. When it is dropped
into liquid, the sugar melts; but the collodion preserves the shape of the lump
and up it comes to the top.

2. Burning Sugar
Ask a person to set fire to a lump of sugar. He will be unable to do so. The flame
of the match will merely blacken the sugar. But when you apply a match to a
lump, the sugar burns with a tiny blue flame.

Sugar contains alcohol, and it will burn provided the combustion is once started.
To do this, secretly dip the corner of the lump into cigarette or cigar ashes; then
apply the match, and the sugar will burn.

3. The Cloud of Sugar

This trick has been attributed to the Hindu fakirs. A mouthful of sugar is taken
from a spoon, and suddenly it is blown forth in a dry cloud. This is particularly
effective when colored sugars are used, as two or three clouds may be blown.

The dry sugar is contained in a large capsule, which has pinholes at the ends. It is
taken into the mouth with the spoonful of sugar. The loose sugar dissolves, of
course; but the capsule is held between the lips, and by blowing through it, the
cloud of sugar is formed.

4. The Mystic Letter

This is a very interesting problem in mystery. A person is requested to write an
initial or a figure on a lump of sugar, and to lay the lump with the letter down.
The magician takes the lump of sugar, and without looking as it, drops it in a
glass of water. He tells the person to close his fist, then holding the glass of water
above the spectator's clenched hand. After the sugar is partly dissolved, the
magician tells the spectator to open his fist and there on the palm of the hand, is
the imprint of the letter on the sugar, perfectly reproduced!

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Now for the secret, which is quite artful. While the spectator is writing the initial,
the magician secretly moistens the ball of his right thumb; this can often be done
by merely rubbing the thumb along the outside of the glass. Just a bit of
dampness is required.

In picking up the lump of sugar, the magician presses his thumb against the
initial side; then he drops the sugar in the glass. The imprint of the letter remains
on the magician's thumb. With both of his hands, the magician grasps the
spectator's hand and closes it into a fist. In so doing, the magician's thumb
presses against the person's palm, and thus leaves the imprint of the initial.

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 CHAPTER XVI
THIMBLE TRICKS
1. A "Vanishing" Thimble
A thimble is placed on the finger tip of the right hand and is removed by the left
hand. When the left hand is opened, the thimble has disappeared. The thimble is
originally on the second finger of the right hand, while the other fingers are bent
in. When the right hand is swung over to the left, the second finger is bent in, and
the forefinger is extended in its place. The left hand immediately closes around
the forefinger and pretends to draw away the thimble. The forefinger is seen
without the thimble; so everyone supposes that the thimble is in the left hand.
But when the hand is opened the thimble is gone.

The thimble may be drawn from the left elbow, on the tip of the second finger.

2. Color-changing Thimble
This is a variation of the preceding trick. A red thimble is placed on the tip of the
right forefinger and a blue one on the tip of the second finger. The blue thimble is
shown and is apparently placed in the left hand. But again the fingers change
positions, during the motion of the right hand, and when the left hand is opened,
a red thimble is there instead of a blue.

3. The Jumping Thimble

A thimble is shown on the tip of the second finger of the right hand. The left hand
is also shown, but it has no thimble. The hands are waved, and the thimble jumps
from the right hand to the left, and back again.

Take a thin metal thimble and saw it or cut it in half, from top to bottom. Put one
portion on the front of the right second finger, and the other portion on the back
of the left second finger. By pressing the bottom edges of the half-thimbles, the
magician can clamp them firmly to the finger tips.

Now, when the palms of the hands are shown, there will be a thimble on the tip of
the right second finger; but none will be in view on the left.

In waving the hands, turn the backs towards the spectators, and the left-hand
thimble will come into view while the right-hand thimble will be out of sight.
Another wave of the hands brings the palms front and the thimble is back on the
right.

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4. Thimble From Paper

A small sheet of paper is shown on both sides. It is rolled into a cone. The right
forefinger is inserted in the cone, and comes out bearing a thimble.

The thimble is originally on the right forefinger. The paper is held at one end by
the right forefinger, beneath, and the right thumb, above. The left hand grips the
other end of the paper, and folds it over so that it covers the right thumb, which
then releases the under end so that it springs forward. The right forefinger
immediately comes up beneath the end held by the left hand, and the right thumb
is set on top. Thus both sides of the paper are exhibited without revealing the
thimble.

The left hand rolls the paper in a cone around the right forefinger, which is
withdrawn, leaving the thimble in the cone. The finger is shown, and is carefully
inserted in the cone, emerging with the thimble.

5. Thimble Through Handkerchief

The magician borrows a handkerchief and places a thimble beneath it, holding
the thimble on the tip of his forefinger. He squeezes the handkerchief, and the
thimble goes half way through it, so that both sides of the cloth may be shown,
with the thimble extending through.

Then the thimble is pushed back, and the handkerchief is returned, uninjured.

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Two thimbles are required for the trick. One must fit loosely over the other. The
tip of the larger thimble is cut off, just at the bottom of the rough part. When this
thimble tip is placed on the smaller thimble, the thimble appears quite ordinary,
at a short distance.

In working, show the thimble, and place it temporarily in the left fist. Then take
the thimble on the right forefinger, leaving the false tip in the left hand. Place the
right hand under the cloth, with the forefinger extended, and insert the forefinger
into the left fist, picking up the false tip. The handkerchief can then be shown
with the thimble apparently half way through it!

Then place the left fist over the right forefinger and remove the false tip.
Withdraw the handkerchief and show the thimble. Push the thimble into the left
fist, and leave the false tip on it, so the hands may be shown empty, except for the
thimble. It is an easy matter to dispose of the false tip after this.

6. Complete Penetration

This is a good trick to work in connection with the previous item, as only the
thimble itself is used, and it apparently passes right, through the handkerchief.

The thimble is set on the tip of the forefinger, which is held upright, and a
handkerchief is set over it. The back of the right hand is towards the audience and
the left hand approaches in front of the extended finger with the back of the left
hand also towards the audience.

Now, the finger which is extended under the cloth is in reality the second finger,
which has been raised instead of the forefinger. So as soon as the left hand covers
in front of the handkerchief, the forefinger is raised up under the hem, and comes
up in back of the handkerchief. As the left fist is closed, it encircles both the
forefinger and the second finger, and grips the thimble. The left hand is raised
slightly, to set the thimble on the second finger, through the cloth. The forefinger
is immediately bent down. Then the left hand is removed, and there is the
thimble through the handkerchief.

The left hand takes off the thimble. Then the handkerchief is given for
examination, and the right hand is shown empty.

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 CHAPTER XVII
WATCH TRICKS
1. The Stop Watch
A watch is shown, with the second hand running. Anyone can hear the watch tick.
But when the watch is laid on the table, it stops immediately.

Method: Have a magnet concealed under the table-cloth. When the watch is laid
above the magnet, the works will be stopped. Never perform this trick with an
expensive watch, as the magnet may affect it. Use an old, cheap watch; especially
one that is an erratic time keeper.

2. Number Six
This is a catch, rather than a trick. Ask a person the time, and when he replaces
his watch in his pocket, mention that although he has been looking at his watch
every day, he cannot tell you whether the number six on the face is a Roman
numeral (VI) or an Arabic numeral (6).

Of course he will say that he does know; and when he has stated which it is, tell
him to look at his watch. To his surprise he will find that there is no number six at
all!

The reason is because the second hand of the watch occupies the space provided
for number 6. When you ask him for the time your purpose is to learn whether or
not his watch has a second hand. If it has one, you may go ahead safely.

3. Telling the Time

Borrow a watch and tell the company to set it at any time they choose, as five, ten,
fifteen (or some other unit of five) minutes after an hour. You leave the room
while this is being done, and the watch is laid face down on the table.

When you return, you merely look at the back of the watch and immediately tell
the time at which it is set!

Method: You must have a confederate for this trick. You and he divide the table
into twelve imaginary squares, each square representing an hour. After the watch
has been set and placed on the table, the confederate carelessly moves it into the
proper square to designate the hour. At the same time he turns the watch so that
the stem points to the minute, imagining that there is a dial around the watch.

One glance at the watch will tell you the time at which it is set.

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4. The Mystic Alarm Clock

This is a similar trick with an alarm clock; but no confederate is needed. Some
person is invited to set the minute hand of the clock at any number he chooses,
and to lay the clock face down. Looking at the back of the clock, you name the
number to which the large hand points.

Method: The winding knob of an alarm clock often has a little mark which points
to the top of the clock when the minute hand points to twelve. If no such mark
appears, set the clock at twelve and make a scratch on the knob. When you look
at the knob it will tell you where the minute hand is pointing; for the scratch on
the knob will act as an indicator on a tiny imaginary dial. The "dial" will be in
reverse order, running 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, etc.

5. The Watch from the Handkerchief

A watch is placed in the center of a large handkerchief. The corners of the

handkerchief are drawn through a metal ring, and the corners are held by
different persons. Then you throw a napkin over the handkerchief, and reaching
beneath, immediately draw out the watch!

Method: Although the corners of the handkerchief are held, and the watch cannot
pass through the metal ring, the removal of the watch is an easy matter. Take
hold of the side of the handkerchief and pull it down through the ring, thus
making a space between the corners through which you may withdraw the watch.
If you have a coin in your hand, you can drop it in the handkerchief instead of the
watch. Then pull the ring down against the coin.

6. Down the Sleeve

Magicians are supposed to put objects "up their sleeves." In this trick you
deliberately drop a watch in your sleeve, and then challenge anyone to find it. The
sleeve is shaken, and felt, but no trace of the watch remains!

Method: The watch is apparently put in +the left sleeve. Hold your left hand
against your face so that the opening of the sleeve comes directly in front of the
left breast pocket. Hold the watch between your right thumb and forefinger, and
as the other fingers spread the sleeve open, let the watch drop in the pocket. The
illusion is perfect. Extend your hand, and shake the sleeve a bit, and everyone will
look there for the watch.

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