SECRETS OF MY MAGIC
By DAVID DEVANT
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION By S. H. SHARPE
CHAPTER I: CARD MAGIC
Misdirection of the Senses—How Cards are Forced—Tricks
with Forcing Cards—The
“Pass” and the “False Shuffle”—Prepared
Card Packs.
CHAPTER II: CARD MAGIC (continued)
The Art of Palming Cards—"Changing" a
Card-"La Carte Generale" and How it is
Done—Sleights-of-Hand—The Multitude of Cards Trick.
CHAPTER III: BILLIARD BALL MAGIC
Multiplication of Billiard Balls—Transformation of Balls
into Eggs—Ball and Egg
Production—Transfers, Sleights and Apparatus Used in Ball
Conjuring.
CHAPTER IV: BILLIARD BALL MAGIC (continued)
How to Present a Billiard Ball Illusion—Method of Working—The
Cup and Balls
Trick—Transforming Balls into Oranges.
CHAPTER V: FLOWER MAGIC
“The Dream of the Dove” Illusion—Flower
Materialisation—Producing Blooms from
seeds—The Electric Conservatory and the Beast who turns into
a Prince
CHAPTER VI: OPENING ILLUSIONS
Producing a Rabbit from a Top Hat—The Silver Ball Trick—Importance
of Details—How
Maskelyne Began.
CHAPTER VII: MECHANICAL MAGIC
“The Golliwog Ball”—Juggling with Milk—The
Paper, Ribbon and Flag Trick explained.
CHAPTER VIII: FAMOUS ILLUSIONS REVEALED
“The Mascot Moth” or “The Disappearing Lady”—"The
Magician’s Heart"—"The Artist’s
Dream"—The Man who turns into a Woman.
CHAPTER IX: MORE FAMOUS ILLUSIONS
“Beau Brocade”—"The New Page-boy"—"The
Mystery of the Magic Mirror"
CHAPTER X: EGG MAGIC
An Abundance of Eggs—A Boy, a Girl and Some Eggs—Hatching
a Chicken from an
Egg—The Egg-bag Trick Improved.
CHAPTER XI: THE INDIAN ROPE TRICK
A Stage Version of this Mythical Illusion Presented and
Explained.
CHAPTER XII: MAGICAL MYSTERIES
“The Window of the Haunted House”—The Ink that
becomes Water—"The Chocolate
Soldier" Illusion, or “The Man who Diminishes”
CHAPTER XIII: MORE MAGICAL MYSTERIES
Wines and Liqueurs from a Kettle—"The Burmese
Gong" Illusion—The Magician who
Vanishes Himself
CHAPTER XIV: MAGICAL SKETCHES
“St. Valentine’s Eve,” or “The Envelope which
becomes a Girl”—"The Enchanted Hive"
Illusion—The Great Ghost Trick
CHAPTER XV: MASTERPIECES OF MAGIC
“Biff,” or “The Disappearing Motor-Cyclist”—"The
Gnome’s Grot"—"The Educated Fly"
Illusion
CHAPTER XVI: MENTAL MAGIC
Thought-Reading Extraordinary—The Secrets of Mental
Magnetism—"
Translucidation," or “The Blindfold Letter-Reader”
CHAPTER XVII: THREE UNPRODUCED ILLUSIONS
“The Advent of Peter Pan ”—"
Transformation"—"The Cage of Good Luck"
CHAPTER XVIII: CREATING AN ILLUSION
Ideas and Effects—A Novel Illusion—"The Man who
Makes Money"—Misrepresentation
CHAPTER XIX: SOME AWKWARD MOMENTS
In the Eyes of the Law—An Unexpected Wetting—The
Gunpowder Plot
CHAPTER XX: MAGIC OF MY CONTEMPORARIES
A New Method for the Spirit Slates—by Oswald Williams
The Card and Tack Trick—by Horace Goldin
Invisible Dye—by Douglas Dexter
A New" Thought-Wave" Experiment—by H. Park
Shackleton
Surprising Finish to Cigarette Production—by Len Burnell
The Spirit Message—by G. W. Eade
£1000 Challenge Effect—by Fred Hocking
A “Tee Bee” Effect—by Tom Burnett
Misdirection—by Arthur Sherwood
CHAPTER XXI: MAGIC OF MY CONTEMPORARIES
(continued)
A. B. C. Watch and Card Trick—by Herbert J. Collings
A Pack of Cards—by Graham Adams
The Caledonian Mystery—by W. Donald Forsyth
The Diminishing Card Trick—by Edward Victor
The Indestructible Handkerchief—by Allen Benbow
The Torn Strip of Paper—by Ralph Delvin
The Miracle Paper—by Ellis Stanyon
Handkerchief, Tumbler and Flowers—by Will Blyth
“The Allottment” By Vincent Dalban
Shopping by Wireless—by Ralph Chart
Blindfold Card Reading—by George Johnson
The Vanity Bag Illusion—by Cecil Lyle
The Presto Painting Mystery—by W. G. Stickland
The Optical Pass—by Chris Van Bern
New Spirit Message Effect—by Oswald Rae
Coin and Card Divination—by Edward Bagshawe
The Multiple Laundry Mystery. By Kershaw Thomas
Tests of the Court Magician—by Francis White
Early Days of Magic—by the late Charles Moritt
The Mystery of Asrah—by Servais Le Roy
The Sunshade Trick—by L. Davenport
APPENDIX: NOTES FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF CONSERVATORY IN “THE
ADVENT OF PETER PAN” ILLUSION