Anonymous: The Boy's Book of Magic ©1949 Clerke & Cockeran Pub, Ltd, London Hardcover, w/dj, 5.5x8.5", 192 pages Recent Reprints: ©2008 Stewart Press ©2008 Hesperides Press ISBN 978-1-40972-634-0 ISBN 978-1-44373-682-4

Image courtesy eBay seller DonBursell

Comments: This is a great beginner's book. Provides thorough explanations and tips for presentation as was much more common in these older books. I have not found author information for this book. Note: there seem to be several books by this same Title; Carrington's Boy's Book of Magic contains "Hindu magic" and "handcuff tricks", which are not found here. Clarke's Boy's Book of Magic contains only 127 pages and ends with a levitation, which is not found here. If anyone knows the author, I'd love to update the listing!

Contents:

5 Becoming a Master Magician: advice

8 The First Programme
8 The Magic Wand: making one
8 A Painless Operation: wand penetrates the spectator without harm
11 A Magical Mixup: two handkerchiefs and two bracelets break free from a rope
14 The Acrobatic Card: two selections turn face up in a face down pack
17 The Torn Cigarette Paper: torn and restored
18 Pardon My Mistake!: a sucker version of the above
20 An Egg From Nowhere: paper is fanned to produce an egg
23 Caught!: a sucker trick with Jumbo cards
28 Penny Through the Hat: Six pennies are dropped in a hat and one passes through into a glass
31 A Bewildering Balance: balancing a penny on the back of the hand
32 The Fireproof Handkerchief: burnt and restored
35 Red, White and Blue: colored papers are burned over a newspaper, and a flag is pulled out of the paper

38 Make the Most of Your Show
38 Showmanship: essay on actually presenting magic rather than just doing tricks
41 A Lightning Strike: producing a lighted match from your pocket; a lesson in creativity
43 A Big Blow: match is blown out by blowing up the opposite sleeve
45 The Magnetic Wand: the wand clings to your palm

48 Magic At Your Fingertips
48 The Pencil-Breaker: breaking a pencil with a piece of paper
50 The Educated Cards: All the cards are spelled
51 A Quick Card-Trick: Two cards shown and placed in the deck appear instantly at the top
52 A Magical Release: from a wrist tie
54 A Drastic Diet: eating a plate stunt
55 A Wizard With a Waistcoat: turning the waistcoat inside out even though the spectator's hands are clasped behind his back
57 Magic Mending: cut and restored string

61 Wrinkles for Wizards: hints and tips

63 Masters of Magic
63 The Handcuff King: Houdini
67 Chung Ling Soo
70 The Whirlwind Wizard: Horace Goldin

74 The Second Programme
74 A Quick Change: two handkerchiefs in a paper cone travel to another cone that previously held a candle, the candle is reproduced elsewhere
78 The Obstinate Colours: handkerchiefs tranpose to the envelopes bearing their color
80 The Rising Wand: in the hand
82 The Rubber Wand: optical illusion
83 Hoop-In!: a simple finger ring on wand
86 The Magical Lamp-Glass: ropes penetrate through a glass chimney
90 A Quick Discovery: Four card selections are found behind the back
92 The Wandering Pencil: pencil transfers from one envelope to another
94 The Obliging Card: Audience selects card prediction through magician's choice
97 Do As I Do!: Mobius Strips
99 A Tricky Tear-Up: torn and restored paper strip
101 The Surprising Slate: magician predicts card chosen at random (gimmicked bag and slate)

105 A Magical Medley
105 Where Did That One Go?: comedy vanish simplified version of Slydini's Paper Balls Over the Head
107 The Bashful Card: Card selection ends up in magician's pocket
110 The Rising Ring: finger ring rises on a wand
111 A Quick Balance: glass balances on a playing card edge
112 Ping!: small wand apparently passes right through the metal of a pin
114 Playing with Paper: producing a paper tree and ladder
116 The Bewildering Beads: a string of beads is cut and the beads fall loose. The string of beads is then magically restored.
118 The Elusive Card: discard on the table turns into the spectator's card selection

123 More Masters of Magic
123 John Nevil Maskelyne
126 David Devant
129 Robert Houdin

133 Inventing Your Own Ticks: the selections in this chapter are designed to get you to think about HOW to get your magic to work, inventing new approaches to effects
134 The Long Card: and its uses
139 The Audience Perform: three card selections made by the audience are instantly found (Long Card)
144 Hatched Out!: Card selection is burned, egg is cracked, inside egg is walnut that contains a prediction that matches the burnt card
149 Wizardry With the Wand: wand vanishes from envelope and instantly appears on a black cloth

154 An Advanced Programme
154 The Great Hat Production: ribbons and more are produced from a hat (Servante)
162 Knots and No Knots: three knots vanish and reappear on a rope
167 THe Handkerchief Sandwich: blue handkerchief vanishes and is found tied between two red handkerchiefs
171 The Penetrating Coin: coin vanishes and is found in nest of boxes
176 The Cut and Restored Rope: good approach
181 The Card That Finds Itself: cards are thrown at the wall where only the selection sticks
186 Cutting Yourself in Two: rope passes through the body
189 Goodnight!: ribbon dropped onto a black cloth spells the words Goodnight!