Caveney, Mike: Magicomedy ©1981 Mike Caveney, Pub. Magical Publications, Pasadena, CA Hardcover, 171 pages

Image from Magicref

Comments (Stewart Tame):  Illustrated by Eric Lewis. "A serious look at some humorous magic." Quite a fun book, possibly Mike's first. He's had experience with just about all possible magical venues, and this book has something for everyone.

Contents:

6 Introduction by David Copperfield
8 Foreword
10 Magician's Rules: List of 5 Requirements For A Successful Magician by Richard Neve, written in 1716

11 Close-Up Routines
13 Folding Money: Tube just large enough to contain 50 pennies opened & pennies dumped out. Tube capped & left in full view. Pennies placed in coin purse, they vanish. Tube opened & turned over, nothing falls out. Using tweezers, magician produces fifty cent piece from tube.
21 3:32:  Two coins covered by hands on tabletop change places, vanish, etc.
27 Cents of Touch:  Single marked penny mixed into bag containing $5 worth of pennies. Marked penny drawn from bag by magician.
33 One In A Million:  Magician writes names of 2 playing cards on back of selected card. Spectator pushes face-up selection into face-down deck. Deck spread to show selection between 2 playing cards named.
37 Half A Light:   Paper match torn from book is torn in half, restored.
45 The Benson Plunger:  Variation on The Benson Bowl using toilet plunger. Routine using 3 sponge balls, bowl (plunger head) & wand (plunger handle).

55 Psychic Routines
57 A Bloody Prediction:  Magician shows large card with outline of human body. Without showing, magician draws circle around portion of figure & puts card in envelope. Volunteer given free choice of where to "stab" another. Envelope opened, prediction correct.
63 Bent Spoons:  Impromptu after-dinner spoon bending effect.

69 Cabaret Routines
71 Thumb Tips for M.C.'s:  How to carry notes on stage with you without anyone noticing.
73 Comedy Load Bag:  Live chicken produced from spectator's coat. Load bag disguised as fake chicken for second production.
77 The Homing Card Comes Home:  4 jumbo cards shown front & back. One by one faces turn blank. Last card completely blank front & back.
85 Tearable Times:  Newspaper rolled into tube & lit candle produced. Paper torn into sections, one partially burned by candle. Paper restored except for burnt hole in middle. Restored newspaper can be examined.
95 Club Soda:  Card selected, returned to deck. Deck covered with handkerchief & giant prediction card produced. Prediction wrong. Bottle of club soda produced. Deck shown to have vanished & selected card found floating in bottle.
103 Signed Bill In Cigar: Bank Night routine with cigar offered as collateral. Signed bill found in cellophane-wrapped cigar.

115 The Thimble Act (1965-1971)
118 Thimble Holders:  How to make your own.
119 Temporary Parking Zone:  Best place to ditch/steal thimble in mid-routine?
121 The Appearing Jumping Rising Vanishing and Reappearing Thimble
127 The Perpetual-Pinocchio Thimble:  Thimble on finger stretches to impossible length.
130 The Thimble Bag:  Bottomless bag shown & jumbo thimble produced. Second jewel-studded thimble produced & crushed to dust. Dust sprinkled on bag. Hands emerge from bag with jeweled thimble on each finger.
140 The Giant Thimble Production:  Followup to previous. Silk streamer produced from bag. Small thimble produced from 2 handkerchiefs. Small thimble changes to red handkerchief which is added to others & streamer. Large thimble produced from bundle.

149 Stage Illusions
151 The Vacuum Cleaner Illusion:  Assistant tied up in bag. Bag sucked visibly through hose to vacuum cleaner, which doubles in height. Bag with assistant inside in vacuum cleaner.
161 The Substitution Barrel:  Great prop for Metamorphosis routine. Subtle touch: knothole in barrel. After lid locked down, person in barrel sticks finger out through knothole & keyring for locks hung over finger (hole too small for keys on ring to fit through.)