Collins, A. Frederick: The Book of Magic ©1915 D. Appleton & Co, NY Hardcover, 5.5x7.5", 177 Pages

Image courtesy Bryan-Keith Taylor

Comments: "Being a Simple Description of Some Good Tricks and How to Do Them, With Patter". Nice book of early 1900's magic. Some of the apparatus seems a bit complex to build. Available in the Public Domain.

Contents:

v A Word To You: A. Frederick Collins
vii Contents
ix List of Illustrations

1 Chapter I Magic Without Apparatus and Without Skill
1 Introduction: the wand, the program
2 The Enchanted Cones: Silk transfers from one paper cone to another
6 Smoking From the Air: smoke comes from apparently empty tumblers
8 The Pitcher of Omar: Magician pours either water or wine, then all is poured back into the pitcher and turns back to water
10 Ligthting Crayon Sketches: how to achieve rapid drawing

13 Chapter II Magic With Apparatus and Without Skill
13 Introduction
13 The Multiplying Wand: One wand becomes two, then vanishes in a newspaper
15 The Electric Pack of Cards: easy way to show excellent skill with card flourishes
18 Sharp Shooting Extraordinary: Torn card bits are shot at a target with a dart gun, where the card is restored under the dart! Uses a .22 Blank Pistol and special apparatus
24 Wireless Eggs: multiple egg production from an assistant's mouth (politically incorrect!)
26 Ariel's Flying Cage: Vanishing rat cage with a comedy ending

33 Chapter III Magic With Apparatus and With Skill
33 Introduction
33 The Magnetic Wand: wand clings to fingers (good method)
36 Moheni's Flying Handkerchiefs: Two silks are shot into an empty bowl
38 Mysterious Flag and Candle: Silk flag is produced from a candle flame and then vanishes, only to be re-produced again.
43 The Fairy Flowers: Many paper flowers are produced from a sheet of paper

48 Chapter IV Magic With Skill Only
48 Introduction
49 Sleights With Coins
49 - The French Drop
50 - Single-Handed Pass
51 - Palming a Coin
53 Card Manipulation
53 - Forcing a Card (Classic Force)
54 - Palming One Or More Cards
57 - Making the Pass
58 - The Rising Card
58 - Card Ruffles
61 Handkerchief Sleights
62 The flag and Candle Trick: variation for effect in Chapter III
62 The Knotted Handkerchiefs: vanishing knot
65 Old Glory the Red White and Blue: three sheets of red, white, and blue paper metamorph into the Stars and Stripes

71 Chapter V How to Do Magic
71 What to Wear
72 The Personal Equation: personality
73 The Mode of Working: pacing
74 Patter
76 Tables
79 Assistants
80 Programs: advertising

82 Chapter VI Second Sight Experiments
82 Introduction
82 Heller's Second Sight: Blindfold test
85 Heller's Silent Second Sight: approach without talking
86 Kellar's Silent Second Sight: another technological approach

91 Chapter VII Feats of Mind Reading
91 Introduction
92 To Spell Out the Name of a Person Thought Of:
93 Locating a Birthmark or a Scar on a Person's Body
93 Finding a Pin or Other Article Hidden Anywhere in a Room or Theater
93 The Murder Mystery Solved
94 Finding an Object Without Physical Contact
95 Driving an Automobile or a Team Through the Streets of a City Blindfolded and Finding a Hidden Object
95 How the Tests are Done: Use of real, involuntary actions of the subject

102 Chapter VIII Spiritualistic Tricks
102 Introduction
103 Slate Writing a la Slade: writing appears on a slate
105 Table and Bowl Lifting: objects adhere to the hand
108 Table Rapping Extraordinary: raps on a table answer questions
112 Cabinet Manifestations: things happen in a cabinet even though performer is tied
115 - Physical Tests
115 - Action Without Physical Contact
117 - A Fourth Dimensional Test: Afghan Bands
118 Materializations: black art
121 Patter for Cabinet Manifestations and Materializations

123 Chapter IX The Art of Black Art
123 Introduction
123 The Magician Who Came Out of the East
123 The Precipitated Wand and Tables
124 The Mystery of the Mango Tree
124 The Waters of the Ganges
124 The Glad Skeleton
124 The Causes: how to perform each Black Art presentation

130 Chapter X Shadowgraphs and Silhouettes
130 Introduction: how to present a ShadowGraph show with several figures detailed
136 Hand Shadowgraphs: black Swan, Cat, Pat and Pipe, at the Races, Lover's Lane

143 Chapter XI Some Good Stage Illusions
143 Introduction
143 Ya-Ko-Yo: boy transposes from one raised crate to another
147 Out of Sight: girl vanishes from suspended chair
150 Walking Through a Brick Wall: surrounded on all sides
152 The Great Milk Can Escape

158 Chapter XII Helpful Information
158 The Society of American Magicians

161 Appendices
161 Appendix A: Useful Articles for the Magician
161 Appendix B: Eggs
162 Appendix C: Dummy Jewelry
162 Appendix D: Other Dummies
162 Appendix E: Paper Goods
162 Appendix F: Chemicals
163 Appendix G: Paint
163 Appendix H: Silk Threat and Other Things
164 Appendix I: The Pantograph
165 Definitions of Some Words and Terms Used In this Book
171 Index