Evans, Henry Ridgely: Magic and Its Professors ©1902 George Routledge & Sons, Ltd, London Hardcover, no dj, 220 pages

Image courtesy Bryan-Keith Taylor

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Comments: The third part of this book contains effects from many contributors

Contents:

1 Henry Ridgely Evans: biography
3 Introduction

7 Part I
7 Robert Houdin - Conjurer, Author and Ambassador
7 - I: birth, early years, and a tragedy with Torrini
12 - II: catching a thief, building a theater
18 - III: the art of conjuring
25 - IV: crowning event of Robert-Houdin's career
38 The Mechanism of Ghosts
38 - I: Early years, Sir David Brewster
41 - II: M. Villette's mirror, Etienne-Gaspard Robertson
46 - III: the nineteenth century, Pepper's Ghost
50 The Shadows of a Clever Pair of Hands: silhouettes & Trewey

59 Part II
59 The Princes of Prestidigitators
59 - I: Alexander Herrmann
66 - II: Robert Heller
70 - III: D'Alvini (William Peppercorn)
72 - IV Living Magicians: Harry Kellar, Madame Adelaide Herrmann, Leo Herrmann, Horace Goldin, Adrian Plate, William E. Robinson, Frederick Eugene Powell, Howard Thurston, Fred J. Peters, Frank Ducrot (T. Francis Fritz), Henry Hardin, Prof William Benjamin (William B. Caulk), Clinton Burgess, The Borthers Martinka, T. Nelson Downs, Maro, Fred Hurd, Prof. Hornmann, J.W. Sargent the Merry Wizard, Harry Houdini, Impro Fox the Comic Conjurer, Dr. Saram R. Ellison, along with a brief list of American illusionists.
83 English and European Conjurers: Egyptian Hall, John NEvil Maskelyne, Mr. Cooke, David Devant, Selbit, Mr. Loudoun Cameron, Arthur Margery, Bert Powell the Military Mystic, Mr Charles Bertram, Prof. Hoffmann (Angelo Lewis, M.A.), Ellis Stanyon, Professor Conradi, Le Commandeur Cazeneuve (France), Servais Le Roy, Bautier de Kolta, Ching Ling Foo (China), Ten-Ichi (Japan)

92 Part III Symposium of Magic
92 The Evasive Dollar (Henry Hardin): coin vanish
93 Mephisto's Mail (Henry Hardin): card trick
94 A Wrinkle and a Deception (Henry Hardin): coin trick with shell
95 The Fakir's Test (Henry Hardin): variation of Chinese Bat paddle trick
96 Dissolving Views (Henry Hardin): coin vanish
97 A Big Catch (Henry Hardin): fishing on stage!
99 Transcendental Card Reading (Henry Hardin): reading the card values
100 The Chromatic Ribbons (Henry Hardin): a ribbon transposition for the stage
103 An Original Egg Bag (Henry Hardin): egg bag moves with the aid of a shell
106 The Egg Bag (Prof. Hornmann): a traditional routine
109 The Goldfish Trick (William J. Hilliar): goldfish production for stage
111 A New Handkerchief Tube (William J. Hilliar): described
112 The Hilliar Rising Cards (William J. Hilliar): described
114 Ching Ling Foo's Paper Tearing Trick (William J. Hilliar): torn and restored with a special gimmick
116 Ducrot's Wonder Vase (Frank Ducrot): water to ink to silks in a vase
117 Ink and Water Trick (Frank Ducrot): for stage
121 An Apple of Paracelsus (Martinka): apple splits when its shadow is cut
123 Card Trick (Clinton Burgess): magician determines how many cards are cut
128 The Ring in the Egg (Hal Merton): improved version
131 The Chinese Rice Bowls (Hal Merton): with a highly gimmicked bowl
136 Vanishing Mouchoirs (Adrian Plate): four different colored silks are vanished in the hands
137 Handkerchiefs and Cylinder (Adrian Plate): using a gimmicked cylinder
138 The Multiplying Flower (Adrian Plate): using spring flowers
138 The Restored Ribbon (Adrian Plate): ribbon cut and tied together, the knots vanish and ribbon is restored
140 Growth of Flowers (William B. Caulk): two methods described
147 Improved Decanter and Flying Handkerchiefs (William B. Caulk): a mechanical trick
151 New Soup Plates and Handkerchiefs (Professor Ambrose): handkerchiefs vanish and reappear between two plates
154 The Fairy Flowers and Charmed Card (Rupert De Vere): a chosen card vanishes and is revealed with a bouquet of flowers
156 Boer vs. Briton (Ellis Stanyon): Flag is cut with a sword, vanishes, the pieces found, and restored
158 The Change by Sleight-of-Hand (Ellis Stanyon): for handkerchiefs
159 Parasols vs. Handkerchiefs (Ellis Stanyon): a streamlined approach
162 The Magic Bomb (Fred. J. Peters): firecracker explodes into a magician's table
165 A Novel Card Ladder (Fred. J. Peters): cards vanish and appear in the rungs of a ladder
167 Dr. Elliott's Stage Setting (Dr. J. William Elliott): a clever stage/platform opening
168 The Mystic Scissors, Ring, Spools and Ribbons (Dr. J. William Elliott): borrowed ring vanishes and appears on ribbon
171 Dr. Elliott's Watch Box (Dr. J. William Elliott): borrowed watch vanish and restoration
173 "She" (Henry Ridgely Evans): stage illusion
176 The Magnetic Wand (Henry Ridgely Evans): rises in the hand
177 Japanese Magic (Herbert Victor): Japanese lantern production
179 An Opening Trick (Herbert Victor): silk produced from borrowed hat
180 Cleopatra's Tomb (La Ville): stage illusion
184 The Magic Water Bowl (George W. Brown): production
187 The Svengalis (George W. Brown): two person code
194 The Fairy Christmas Cracker (F. C. Jenkens): two handkerchiefs tied together are covered in paper, pulled apart, and a third appears between them
196 A New Face on an Old Friend (Harry Kellar): determining a written message with a special table
197 The Homing Handkerchiefs (John W. Sargent): two handkerchiefs vanish and are found in nested, marked, envelopes
202 The Levitation of a Pack of Cards (Selbit): for stage
206 The Flying Handkerchief (T. Nelson Downs): handkerchief transposes from one bottle to another
208 A Novel Match Trick (T. Nelson Downs): several matches vanish from the hand, one at a time
210 Card In the Coat (Howard Thurston): card travels from one pocket to another
210 Card through the Knee (Howard Thurston): a card is tossed through the knee from one hand to another (back-hand)
211 Rising Card, for Parlor (Howard Thurston): again using the back-hand
212 Card through a Hat (Howard Thurston): another use for the back-hand
213 A Subtle Coin Trick (Henry V. A. Parsell): coin vanish with reproduction at the elbow
214 New Divining Wand (Henry V. A. Parsell): a clever mirror wand described

217 Appendix (W. Golden Mortimer, M.D., President of Society of American Magicians)
217 A Visit to the Grave of Robert-Houdin