Goldston, Will: Secrets of Famous Illusionists ©1933 Will Goldston, John Long, Ltd, London Hardcover, 285 pages

Comments: "The most revealing book on magicians & their secrets ever published". Seems to be some overlap with Goldston's "Sensational Tales of Mystery Men"

Contents (from book):

7 Foreword

17 Chapter I The Truth about Chung Ling Soo: “Chinaman” whose real name was Robinson; His famous bullet-catching illusion; The secret of the rifle; How it led to his death on a London stage; Other illusions of Chung Ling Soo

31 Chapter II The Romantic Story of Carl Hertz: A trick with a canary that caused a national controversy; My challenge to Hertz; The secret of the bird-cage - Was there cruelty?

44 Chapter III: The Great Lafayette - The Most Hated Magician: His passion for his dog “Beauty”; The drama of his death in a theatre fire; Some popular legends exploded; The tragedy of the iron door.

54 Chapter IV Maskelyne and the Psycho Sensation: The Psycho sensation which baffled our grandfathers; An ingenious device and its secret.

60 Chapter V Houdini as I Knew Him: Some new facts; His first interest in magic; More of Houdini’s secrets revealed.

69 Chapter VI Did Houdini Fail?: A handcuff challenge and the sequel; An assertion I did not believe.

73 Chapter VII Some More New Facts about Houdini: His love of publicity and the results; Some Houdini thrills the public missed; His film failure and a broken friendship.

84 Chapter VIII De Kolta’s “Vanishing Lady” Secret: His many imitators; The secret of an ingenious illusion; The expanding die; An inventor of many effective tricks.

91 Chapter IX The Truth about the Indian Rope Trick: Fact or legend?; An impossible effect; Other popular deceptions of the fakirs.

97 Chapter X Tricks of Bogus Mediums: Ghosts real and unreal; Ingenious deception in the stance room; A magician among the spirits; Ghosts that walk in the dark.

110 Chapter XI Why I am a Spiritualist: My first interest in survival; My original scepticism; What happened to me; Convinced by a blind medium;
I watch for trickery.

115 Chapter XII Mediums I Have Sat With: A record of twenty-five years’ invest igation; A survoy and a summary; Some puzzling facts; Kudi Schnoider and others.

133 Chapter XIII Magic and Crime: A point of contact; Doception by the magician and the crook; Some tricks of card-sharpers explainod in detail; Other clever race-courso swindles.

140 Chapter XIV The Great Kellar: Harry Kellar, the great but unscrupulous magician; A clever man who plagiarised; The showman who victimised Maskelyne; His search for a successor.

143 Chapter XV Howard Thurston: Howard Thurston’s Rise to Riches; Kellar’s appointed successor; From potato-peeler seller to millionaire.

145 Chapter XVI Zanciqs and Their Brilliant Thought-Reading Code: How they baffled the world; Zancig’s humble start in life; An accident which altered his career; Northoliffe impressed; The theory of Napoleon of Fleet Street.

152 Chapter XVII How Zomah Delayed a Murder

155 Chapter XVIII David Devant Master Magician: His great contribution to English magic; A classic name; The box escape; My memorable visit to Devant; A much misunderstood man.

160 Chapter XIX A King of Modern Conjurers: Horace Goldin; A strikingly original illusionist; How Goldin outwitted the New York police.

165 Chapter XX A Medley of Magicians
165 - Chevalier Ernst Thom
166 - Chefalo
168 - John Muiholland

170 Chapter XXI My Magical Life: A strange story; Early beginnings; My sad experience with a magical salesman; First appearance as a conjurer; My impromptu act; The mystery of my resignation from the Magic Circle; Baffling my brother magicians.

190 Chapter XXII “The Man who made Ice famous": Van Hoven; How he started life as a pea-nut seller; Promotion to a bottle juggler; Bad conjurer who became a first-class comic turn.

197 Chapter XXIII An Undertaker’s Interruption: The great Raymond; My adventure with him.

200 Chapter XXIV The Prince Who Stabbed His Partner: The dusky potentate and his manager; A laughable story with a tragic ending.

204 Chapter XXV Ceeley and the Naked Lady: An improper story but a true one; The comedy of an illusionist’s assistant and a button misadventure.

206 Chapter XXVI Dante’s “Disappearing Lady”: His experiences in Russia; How magic is accepted in the Soviet Republic.

211 Chapter XXVII The Handcuffed Clergyman: an Escape that went wrong

213 Chapter XXVIII A Conjurer’s Rapid Courtship: The great Maurice; Saw and wooed his wife in five minutes.

217 Chapter XXIX Muller the Mystic: Pathetic story of his return.

219 Chapter XXX Dilemma of a Parliamentary Magician: Mr. Frederick Montague’s unrehearsed effects; An Under-secretary as conjurer.

221 Chapter XXXI The Cornells And Their Ghastly Publicity Stunt: A queer thought-reading act and its purpose; A mortuary travesty.

223 Chapter XXXII Wishart and the Corpse: Extraordinary adventure at a lodging-house.

226 Chapter XXXIII The Tragedy of Hanco: An escape artist who dressed himself as a convict; His fatal love affair.

227 Chapter XXXIV The £.S.D. of Magic: Some facts and figures about the earnings of famous magicians.

234 Chapter XXXV Miscellaneous Magic

234 Stage Tricks
234 A Good Torn Corner Trick
237 Three Rings and Two Cords
238 The Superfine Coin Fake
241 The Bank-note and Lemon Trick
243 - Another Method
244 The Card and the Air Balloon
245 Okito's Ducks From Nowhere
249 The Okito Inexhaustable Mat
251 A Bird-cage Vanisher
252 The Note and the Cigarette
254 A Quick Change
255 The Karson Torn and Restored Newspaper
255 The Albini Egg Bag
257 The Changing Ace
259 A New Smoke Vase

260 Stage Illusions
260 The Oven Illusion
262 Out and In
266 The Execution
267 Capital Punishment
270 Say It With Flowers

272 Pocket Tricks
272 Demain's Rising Box: matchbox
274 Guess Again!: cigs vanish from case
276 The Missing Block
277 The Reversible Matches
278 A Pencil and a Cigarette
279 Telling the Time
281 A Mysterious Release: brass nut release
281 Numbers, Please!
283 All Change!: 5 card trick
284 The Findlay Disappearing Sixpence: with handkerchief