Houdini, Harry: Houdini's Book of Magic and Party Pastimes ©1927 Stoll & Edwards Co., Inc., NY Hardcover, no dj, 34 pages

Image courtesy QuickerThanTheEye.com

Comments: beginner's book of magic, stunts and puzzles, with the effects "selected by Houdini". An expanded edition (adds some new tricks but is also missing over two dozen from this edition) was printed in 1976 with the full title, The Great Houdini's Book of Magic, Tricks, Puzzles and Stunts. It included an introduction by Walter Gibson and an expanded section with similar stunts and puzzles by other magicians.

Contents (from book):

1 Brief Story of Houdini's Extraordinary Life (editors)
3 Disappearing Coin: vanishes from palm
3 The Balanced Quarter: stunt
4 A Good Trick With Glasses: challenge
4 Try This on Your Friends: gag
5 Ring on a String: challenge
5 The Magnetic Hand: pencil clings to hand
6 The Clever Cork Trick: two corks appear to pass through each other
6 The Climbing Ring: ring climbs up a stick
7 This Trick Will Fool You: toothpick passes through a safety pin
7 The Mysterious Match: broken and restored in a handkerchief
8 A Trick for Bridge Players: puzzle
8 A Knot That Will Mystify: dissolving knot
9 Try This on a Friend: quickly make a figure with 5 equal sides
9 Try This at a Party: large coin through a small hole
10 Which Cards are Turned?: using a one-way deck feature
10 An Amazing Experiment: strength stunt
11 The Mysterious Pencil: rises on the palm
11 The Vanishing Coin: the French Drop
12 Can You Draw This? puzzle
12 Try to Draw This: another
13 A Sum in Addition: a math puzzle
13 Not Like School: another
14 The Obedient Matches: match sticks in water point to center
14 A Clever Match Trick: a challenge
15 The Magic String: removing a string without letting go
15 Which Way Will It Roll: a science trick
16 Get the Watch Out: magician removes watch protected in handkerchief
16 Try This One It's Easy: dice and cup stunt
17 Industrious Bookworm: Puzzle
17 Can You Figure It Out: math puzzle
18 Half of Twelve Is...: match stick puzzle
18 The Magnetized Cane: cane floats between the knees
19 Take String Off Scissors: string puzzle
19 Triangle Matches: match-stick puzzle
19 How to Make Steel Float: a floating needle
20 Amusing Card Trick: card appears on back ofhand
20 Try To Get Loose: spectator's try to escape from rope
21 Try This On a Friend: cork and bottle stunt
21 Try This Illusion: sensory illusion
22 A Match Puzzle
22 A Match Trick: another
23 A Steady Hand for This: spinning coin
23 A Clever Card Trick: key card trick
24 Tear the Napkin: strength stunt
24 Getting the String Off: escape stunt
25 Yes It's Impossible: challenge
25 The Handkerchief Trick: tie a knot without letting go of the ends
26 Try To Do It: cork challenge
26 Spin the Coin: on the bottom of an upturned glass
27 A Good Match Trick: broken matches form a star
27 Easy But Startling: stunt
28 The Magic Match Box: stands up on the hand
28 Try This On a Friend: strength stunt
29 The Card and Dime Tricks: snapping a card out from under a dime, and a coin puzzle
29 The Mysterious Dime: vanishes when hit with a matchbox
30 A Visiting Card Stunt: challenge
30 The Tumbler Trick: needs a table-cloth
31 Making the Bridge: puzzle
31 The Match Trick: another puzzle
32 Can You Draw This?: puzzle
32 The Match Problem: another puzzle
33 A Clever Coin Trick: puzzle with 16 pennies
33 An Old Favorite: puzzle
34 Solutions