Joseph, Eddie: Magic and Mysteries of India ©1940 Abbott’s Magic Novelty Co., Colon, Michigan ©1993 Reprint Softcover, 55 pages

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Comments: (Alan Stewart) Quoting Henry Hay in, “The Amateur Magician’s Handbook”: “Mr. Joseph has lived all his life in Calcutta. The first part of this pamphlet, dealing with non-conjuring wonder workers, leaves one rather confused; when the author gets around to conjuring he is admirable. You will want to try some of the small tricks as well as read about the big ones.” The first part actually deals with Indian snake charmers, fortune tellers, mystics, etc. The last 50 pages give complete details of tricks of Indian conjurers (In the days before World-War 2). Now available as an e-Book.

Contents:

1 Introduction
1 Dedication

1 Chapter One: Mystery Abounding

7 Chapter Two: Peering Beyond the Horizon

12 Chapter Three: The Gypsy Told Me So

13 Chapter Four: The Magicians of East India

16 Chapter Five: East Indian Mysteries
16 Rupees Created from Dust
18 Look Out! It's a Snake! (Coins turn into a snake)
18 Coins Vanish from the Hand of the Spectator
19 Donald Duck in His Little Pond (Wooden “duck” dances in water)
20 Daisy - The Dancing Doll (Doll dances from 3 feet away)
21 Eye Poking Trick
22 The Borrowed Ring (Ring from handkerchief to stick)
24 Salt or Sugar - Which? (Sugar to salt)
24 The Egg Bag - Hindu Presentation
25 The Bamboo Sticks and Strings (The old classic)
26 Aladdin's Lamp (Large ball appears inside lamp)
27 The Sands of Chowpatty (The classic colored sands in water)
28 The Cotton Factory (Production of cotton thread from loincloth)
28 The Fire Eater (How Indian fire eaters do it)
29 Mind Pictures (Spectator draws on a pot. Pot smashed, image appears on his hands)
29 The Boat Fountain (Small boat with coconut shell on mast streams water on command)
31 The Linking "Link” (Linking rings done with 6 oval chain links)
32 The Disappearing Knot (Handkerchief jumps from ground to hand. Tied in knots, knots disappear - Indian presentation)
33 Marbles - Balls and Ribbons from Mouth
35 The Hindu Turban Trick (Turban is unwound, cut, burned and restored)
36 The Hindu Torn and Restored Strip (Cloth strip torn in many pieces and restored)
37 Broken and Restored Yarn
38 The Doves of Peace (Egg appears in wicker basket then changes to three doves)
39 The Cups and Balls (Indian style - with Indian style cups)
43 The Hindu Lota Presentation
44 The Birth of Reptiles (Performer strips to loincloth, takes handful of earth - it changes to many reptiles)
45 A Meal of Glass (Glass chewing)
45 The Hindu Basket (Boy vanishes from basket)
47 The Growth of the Mango Tree (Mango tree grows under a tripod of sticks on the ground)

49 Chapter Six: Tricks of the Feminine Magician
49 The Indian Beads Stringing (Stringing beads onto string in mouth)
50 Living or Dead? (Rubber snake appears to come to life)
50 The Toy Emporium (Small toys are produced from dust - and then sold)
51 The Apple of Her Eye (Blindfolded women stabs apples set on eyes of recumbent man)
52 The Rainbow (Woman ejects mouthfuls of water in any color called for)

52 Chapter Seven: The Dead End of the Trail (Final comments)

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