Ripley, G. Sherman: An Introduction to Magic ©1946 Sherman Ripley, Sentinel Books, NY Paper, perfect-bound, 127 pages 141 Magic Tricks (Revised Edition) ©1973 Arco Publishing Company, Inc., NY "With revisions and additions by Tony Spina of Louis Tannen, Inc."

1946 Edition Image from Magicref

1955 Edition Image courtesy Bryan-Keith Taylor

1973 Acrco Edition Image from Magicref

Comments: A very nice book of beginner's magic that is not too basic. Includes some billiard ball work.

Contents:

5 Contents

7 Chapter One How Magic Began
7 A Glimpse Into History
9 The Value of Magic
10 First Things First
10 Starting Out to Mystify
11 Misdirection
12 The Magician's Clothes
12 Tables and Accessories
13 Patter and Music

15 Chapter Two Silk of the Orient
15 Magic with Silk
15 Silk From an Empty Pocket
16 The Palm Vanish
16 The Pocket Vanish
17 The Elastic Handkerchief: stretches
17 The Broken Match: and restored
17 The Vanished Knot
19 The Dancing Handkerchief
20 Magic Knots
21 Goldin's Color Change
21 Production From a Wand
22 Flash Silk Production
22 Silk and Billiard Ball Change
23 The 20th Century Silks
25 Color Changing Effect - The Dyeing Silks
25 The Crystal Casket
25 Production from Clothing
26 The Stillwell Ball Production: using the Stillwell gimmick
27 Silk Production in a Glass: with special pedestal
28 The Mirror Glass Production
28 The Dove Pan Production
29 The Vanishing Silk: pull
30 A Flash Paper Silk Vanish
31 The Wand Vanish
32 The Drumhead Tube
32 The Phantom Tube

34 Chapter Three Magic With Cards
34 The Popularity of Card Tricks
34 Varieties of Card Tricks
35 Finding a Chosen Card
35 Mind Reading Mystery
36 The Transparent Cards
37 The Story of the Four Brothers
37 Reading the Entire Deck
38 Strippers
38 Some Basic Sleights With Cards
38 - How to Palm a Card
39 - To Palm Off a Definite Number of Cards
39 - Making the Pass
43 - Naming a Selected Card Without Seeing It
43 - Substitutes for the Pass
44 False Shuffles
45 - How to Keep a Card on Top
45 - How to Keep a Card on the Bottom
46 - How to Bring a Card From the Bottom to the Top
46 - How to Bring Your Card from Top to Bottom
47 - A False Shuffle for the Entire Deck
48 Methods of Forcing Cards
50 Making a Fan: One Hand Method
50 Stealing Cards from the Deck
52 Backpalming of Cards
56 Any Number from the Top
56 It Jumps Out of a Hat
57 The Turn-Over
57 It's Wrong Side Up
57 The Mexican Turnover
58 The Visible Change
58 Mind Reading
59 Rising Cards
59 - Threat to Button Method
60 - The Spirit Slate
61 - Rising from a Card Box
61 - The Rise from a Goblet
63 - Rising from the Hand
64 - Cards from Back of a Chair
64 - The Card Star

65 Chapter Four Magic With Coins For Those Who Have Them
65 How to Palm a Coin
66 Producing a Palmed Coin
66 Coin Passes
67 - The Palm Pass
67 - The French Drop Pass
68 - The Wrist Drop Pass
69 - The Throw Pass
69 - The Back Palm Pass
69 - The Clink Pass
70 The Vanishing Coin
70 The Hooked Coin
70 The Jumping Coin
71 The Dissolving Half-Dollar
72 Passing a Coin Through a Handkerchief
73 Passing a Coin Through Paper
73 Passing a Coin Through the Table
74 Eating a Coin
74 Penny and Dime
74 The Chinese Coin: on string
75 Back Palming Coins
76 Back Palming Effects
77 The Miser's Dream
78 The Coin Wand

79 Chapter Five Magic with Billiard Balls
79 Billiard Ball Manipulation
79 The Kind of Billiard Balls to Use
80 How to Palm a Ball
80 Passes With Balls
81 - The Finger Throw
82 - The Roll-Over Pass
82 - The Throw Pass
83 - The Drop Pass
83 - The Fist Pass
84 - The Wrist Drop Pass
84 Changeovers
85 - The Across Body Changeover
86 - The Vertical Changeover
88 - The Overhead Changeover
89 How to Vanish Billiard Balls
89 - Vanish with Wand or Fan
90 - The Sucker Pull
90 - The Clip Pull
91 Tables, Clothing and Accessories
92 Billiard Ball Stands
93 Color Change Effects
93 - Finger Tip Color Change
95 - A Master Color Change Move
96 Other Color Change Methods: 5 methods
98 Ball Through Silk Handkerchief, Shell Method
99 Ball Through Silk Handkerchief, Sleight Method
101 Multiplication and Subtraction: multiplying billiard balls
104 The Diminishing Ball
104 Ball to Streamers
105 The Rising Ball
105 The Polychromatic Ball

106 Chapter Six Magic Accessories
106 Magic Accessories
106 A Lighted Match From Your Pocket
106 The Changing Bag
107 Pulls and Holders
107 The Magic Funnel
108 The Silk Cabby
109 A Cigar Box Utility Vanisher
109 The Impromptu Mirror Glass
110 The Bottomless Glass - Old and New
111 The Utility Silk Tube
111 The Foo Can
112 The Coin Rattle Box
112 Magician's Wax
112 Touch-Up Paint

113 Chapter Seven Favorite Stage Tricks
113 General Suggestion on Apparatus: this section provides general information on the effects, not all the details.
114 Milk Pitcher and Confetti
114 The Restored Chinese Paper
115 The Borrowed Ring in the Dove Pan
116 The Bottle and Glass - The Passe Bottles
117 The Production of a Goblet of Water
117 Production of Goldfish Bowls
118 The Chinese Rice Bowls
118 Production of Paper Flowers
120 The Flag and the Candle
121 The Oriental Lota Jar
121 The Chinese Rings: recommended resources
122 The Candle and the Bouquet
122 The Floating Ball of Paper
123 The Chinese Laundry Ticket
125 The Sun and Moon Trick For Laughs