Scarne, John: Scarne's Magic Tricks ©1951 by John Scarne, Crown Publishers, Inc. Hardcover, w/dj, 256 pages ©1977 Signet Paperback Reprint Softcover, perfect-bound, 256 pages ©2003 Dover Publications Softcover, perfect-bound, 5.5x8.5", 256 pages 0-486-42779-X

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Signet Edition Image from Magicref

Dover Edition

Comments: 201 Tricks. Much like Milbourne Christopher's Magic Book. While a lot of this magic is "beginner" level, there are tons of ideas and tricks in there that can be adapted to other routines and that will spark ideas for new approaches. Some are quickies, some more involved, a bit of everything! Intended to be a book of general magic with no (or little) sleight of hand. Scarne states that the effects in this book should be practical, varied, and any apparatus needed should be easy to obtain or make. Includes B&W line drawings for many (not all) of the effects.

Dover Edition: Slightly altered republication of the edition published by Crown Publishers Inc., NY, 1951. The Contents have been reset and the original Publisher's Note has been omitted.

Contents:

6 Foreword: John Scarne, Fairview, NJ, 1951.
9 The Talking Mirror: magician can determine which dot was covered with a coin
9 Coin Through Handkerchief: a coin penetrates a handkerchief
11 Smoking Sleeve: Smoke blown into one sleeve comes out the other!
12 Predicto: Date of Birth, date of personal event, historical date, and additional number are added and magician predicts the result (accomplice)
13 Ring on the String: a ring is looped on a string under a handkerchief although the string ends are in view up to the end
14 The Magical Shirt: Magician removes his shirt even though his hands are tied
15 Chalk Penetration: a chalk mark is made on a table and penetrates it to the hand below
17 The Magic Calendar: Magician determines the total of dates marked on a calendar
19 Name, Please!: magician determines the total of a sum, and the numbers spell the name of the assistant!
20 Cigarette From Nowhere: with a box of matches
21 Find the Pellet: a sort of three shell game with small boxes and a metal pellet. The box with the pellet cannot be found.
23 Is He Alive?: Living and Dead mentalist test
23 The Rope and Bracelet: Although his hands are tied, the magician is able to place a bracelet on the rope joining his hands
24 Key on a String: Magician removes a key from a string even though the ends are held by a spectator
25 The Magic Toothpick: a toothpick makes a cigarette roll on the table, and makes another toothpick jump
27 Releaso: a rope is looped between the magician's hands, which are tied with a handkerchief. Instantly the magician is free from the rope
28 Color By Sense of Touch: Magician can tell the color of a washer type disc placed behind his back
30 Swallowing a Goldfish: a gag
31 Extrasensory Perception: Magician is able to tell which object is being thought of by a spectator
32 The Magnetized Knife: a knife seems to cling to the magician's hands
33 Houdini Escape Trick: a red card transposes with a green card
35 Solid Through Solid: a safety pin is pulled through another safety pin
36 The Rising Cigarette: a cigarette magically rises from the pack
37 The Flame Prediction: Cards are shown with a color in the corner. Spectator burns the corner of one card and hides the others. Magician determines which color was burnt
39 The Disappearing Coin: through pant leg
39 Initial In Fire: Initial of spectator's last name appears in the burnt-out match head
40 Sensitive Fingers: Several bills are placed in the hat, and the magician can pull out just the one whose serial number was noted earlier
41 The Liquid Tells: Performer can tell what color liquid is in a glass placed behind his back
42 Drinking Smoke: smoke is poured from glass to glass, then drank, then the glass is inverted over a saucer and more smoke appears
43 Lightning Addition: magician beats the spectator in an adding lesson
44 The Spiritual Glass: Glass through table top
45 Crossed Digit: digits are eliminated and the magician can tell which one is left
46 The Tricky Spoon: a bending spoon illusion
47 The Talking Cards: magician can tell who wrote something on each of ten cards
48 Scarne's Bank Night: only the magician finds the ten dollar bill
52 The Knotted Coin: a vanished coin is found in the center of a knotted handkerchief
53 It's In the Ashes: a spectator's name appears on the arm of the magician when rubbed with ashes
54 The United Shreds: torn and restored cigarette paper
55 Three to One: two pennies in each hand; when turned over, there are three pennies in one hand, only one in the other
56 The Dollar that Wouldn't Burn: burnt and restored dollar bill (uses an envelope)
58 Divination of Age: using a mathematical principle
58 Tricks With Sugar: sugar through table, initials transfer from sugar cube to spectator's hand
60 The Reappearing Match Heads: two in the hand, one in the pocket with match heads
62 Magic Dates and Days: mathematical stunt with a calendar
63 The Six-Cent Trick: Magician using math can tell which hand has the penny and which the nickel
64 The Famous Penny: also known as the Sheep and the Thieves. Pennys are alternately picked up hand by hand, but at the end, each hand does not have an equal number
66 Mathematics Plus: more mathematical mentalism
66 Cut and Tied: quick cut and restored string
67 Two Minus Two Equals Two: Fifteen coins in a hat, two removed and vanished, still fifteen coins in the hat
69 Up In Flames: using a coin fold
70 The Knife That Doesn't Cut: knife penetrates handkerchief and paper, yet handkerchief is unharmed
72 Stringing a Ring: nice cut and restored string with the aid of a finger ring
73 Change for a Five-Dollar Bill: a one dollar bill in one hand transposes with a five dollar bill in the other
74 Ghost Match: a match is torn from a matchbook and mysteriously re-appears
76 A Life-Saving Dollar: a bill is vanished and found in a roll of Life-Savers candies
77 Mind Over Matter: a stunt with human weight and balance
78 The Coin Vanishes: from a handkerchief
79 The Cut Up Tie: a tie is cut up and with a pass is restored
80 In Your Hat: liquid is poured into a hat, but all is okay
82 The Animated Match Box: a matchbox rises on the hand
83 Magnetic Hands: a coin is balanced at the fingertips
84 Scarne's Cellophane Tear: Cigar Cellophane from a cigar is torn in half. Magician can tear his half further, spectator cannot
85 Dry Water: Magician gets a coin from water without his hand getting wet
85 Multiplying Dimes: a dime is rubbed along a table and the performer ends up with two more!
86 Scarne's Coin Vanish: elbow rub
87 Time Machine: performer knows day of week of any date in history
88 Through Stick and Pin: matchstick penetrates the bar of a safety pin
88 Cross Your Palm: one line on the back of the hand and one line on the palm of the hand turns into a cross on the palm of the hand
89 Telepathic Coins: Magician can determine which of several coins was touched by a spectator
90 Breaking a Pencil With a Dollar Bill: physical stunt
91 Replacing a Button Without a Needle: a button is torn of the spectator's vest but instantly restored
92 Spots Before the Eyes: a paddle trick with a butter knife
93 The Match Box Coin Vanish: coin vanishes from a match box
94 Scarne's Think of a Number: a number on a card is thought of, magician taps until a certain point, ending on the thought of number
95 When a Break is Not a Break: a match is broken a restored under a handkerchief
96 Disobeying Gravity: a knife seems to cling to the magician's hand
97 A Cigarette Production: from the elbow
97 The Famous Belt Trick: a carnival game similar to Loopy Loop, but with a belt. Spectator can't catch the loop
98 Houdini's Coin Vanish: an impossible coin vanish using an accomplice
99 Strip Tease: a torn and restored paper with a message on it
100 Ring Levitation: a finger ring rises along a wand
101 A Drink on the House: Water or Wine is poured from a pitcher by command
102 A Cigarette Changes to a Dollar Bill: a cigarette is soaked in water and turns into a dollar bill
103 Stick Through Hat: a wand penetrates a soft hat
104 Classical Rope Trick: a cut and restored rope
105 Spin the Coin: magician can tell if spun coin lands heads or tails by hearing alone
106 Roll Your Own: an imaginary cigarette turns real
107 Vest Through Coat: vest is removed while wearing a coat
108 Animated Cigar Band: jumps from finger to finger
109 Salivary Repair: a cut string is restored in the mouth
110 The Unstickable Pin: a physical challenge - pounding a pin into the surface with a pound of the hand
111 Flexible Pencil: illusion
111 The Non-Burning Shoelace: burnt and restored shoelace
112 The Match From Nowhere: a dud match is thrown away, and a lit one magically appears
113 Fourth-Dimensional Knot: tying a knot while holding the ends
114 Rope Through The Neck: rope looped around neck is pulled through
115 Cut-Up: String and paper are cut, paper is cut but string is not
116 He Knows Your Number: spectator writes a number on a paper, magician determines the number (accomplice)
117 Color-Changing Shoelace: cleverly gimmicked shoelace
118 Changing Checkers: red stack of checkers changes places with black stack
119 Sleight of Foot: coin moves from left foot to right foot
120 Transposed Colors: red checker changes places with black checker, each in their own match box
120 Dead or Alive?: another living and dead mentalist effect
121 From the Spirit World:  a paper ends up with the name of a named person on it
122 For a Change: performer determines spectator's age and how much change is in his pocket
122 Finger Waves: performer knows how many fingers are held out by two spectators (one accomplice)
123 Slate Telepathy: performer duplicates spectator's word and number written on a slate
124 Arithmetical Matches: Spectator puts some matches in his pocket, magician knows how many are in the hand
125 Gravity Defied: a ruler rises in the hand of the magician
127 Watch-it: two numbers on a watch are added, the total is determined by the magician
128 Divination of a Sum: an addition effect using the principle of 9
130 Burning Sugar: magician can set fire to sugar
131 Telephone Mind Reading Experiment: a magazine test you can do with a little preparation
131 The Twice Lit Match: a match is struck and lit twice on a matchbox
132 Knots That Are Not: knots on a string vanish and appear on command
133 Pendulum of Fate: pendulum responds in circle or back and forth
134 Melting Coin: coin is audibly dropped in a glass under a handkerchief, yet vanishes
135 Hopping Rubber Band: from fingers to fingers
136 The Literary Glasses: glasses suspend from a book
137 The Chameleon Handkerchief: color changing handkerchief
139 Impossible Escape: three pills are magically removed from a vial of water without spilling a drop
139 The Traveling Signature: spectator can't find the paper his signature is on
140 Sour Dollar: Bill to Lemon
142 Obedient Handkerchief: a handkerchief stands up on command
144 The Elusive Marble: marble vanishes from the table and ends up in the performer's mouth
145 Color Discernment: magician determines which color card is covered
146 Under the Table: magician knows if a matchstick has been marked or not
147 Shirt Off: shirt is removed without taking off jacket
148 The Self-Tying Handkerchief: instant knot appears
149 Magnetic Bottle: can be swung by a string (the old "Prayer Vase")
150 Mind Reading De Luxe: magician answers the questions written on papers
151 Pencil and Loop: A puzzle, the spectator can't remove the pencil and string from his lapel
152 Sympathetic Twins: a banana is cut in half, and a 2nd banana is unpeeled and seen to also be cut in half
153 Hypno-Magnetism: a cane can't be lifted by a spectator unless the magician wills it
155 Runaway Loop: a rubber band falls from the fingertips without separating them
155 Shifty Number: a six digit number is multiplied by a digit between 1 and 7 and the magician knows the result
157 Coin Through Elbow: while seated
157 Mysterious Dollars: bills are produced from the fingertips after pulling up the sleeves
158 The Ventilated Hand: 7 pennies are held by a spectator, yet one escapes
160 The Money Tie: coin vanish under a handkerchief
161 The Diving Doll: a little doll rises and falls in a bottle (Cartesian Diver)
162 Scarne's Egyptian Bead Mystery: Beads are dumped into a glass and come out strung
163 Scarne's Magic Ball of Yarn: a coin is spun on the table, covered with a hat, and turns into a ball of yarn
164 Loop the Loop: Afghan Bands
166 Clipped: Clippo cut and restored newspaper strip
167 Jack's Beanstalk: a paper tree
168 Paper Tears: a brief explanation
170 The Stretching Finger: illusion
171 Scarne's Indestructable Handkerchief: pencil is passed through a handkerchief
173 The Magic Birthday Square: magic square constructed from a spectator's birtdate
175 Under Two Hats: paper balls pass up through the table underneath two hats
176 Scarne's Fire Trick: magician can "burn" his fingers without harm (physical stunt)
177 Scarne's Miracle Prediction: a dollar bill serial number and random number mathematical prediction
179 Magical Liquids: water (that the performer drinks), produces multiple other drinks, and finally lemonade or tea that the audience can drink
181 Telepathy Par Excellence : Message written on a paper is determined by magician
182 The Devil's Handkerchief : utility for vanishing small objects
183 Scarne's Bean Trick: beans are placed in the ears and the nostril, but come out of the mouth
185 The Turnabout Bill: in turning over a bill it appears upside down
186 Color Separation: magician can pull the properly colored paper from a jar
187 Magazine Mind Reading: magazine test
188 Test of Strength: magician can allow or prevent himself from being lifted (physical stunt)
189 Sitting Tight: preventing a spectator from standing up (physical stunt)
190 Hindu Magic Papers: object wrapped in papers vanishes when they are opened again
192 Ashes of the Phoenix: a flashy burnt and restored paper
193 Miracle Slate: the total of four numbers is predicted
195 The Flying Glass: glass of water vanishes from under handkerchief and is found in a hat
197 Behind the Napkin Ball: torn and restored paper with "sucker" explanation
198 The Vanishing Fountain Pen: instant vanish
200 The Uncrushable Glass: glass penetrates the table under the tablecloth
201 The Melting Half Dollar: half is dropped into a glass where it vanishes
202 Coin Divination: determine which coin is held by which spectator
203 Magic Key Rings: coins and rings and cardboard squares
205 Roping a Handkerchief: handkerchief penetrates a rope
207 The Astonishing Match: match rises by itself from a matchbox
208 Three Shell Game: provides a brief description of making your own shells from Walnuts, and how it works. Does not provide a whole routine.
210 Blowing a Knot Out of a Handkerchief: vanishing knot
211 Human Magnetism: business or playing cards cling to the hand
213 The Mystic Fortune-Telling Cards: magician is able to answer the spectator's question without seeing it
216 Hypnotic Rigidity: assistant is hypnotized and lies rigid between chairs, the magician is able to even stand on his middle without problem
218 The Self-Restoring Ribbon: Two ribbons are cut and restored into a single ribbon
220 Serial Reading: reading the serial number of a dollar bill
222 Matchless Matches: match is blown out by blowing down your sleeve, then a lit match is produced and an imaginary thread is used to pull its head off
224 Air Knots: two handkerchiefs knotted together untie in the air
225 Pulse Control: magician can control his pulse
226 Blindfold Cigarette Test: magician can tell which cigarette is smoked by the smell alone
228 Mnemonics: Mnemonics explained briefly, and a simple memory stunt using them is described
230 Match Antics: a matchbook can be balanced, and the magician can tell which of three matchbooks had a match removed
231 Liquid Suspension: bottle is turned upside down without spilling liquid, even though a toothpick can be inserted into the bottle
233 Scarne's Changing Cigar: a cigar is rolled in a handkerchief and changes into a different brand
236 X-Ray Ropes: 10 foot ropes through body
238 Squash: vanishing a small glass of liquid
239 Smoke Without Fire: smoke from empty clay pipes
240 The Floating Table: a table moves mysteriously as people sit around it
242 Reproducing Sponges: a very simple sponge routine - one multiplies to two and then to three in the spectator's hand
243 Handkerchief Penetration: two handkerchiefs are tied together and then pulled apart, knots still intact
246 Scarne's Non-Burning Bill: burned and restored bill from ashes
248 Scarne's Telepathic Sugar Cubes: magician determines which of four sugar cubes (with symbols on them) was thought of
250 Color-Changing Cube: a die with different colored sides is shown and the colors change
251 Ring Around the Pencil: a finger ring is vanished, then a pencil is thrust through an envelope and ripped from the envelope with the ring around the pencil
252 The Magic Bag: How to make an egg bag and a basic routine provided
255 Scarne's Names from Nowhere: names on papers are burned, and end up on papers held by another spectator