Victor, Edward: Magic of the Hands ©1937 L. Davenport & Co., London, England Softcover, saddle-stitched, 112 pages ©1942 Second Edition Printed in the USA by Max Holden, NY Later Reprint by Louis Tannen, Inc., NY

Image courtesy Magicref

Comment: The first in a series of three books on manipulative magic. The series covers cards, coins, silks, billiard balls, thimbles, cigars & cigarettes, and more. While some of the effects are dated, much of the material is still usable. The strongest material in this volume is probably the thimble, cigarette, and ball magic. The cut and restored rope trick looks pretty decent, as well. There is no date in this volume, but the second in the series includes an advertisement for "Magic of the Hands", with many quotes all dated in 1937.

Contents (from book):

1 Chapter 1: Some Useful Card Sleights I Have Proved Effective
2 The Pass
2 The E.V. Colour Change
4 The E.V. Invisible Double Lift
6 The New "Glide"
7 A One Hand Force: using a reversed bottom card
9 The "Book" Return: a control to bring center card to top
10 Sighting the Top Cards [Albert Verity]: a glimpse
11 A Substitute for the "In-Jog" [Albert Verity]

13 Chapter II Card Problems
14 Supreme Control: Impromptu effect. 8 cards are selected by 8 different spectators, and each is revealed in a different manner
19 The Expert Deal: Impromptu effect, a gambling or dealing demonstration using the 4 Aces and ending in a high straight
22  A Royal Exchange: a transposition of two cards in two separate glasses
27 Sign, Please!: Not-impromptu. a selection is placed between two deuces. Another card is signed and placed in the performer's pocket. The card sandwich is lost in the middle of the deck. When dealt, the selection is found to have transposed with the signed card
29 The "Deo-Ace" Trick: The deuces are dealt to the table, and the Aces layed aside. A card is chosen and returned to the deck. The Aces are returned to the deck, then dealt face down on the deuces. The suit of the selection is requested, and each of the other Aces are turned up. The final Ace is turned up, and found to have become the selection
32 The Thirty Card Trick (or "Cards from Pocket to Pocket"): a portion of cards pass from one spectator's pocket to another's

34 Chapter III Conjuring With Coins
34 A Silver Collection. As performed at Maskelyne's Theatre. Several coins are produced from the air and magically transfer to a glass held in the opposite hand
38 A Vanish for One or More Coins: sort of a "retention of vision" vanish
40 The Changing Coin: a "Spellbound" type effect with copper and silver coins

43 Chapter IV Handkerchief Magic
44 The "Super" Sympathetic Silks: a version of the sympathetic silks for the stage

50 Chapter V Billiard Ball Sleights
50 A Few Words on "Angles"
51 The "Direct Palm" Vanish
52 The "Throw-Up" Vanish: not as gross as it sounds
53 The "Push-In" Vanish
53 An Elbow Vanish
54 An Original Colour-Change
56 A Continuous Ball Production

58 Chapter VI Thimble Sleights
58 The Hopping Thimble: from finger to finger to finger
59 The "Little Finger" Sleight: getting the thimble to the pinky during multiplying thimbles
60 A "Slow Motion" Disappearance
62 A Triple Colour Change
64 A Sleight With Four Thimbles: four thimbles travel from one hand to the other
65 A New and Original Thimble Holder: how to make and use it

67 Chapter VII Cigarette and Cigar Sleights: note, many are also useful for color changing knife magic
68 The "Closed Fist" Vanish: useful
69 The "Pull-Out" Vanish
70 The "Thumb-Pivot" Vanish
70 The "Finger-Clip" Vanish
71 Method of Producing a Cigarette or Cigar at the Fingertips from the Palm
72 A Change Over Palm
72 Changing a Cigarette Into a Cigar (Sleight of Hand Method)
74 The Magnetic Cigar: clings to the performer's hand
75 Cigar to Money: a cigar changes into 4 pennies
76 The Diminishing Cigar: a gimmicked Cigar shrinks

77 Chapter VIII My Rope Trick
78 My Rope Trick. An Original Cut and Restored Rope Mystery. This is a well-done multi-phase cut and restored rope that ends in an examinable rope for the audience

94 Chapter IX An Idea for Slates
94 A Novel Production of Names and Drawings on Two Ordinary Slates: a method to eliminate the need of flapped slates, using ribbon to conceal the mystery writing

99 Chapter X Miscellaneous Magic
100 Visiting. An Impromptu Effect With Four Borrowed Visiting Cards: A matrix type effect with borrowed business cards.
102 The Cigarette Paper Effect: torn and restored cigarette paper
106 A Match Divination: the performer's matchbox is shaken to compare with the number of matches found in a spectator's matchbox and the total number is revealed
107 A Novel Matchbox Transposition: a number of coins in one matchbox travel to another
109 A Useful Tip: using a cut-down matchbox
110 L'Envoi [Edward Victor]: end note

111 Ad for "More Magic of the Hands"
112 Ad for Anneman's "En Rapport" and "Complete One Man Mental and Psychic Routine"