Whitehead & Co. (publishers): Parlour Magic ©1838 Whitehead & Co., Printers, London Hardcover, 183 pages plus ads

Image from Magicref

Comments: This old book contains mostly science experiments, there is one section on magic tricks as well. Also, many of the experiments may have application to your magic act.

Contents:

v Preface

1 Transmutations: Mostly Chemical Tricks
1 The Spectral Lamp
2 Curious Change Of Colours
2 The Protean Light
3 The Chameleon Flowers
3 To Change The Colours Of Flowers
3 Changes Of The Poppy
4 To Change-The Colour Of A Rose
4 Light Changing White Into Black
4 The Visibly Growing Acorn
5 Changes In Sap-Green
5 To Revive Apparently Dead Plants
5 Singular Effect Of Tears
5 Beauties Of Crystallization
7 To Crystallize Camphor
7 Crystallized Tin
7 Crystals In Hard Water
7 Varieties Of Crystals
8 Heat From Crystallization
8 Splendid Sublimation
8 Artificial Ice
8 Magic Inks
9 Chameleon Liquids
9 The Magic Dyes
10 Wine Changed Into Water
10 Two Colourless Transparent Liquids Become Black And Opaque
10 Two Colourless Fluids Make A Coloured One
10 Change Of Colour By Colourless Fluids
11 To Change A Blue Liquid To White
11 Veritable “ Black” Tea
11 Restoration Of Colour By Water
12 The Magic Writing
12 Two Liquids Make A Solid
12 Two Solids Make A Liquid
12 A Solid Opaque Mass Made A Transparent Liquid
12 Two Cold Liquids Make A Hot One
13 Quadruple Transmutation
13 Quintuple Transmutation
13 Combination Of Colours
13 Union Of Two Metals Without Heat
13 Magic Breath
14 Two Bitters Make A Sweet
14 Visible And Invisible

15 Sight And Sound: Optical And Sound Illusions And Experiments
15 Artificial Mirage
16 Motion Of The Eye
17 Single Vision With Two Eyes
17 Two Objects Seen As One
18 Only One Object Can Be Seen At A Time
18 Straight Objects Seen Crooked
19 Optical Illusion
19 Pin-Hole Focus
20 Optical Deception
20 Accuracy Of Sight
21 Visual Deception
21 Handwriting Upon The Wall
21 Imitative Haloes
22 To Read A Coin In The Dark
22 To Make A Prism
23 Optical Augmentation
24 Gold Fish In A Glass Globe
24 Colours Produced By The Unequal Action Of Light Upon The Eyes
25 Optical Deception
25 Coloured Shadows
25 Colours Of Scratches
26 Ocular Spectra
26 Beautiful Colours Of Mother Of Pearl
27 White Letters Seen Further Than Black
27 Artificial Rainbow
27 Fringe About A Candle
28 The Double Coloured Reflection
28 Luminous Cross
28 Ring Of Colours Round A Candle
29 Simple And Cheap Opera-Glass
29 Multiplying Theatres
30 Apparatus For Writing In The Dark
31 Portable Microscope
32 The Phenakisticope Or Stoboscope
33 To Look At The Sun Without Injury
33 Brilliant Water Mirror
33 Optical Illusion Under Water
34 The Magic Wheels
35 Acoustic Rainbow
35 Transmission Of Sound
37 Progress Of Sound
37 Sound Turning Comers
37 To Tell The Distance Of Thunder
38 Hearing By The Touch
38 Conversation For The Deaf
39 Glass Broken By The Voice
39 Figures Produced By Sound
40 Transmitted Vibration
40 Double Vibration
40 Champagne And Sound
41 Music From Palisades
41 Theory Of The Jew’s Harp
42 Music Of The Snail
42 To Tune A Guitar Without The Assistance Of The Ear
42 Music From Glass Or Metal Rods
42 The Tuning-Fork A Flute-Player
44 Musical Bottles
44 Theory Of Whispering
44 Theory Of The Voice
45 Sound Along A Wall
45 Sounds More Audible By Night Than By Day
45 Musical Echo
46 Ventriloquism

49 Light And Heat: Mostly Chemical Experiments
51 Flashes Of Light Upon Revolving Wheels
52 Decomposition Of Light
52 Solar Refraction
53 Theatrical Incantations
53 To Imitate The Light Of The Sea
54 Instantaneous Lights
55 To Colour The Flame Of A Candle
55 To Divide The Flame Of A Candle
56 Cane Wick Lamp
56 Camphor And Platinum Lamp
56 Platinum And Ether Lamp
57 Floating Light
57 Substitute For A Wax Taper
57 Phosphorescent Fish
57 The Luminous Spectre
58 Light, A Painter
58 Effect Of Light Upon Crystallization
58 Effect Of Light On Plants
59 Instantaneous Light Upon Ice
59 White Light From Zinc
59 Brilliant Light From Two Metals
59 Brilliant Light From Steel
60 Lighted Tin
60 Light From Gilt Buttons
60 Light From A Flower
60 Light From Sugar
61 Light From The Potato
61 Light From The Oyster
61 Light From Derbyshire Spar
62 Light From Oyster-Shells
62 Rings Of Light In Crystal
62 To Strike Light With Cane
62 Cause Of Transparency
63 Transparency Of Gold
63 Tint Changed By Thickness
63 Shadows Made Darker By Increased Light
64 Miniature Thunder And Lightning
64 The Burning Glass
64 Magic Of Heat
65 Repulsion By Heat
66 Heat Passing Through Glass
66 Metals Unequally Influenced By Heat
67 Spontaneous Combustion
67 Inequality Of Heat In Fire-Irons
67 Expansion Of Metal By Heat
67 Evaporation Of A Metal
68 A Floating Metal On Fire
68 Heat And Cold From Flannel
68 Ice Melted By Air
68 To Hold A Hot Tea-Kettle On The Hand
69 Incombustible Linen
69 The Burning Circle
69 Water Of Different Temperatures In The Same Vessel
69 Warmth Of Different Colours
70 Substitute For Fire

71 Gas And Steam: Chemical Experiments With Gases
73 Laughing Gas
74 The Luminous Wand
74 To Make Carbonic Acid Gas
74 Carbonic Acid Gas In Wine Or Beer Vessels
75 To Extinguish Flame With Gas
75 Effect Of Hydrogen On The Voice
76 Magic Taper
76 The Gas Candle
76 Gas Bubbles
77 Gas-Light In The Day-Time
77 Miniature Balloons
77 Miniature Gas-Lighting
78 Musical Gas
79 Miniature Will O’-The-Wisp
79 Phosphoric Illumination
79 Combustion Of Iron In Oxygen Gas
80 Glow-Worm In Oxygen Gas
80 Luminous Charcoal -
80 Brilliant Combustion In Oxygen
81 Flame From Cold Metals
81 Phosphorus In Chlorine
82 Caoutchouc Balloons
82 To Increase The Light Of Coal Gas
82 Gas From Indian Rubber
83 Ether Gas
83 Magic Vapour
83 Gas From The Union Of Metals
84 Invisible Gases Made Visible
84 Light Under Water
84 Gaseous Evanescence
84 Violet-Coloured Gas
85 To Collect Gases
85 The Deflagrating Spoon
85 What Is Steam F
86 The Steam Engine Simplified
86 To Boil Water By Steam
87 Distillation In Miniature
87 Candle Or Fire Crackers
87 Steam From The Kettle

89 Fire, Water And Air: More Science Experiments
91 Coloured Flames
92 Yellow Flame
92 Orange-Coloured Flame
92 Emerald Green Flame
92 Instantaneous Flame
93 The Cup Of Flame
93 To Cool Flame By Metal
93 Proof That Flame Is Hollow
93 Camphor Sublimed By Flame
94 Green Fire
94 Brilliant Red Fire
94 Purple Fire
95 Silver Fire
95 The Fiery Fountain
95 The Artificial Conflagration
95 Inflammable Powder
96 Combustion Without Flame
96 Combustion Of Three Metals
96 To Make Paper Incombustible
96 Singular Experiments With Glass Tubes
97 Aquatic Bomb
97 Heat Not To Be Estimated By Touch
98 Flame Upon Water
96 Rose-Coloured Flame On Water
98 To Set A Mixture On Fire With Water
98 Waves Of Fire On Water
99 Explosion In Water
99 Water From The Flame Of A Candle
99 Formation Of Water By Fire
99 Boiling Upon Cold Water
100 Currents In Boiling Water
100 Hot Water Lighter Than Cold
100 Expansion Of Water By Cold
101 The Cup Of Tantalus
101 Imitative Diving Bell
102 The Water-Proof Sieve
102 More Than Frill
102 To Cause Wine And Water To Change Places
102 Pyramid Of Alum
103 Visible Vibration
104 Charcoal In Sugar
104 Floating Needles
104 Water In A Sling
104 Attraction In A Glass Of Water
105 To Prevent Cork Floating In Water
105 Instantaneous Freezing
105 To Freeze Water With Ether
106 Curious Transposition
106 Animal Barometer
106 Magic Soap
107 Equal Pressure Of Water
107 To Empty A Glass Under Water
107 To Empty A Glass Of Water Without Touching It
108 Decomposition Of Water
108 Water Heavier Than Wine
108 To Inflate A Bladder Without Air
108 Air And Water Balloon
109 Heated Air Balloon
109 The Pneumatic Tinder-Box
109 The Bacchus Experiment
110 The Mysterious Circles
112 Prince Rupert’S Drops
112 Vegetable Hygrometer
113 The Pneumatic Dancer
114 The Ascending Snake
114 The Pneumatic Phial
115 Resin Bubbles
115 Moisture Of The Atmosphere
115 Climates Of A Room
116 Bubbles In Champagne
116 Proofs That Air Is A Heavy Fluid
117 To Support A Pea On Air
117 Pyrophoru8, Or Air-Tinder
118 Beauty Of A Soap-Bubble
119 Why A Guinea Falls More Quickly Than A Feather Through The Air
120 Solidity Of Air
120 Breathing And Smelling

123 Sleights And Subtleties
125 The Ring And The Handkerchief: Borrowed Ring Penetrates Handkerchief
126 The Knotted Handkerchief: Knots Dissolve
128 The Invisible Springs: Rings Penetrate Two Ropes
129 The Miraculous Apple: Slicing An Apple In Its Peel
130 The Self-Balanced Pail: A Physics Trick
130 The Phantom At Command: a trick using a confederate
132 The Miraculous Shilling: coin in nest of boxes
133 The Locomotive Shilling: coin vanish and appear in impossible location
134 The Penetrative Sixpence: coin through table with gimmicked handkerchief
134 The Vanishing Sixpence: coin vanish (wax)
134 To Make A Sixpence Balance And Spin On Its Edge On The Point Of A Needle: a balancing act
135 The Multiplying Coin: optical illusion

136 Ruses
136 The Wonderful Hat: bread under hat gag
136 To Bring A Person Down Upon A Feather: a pun
136 The Apparent Impossibility: a riddle
137 An Omelet Cooked In A Hat Over The Flame Of A Candle: trick
138 The Impossible Omelet: a bet
138 Go If You Can: clasp the spectator's hands such that he can't leave without unclasping
138 The Figure Puzzle: half of nine or twelve
138 The Visible Invisible: candle can't be seen by one
139 The Double Meaning: bet you can drink from a cup under a hat
139 Quite Tired Out: seemingly easy task turns out not to be
139 Something Out Of The Common: another language pun
140 To Rub One Sixpence Into Two: performed at a table
140 Magic Circle: spectator can't jump out of a drawn circle

141 Feats With Cards
141 The Forcing Feat: the classic force with an out
143 The Nerve Feat: spectator is left holding his selection
144 The Turn-Over Feat: deck is dropped and selection appears face up
144 To Tell The Name Of A Card Thought Of: as deck is dealt off in packets
145 A Card Thought Of By One Person, To Be Found In A Part Of The Pack Named By Another Person
146 To Tell The Names Of The Cards By The Weight: teaches the Eight Kings stack
148 The Queens Going To Dig For Diamonds: a story card trick
149 The Card In The Egg: using a DIY card wand
152 The Ingenious Confederacy: magician determines which card was touched
153 The Changeable Cards: uses gimmicked cards
157 “Hold It Fast!": Spectator thinks they have an Ace of Spades but has the Hearts

159 Melange: miscellaneous experiments
161 Illusions Of Touch
162 Illusion Of The Taste
162 The General Bleacher
163 Influence Of Coloured Glass On Bulbous Roots
163 The Spinning-Top “Asleep”
164 To Judge Of Weights
164 Quicksilver And Oil United
164 To Dissolve The Soda In Glass
165 Waterproof Paper
165 To Dissolve Gold Or Platinum
165 Colder Than Ice
165 Contra-Crystallization
165 One And One Do Not Make Two
166 To Copy Writing Instantly
166 The Rival Dials
166 To Spin Indian Rubber
167 Indelible Writing
167 Vegetable Anatomy
168 To Tell What O’Clock It Is By The Moon
169 The Physiognotype
169 Infinite Divisibility Of Matter
170 Holding The Breath
170 Sand In The Hour-Glass
171 Resistance Of Sand
172 Glass Broken By Sand
172 To Bleach Ivory
172 Vanishing Shells
172 The Magic Egg
173 The Magic Whirlpool
175 Magic Porcelain
176 A Galvanic Tongue
176 Drinking Porter Out Of Pewter
176 Electric Or Galvanic Preservation
177 Light From The Diamond
177 To Break A Stone With A Blow Of The Fist
177 Mimic Frost-Work
178 To Melt Lead In A Piece Of Paper
178 Hydrostatic Balance
179 Metallic Reduction

179 Simple Electricity
179 Electrical Attraction And Repulsion
180 Alchemical Electricity
181 The Electric Balls
181 The Electric Dance
181 Electric Light
182 Electric Light From Brown Paper
182 Sudden Production Of Light
182 Electricity Of The Cat