Reference Guide to The Ball & Cone

Compiled by Doug Atkinson

Last update: Aug 2018 This page has been newly created, with some content removed from the Ball Manipulation page.
Added Books: Andrus' More Sleightly Slanted; Bandy & Brown's Isn't That Good?; Louis Christianer Effective Tricks; Don England's A Magic Lecture; Jackie Flosso Close Up Magic of the Masters, Lewis Ganson Dai Vernon's Book of Magic, Hull/Hahne Smart Magic; Wolfsberger's Manipulation with Ball and Cone; Burling Hull's Expert Billiard Ball Manipulation Part 1; Tom Osborne's Cups and Balls Magic; Harlan Tarbell's Course in Magic Vol 6; Dai Vernon's First California Lecture; Dai Vernon's European Tour 1955; Gregg Webb Society of Sleight of Hand Artists;
Video: Jeki Yoo Video;
Products: John Blake Ball & Cone Plus; A House of Fire Halloween Ball and Cone; Steinhauer Solid Cone and Ball.

The following is a list of books, videos/DVDs, and products that contain references to magic related to The Cone & Ball effect. Note that many of the color changes and other ball moves in the Ball Manipulation Reference Guide may be of use as well.

Please note that none of these items are for sale from this web site. This page is for informational purposes only. Prices are estimates only and are not current. Many items are likely no longer available.

Click on a book title to view a full contents listing (where available). Click on a magic dealer to go to the magic links page.

Books

Andrus, Jerry: More Sleightly Slanted. Softcover, 1977, 29 pages. Includes Mylar Mystery: ball and cone with a Mylar sheet and Effects With a Ball.

Bandy, Father: Isn't That Good? The Magic of Johnny Brown. 1974, 103 pages. Includes Johnny Brown's Routine and Patter for the Homing Ball: using 2 red balls, a plastic egg, and the cone

Brown, Ed: Feints and Temps of Harry Riser. Hardcover, 270 pages. Includes Ball, Cone, and Box Routine: Incorporates an "Egg/Ball Vase"

Christianer, Louis: Effective Tricks. 1915, softcover, 16 pages. Includes The Flag, Cone and Ball, a transposition of a ball in a cone with a silk flag using a gimmicked ball.

Colombini, Aldo: Cone-Tact. Book. Aldo Colombini's treatment of the Ball & Cone, complete with cardboard cone and three balls, manuscript with 35 illustrations by Tony Dunn. (also listed in Products section, and a DVD exists as well)

England, Don: A Magic Lecture. 1979 15 pages. Includes Solid Cone Routine.

Flosso, Jackie (editor) Close Up Magic of the Masters. 1985, 33 pages. Includes Ball, Cone and Handkerchief (Dai Vernon): ball, cone, and handkerchief routine.

Ganson, Lewis: The Art of Close Up Magic Volume 2. 1996, 286 pages. Great close-up magic including Rink's One Cup Two Balls Chop cup routine. Master Move for the Homing Ball is a move (not a routine) for use with the Ball & Cone

Ganson, Lewis: Dai Vernon Book of Magic. 1957, 239 pages. Includes Chapter 20: Ball, Cone, and Handkerchief: suitable for close up. Uses a 24" silk handkerchief, two white and one red 2 1/8" balls, and cone suitable in size for the balls.

Hall, Trevor H.: The Testament of Ralph W. Hull. 1945, 116 pages. Includes The Homing Ball: the ball and cone, using small 1.25" balls and a cardboard cone with two routines

Hull, Burling: Expert Billiard Ball Manipulation Part 1. 1910, 46 pages. Includes the Burling Hull Cone and Ball.

Hull, Burling: Sleights. 1914, 32 pages. Includes Burling Hull Cone Flight and Cone Vanish (extracts from Hull's Deviltry); ball and cone using a paper cone.

Hull, R.W. & N.C. Hahne: Smart Magic. 1935, 44 pages. Includes Homing Ball, a small ball and paper cone effect.

Mardo, Senor: The Cups & Balls. 1955 Magic Ltd. 34pg. Also includes the Homing Ball (ball and cone)

Mardo, Senor: Routined Magic. 1945 Max Holden. 29pg. Includes Homing Ball (Ball & Cone)

Osborne, Tom: Cups and Balls Magic. 1937, 59 pages. Includes Article No. 51: The Cone and Ball Trick: a short explanation of the ball and cone effect

Stone, Tom: Deserting the Legion. 2004, 20 pages. Includes a treatise on the Ball & Cone.

Stone, Tom: Vortex. 270 pages, Hardcover, 2010. Includes Tom's Ball & Cone routine

Tarbell, Harlan: Tarbell's Course in Magic Volume 6. 1927, 410 pages. Includes Balls from the Air: Ball & Cone using gimmicked cone.

Vernon, Dai: Expanded Lecture Notes. Contents include Ball Cone & Handkerchief

Vernon, Dai: First California Lecture. 1976, 24 pages. Includes Cone, Ball and Handkerchief.

Vernon, Dai & Harry Stanley: Dai Vernon's European Tour 1955. Includes Cone, Ball and Handkerchief.

Webb, Gregg: Society of Sleight of Hand Artists (SOSOFA). 2003 eBook, 144 pages. Includes Pros & Cons of the Ball and Cone – Thoughts on the Ball and Cone Trick

Wolfsberger, Gary: Manipulation With the Cone and Ball. 1976, 8 pages, softcover. Routine with a solid cone; originally came with props

Video/DVDs

Colombini, Aldo: Cone-Tact. DVD. Aldo Colombini's treatment of the Ball & Cone. Also available in manuscript form with paper cone and balls.

Millward, George: Instructional Ball and Cone Video (DVD). Detailed explanation of the effect, full treatment of the Vernon Wand Spin, and Johnny Thompson's comments on the effect.

Miracle Factory: Mystic Craig's Camera. 3 DVD set. Over six hours of historical footage, including lectures and performances by Dai Vernon, Brother John Hamman, U. F. Grant, Jack Miller, Kalanag, Edward Victor, and Peter Warlock. Performance of Dai Vernon Ball & Cone, Balls & Net; Edward Victor Sleight With Four Thimbles, Billiard Balls; and much more.

Torkova, Bob: Cone & Ball for Platform.

Vernon, Dai: Videonics PROGRAM #54 Revelations Vol. 10. DVD version contains Volumes 9 & 10. Includes The Vernon Cone and Ball routine;

Vernon, Dai: Revelations V9&10. Note: This is a remaster of the Videonics series and contains two volumes on one tape Volume 10 includes Vernon Cone and Ball Routine from Harlequin Act, Ball and Silk

Yoo Jeki: Cone and Ball Lecture Download Video. DRM protected.

Products

Ambitious Card (Frank Starsinic, AmbitousCard): Cone for the Ball & Cone. Supple leather cone.

A House of Fire: Halloween Cone and Ball. Cone decorated in orange and black, Halloween silk, two orange one black balls (1.75 or 2" diameter), and detailed instructions.

Blake, John: Ball & Cone Plus. This cone was made of cardboard and painted. Came with balls, salt vanishing gimmick, and DVD. For climax, white ball turns to salt shaker, salt is poured into hand, where it vanishes and is reproduced from another silk. No longer on the market.

Colombini, Aldo: Cone-Tact. Book. Aldo Colombini's treatment of the Ball & Cone, complete with cardboard cone and three balls, manuscript with 35 illustrations by Tony Dunn. Note: the original VHS video of this effect used to come with a leather cone, which you might find on the used market.

Magicland of Dallas: Ball and Cone: Homing Ball Routine with Black Leather cone, 2 wooden white balls, 1 wooden red ball and Johnny Brown's routine. Long unavailable, Magicland is now closed...

Millward, George: Complete Ball & Cone. Black leather cone; 7" with 2.5" mouth & three 2 1/8" Snooker Balls (2 white and 1 red); 20 page instruction book and DVD.

Snyder, John Jr. & Ralph W. Hull: The Homing Ball. Kit produced in 1942, and included a two-toned cone, two balls, and 4 pages of illustrated instructions by Ralph W. Hull.

Steinhauer, Lawrence: Solid Cone and Ball. A solid cone and ball set with routine. No longer made.