Cyclopedia of Magic by Henry Hay

Cyclopedia of Magic is a wonderful book. It's primary quality stems from its alphabetical organization. It was written to provide the magician with a wide and solid background of magical knowledge. It provides definitions, descriptions, biographies and some routines on hundreds of magic topics. It is for the most part a compilation of material contributed by magicians such as August Roterberg, Charles Bertram, Eddie Joseph, Ellis Stanyon, John Mulholland, T. Nelson Downs and many others.

The ebook starts with a User's Guide which describes the purpose of the book, and an index to the contributing authors.

A

• Acquitment: definition

• Afghan Bands: short explanation

• Amateur Magicians: definition and article

• Anderson, John Henry: 1814-1874; bio

• Angle-Proof: definition

• Animals: Short article with comments on Rabbits, Pigeons, Dogs, etc.

B

• Ball Manipulation: Long article, covers various Palms, Passes, and vanishes. Refers readers to Burling Hull's Expert Billiard Ball Manipulation

• Ball of Wool: article, trick described

• Bambergs, The: bio. Eliaser 1760-1833; David Leendert 1786-1869; Tobias 1812-1870; David Tobias (born 1843); Theo (Okito) born 1875; David (born 1904)

• Bellachini (Sam Berlach): 1828-1885; bio

• Billet And Message Reading: article with discussion of the One Ahead, Impressions, Transparency, etc.

• Bird-Cage, Vanishing: definition

• Black Art: defined, with an article on the Black Art Table and its construction

• Blackstone, Harry: bio

• Blindfolds: article with description of various forms

• Blitz, Signor Antonio: 1810-1877; bio

• Book Test: article with explanation and various approaches

• Bosco, Bartolommeo: 1790-1863 bio

• Bradawl or Ice Pick: defined

• Breakaway Fan: defined

• Breslaw: died 1783 bio

• Bullet Catching: article

• Business Methods: publicity article

C

• Cake Baked In a Hat: article

• Card Box: Defined

• Card Frame: article

• Card in Cigarette: defined

• Card Index: defined

• Cardini: bio

• Card Manipulation: longer article covers Back Palm, Bottom Dealing, Break, Changes, Crimp, Double Lift, False Count, False Shuffle, Jogs, Flourishes, Forcing, Glide, Glimpse, Mexican Turnover, Palming, Second Deal, Shifts, Slips, and a card worker's bibliography

• Card Marking: longer article covers principles, dot & puncture, manufacture, shading/tinting, line and scroll work, and marking while in play

• Card Setups (The Rosary Deck): New packs, 8 Kings, Si Stebbins, explained along with several tricks

• Cards, Flap: defined

• Cards, Key: Article with several types described

• Cards, One Way, Pointer, Divided: description of three card location approaches

• Cards Up the Sleeve: routine described

• Card Through Handkerchief: described

• Card Vanisher: several types described

• Carter, Charles J: 1874-1936 bio

• Changeover Palm: defined

• Changing Bag: defined

• Children's Shows: article with recommendations

• Chinese Magic: defined

• Chinese Wands: described, multiple versions

• Ching Ling Foo (Chee Ling Qua): 1854-1918 bio

• Ching Ling Foo Water Can: defined

• Chopper Effects: defined

• Chung Ling Soo (William Ellisworth Campbell): 1861-1918 bio

• Cigar Manipulation: Article covers multiple sleights

• Cigarette Manipulation: for lighted or unlighted cigarettes, also covers holders

• Clock Dial: Described

• Coils: defined

• Coin Box, Okito: defined

• Coin In Handkerchief: defined

• Coin Manipulation: article covers Palms, Changes, Handkerchief Folds, Palms, Passes, Sleeving, and a coin works bibliography

• Coin Tray: described with a routine

• Coins, Folding: described

• Coins, Shell: described

• Comedy: Article with advice

• Comte, Louis Christian Emmanuel Appollinaire: 1788-1859 bio

• Costume: article with advice

• Costume Trunk Trick: described

• Culpitt, Fred: died 1944, bio

• Cups and Balls: Article covers palming, cup and wand moves, and East Indian cups

D

• Dancing Handkerchief: described

• De Kolta, Joseph Bautier: 1845-1903, bio

• Devant, David (David Wighton): 1868-1941 bio

• Dice: Article covers changing dots, Die Through Hat

• Die Box, Sliding: described

• Diminishing Cards: Described

• Divinations: Class of effects in which performer discovers which of several similar objects has been concealed or what order they have been arranged in

• Doebler, Ludwig Leopold: 1801-1864 bio

• Dollar Bill Tricks: A torn and restored bill described, and the bill to lemon

• Doll's House: Frederick Culpitt's illusion described

• Dove Pan: described

• Downs, Thomas Nelson: 1867-1938 bio

• Drawer-Box: described

• Droppers: defined

• Drumhead Tube: described

• Duck Vanish: described

E

• East Indian Magic: Article

• Egg and Handkerchief: effect detailed in a couple of approaches

• Egg Bag: described, with some details of De Biere's egg bag. Includes a general approach to a routine, but no details.

• Equivoques (Conjurer's Choice): described

• Escapes and Releases: includes short discussions of The Jacoby Rope Tie, Handcuff Escape, Sack Escapes, The Mail Bag, Straitjacket Escape, Escape from Paper Cylinder, Packing Cases, and Siberian Chain Release

• Exposures: short article on ethics

F

• Fake: defined

• Fawkes, Isaac: died 1731 bio

• Fish-Catching: defined

• Flagstaff: described

• Flash Paper: defined

• Flower in Buttonhole: defined

• Flower Productions: Described in longer article

• Forcing: defined

• Four Ace Tricks: Covers Charles Bertram's Method, and seven other methods

• Fox, Imro (Isidor Fuchs): 1852-1910 bio

• Frikell, Wiljalba: 1818-1903 bio

• Funnel: Described

G

• Gambling Methods: longer article on cheating with cards and dice

• General Card: defined

• Gimmick: defined

• Goldfish Bowls: described

• Goldin, Horace (Hyman Goldstein): 1873-1939 bio

• Grandmother's Necklace: described

• Gyngell: died 1833, bio

H

• Handkerchiefs Prepared as Vanishers: described, including the Die-Vanishing Handkerchief and more

• Hands: how to treat

• Hat Trick: detailed description of Joseph Michael Hartz' production of items from a hat

• Heimburger, Alexander: 1818-1909 bio

• Heller, Robert (William Henry Palmer): about 1826-1878 bio

• Herrmann: family of magicians bio

• Hertz Carl (Laib Morgenstern): 1869-1924 bio

• History: article on the history of magic

• Hoffmann, Professor Louis (Angelo John Lewis, MA): 1839-1920 bio

• Hofzinser, Johann Nepomuk: 1806-1875 bio

• Holders: several ball and egg holders described

• Hoods: as used for coins, cards, etc.

• Houdini, Harry (Ehrich Weisz): 1874-1926 bio

I

• Illusions: defined

• Impromptu Effects: pointer to books with impromptu effects

• Indian Basket Trick: described

• Indian Mango Trick: described

• Indian Rope Trick: described

• Inexhaustible Bottle: described, with various improvements

• Invention: article, includes a chart with Magical Technics, info on patents, etc.

J

• Jap Box: described in detail

• Jumping Peg: described

K

• Kellar, Harry (Harold Keller): 1849-1922 bio

• Kellar Tie: rope release described

L

• Lafayette (Siegmund Neuburger): 1872-1911 bio

• Laurant, Eugene (Eugene Greenleaf): 1875-1944) bio

• Leroy (Jean Henri) Servais: 1865-1953 bio

• Levitations: several stage levitations described, the floating ball

• Linking Rings: a full routine is described

• Literature of Magic: article on historical writings

• Load: defined

• Lota: described

M

• Magical Effects: general description of magical effect types

• Makeup: described

• Maskelynes, The: family bio

• Mechanical Decks: Describes Strippers, Cornered, Forcing Decks, Svengali, Mene Tekel, etc.

• Merry Widow: described

• Mind-Reading: general high-level discussion, with an example two-person code

• Mirror Principle: described

• Miser's Dream: routine described

• Mulholland, John: born 1898, bio

• Multiplying Billiard Balls: briefly described

• Muscle Reading: article on mind-reading

• Music: article on choosing music

N

• Needle Trick: threading needles in mouth described

• Nest of Boxes: described

• Nicola, the Great (William Mozart Nocol): 1880-1946 bio

• Night Club Shows: article

O

• Organizations: SAM, IBM, Magic Circle, etc.

• Organ Pipes: described

P

• Pantomime: article

• Passe-Passe Bottle: described with routine

• Patter: article

• Phantom Tube: defined

• Phillippe or Philippe (Phillippe Talon): 1802-1879 bio

• Pinetti, Giuseppe, De Willedal: 1750-1800 bio

• Pistol: gimmicked pistol described

• Plant: defined

• Powell, Frederick Eugene: 1857-1938 bio

• Practice and Rehearsal: article

• Presentation: article on the rules of presentation

• Programs: article on building your program

• Psychology: article on deception

• Publicity: article on advertising

• Pulls: several varieties described

R

• Rattle Box: described with a routine

• Rice Bowls: various methods described

• Ring: defined

• Ring On Stick: briefly described

• Rising Cards: methods include threads, De Kolta method, with routine described along with various other approaches

• Robert-Houdin: 1805-1871 bio

• Robin, Henri (Dunkell): died 1874, bio

• Rope Tricks: defined

• Routine: short article

S

• Salting: defined

• Sawing a Woman in Two: briefly described

• Selbit, P.T. (Percy Thomas Tibbles): died 1938, bio

• Servante: described in good detail

• Shell: defined

• Shell Game: briefly described, reader is directed to Jack Chanin's Hello Sucker!

• Shower of Sweets: children's effect described

• Silent Acts: defined

• Silk Tricks: Describes various tools such as False Fingers, Wands, Production from a Match Box, Multiplying Tube, Productions, Color Changing, Knots, Sympathetic Silks, etc.

• Slate Tests: writing on blank slates described

• Sleeve Up His: defined

• Sleight of Hand: defined

• Spelling Master: card effect described

• Spider: defined

• Spirit Effects: article

• Sponge Balls: very briefly described

• Stage Settings: Article on setting the stage for stage shows, with bibliography on Stage and Theater

• Steal: defined

• Stodare, Colonel Alfred (John English): 1831-1866 bio

• String Tricks: Includes brief discussion of Perambulating String, Pricking the Garter, Snare, etc.

• Sucker Gag: defined

• Sun and Moon Trick: handkerchief trick described in detail

• Switch: Defined

• Sympathetic Coins: A Coin Matrix type effect described

T

• Table Tricks: defined

• Talk: defined

• Tambourine: production utility described

• Telephone Trick: briefly described

• Thimble Tricks: Decent article describes production, multiplying thimbles, and thimble passes

• Thirty Card Trick: Cards transfer from one pile to another

• Thread, Black: defined

• Three-Card Tricks: Three Card Monte describe in fair detail; Mexican Three Card Monte; Slow Motion Method

• Thumb Tie: release described

• Thumb Tip: defined

• Thumb Writer: Defined

• Thurston, Howard: 1869-1936 bio

• Torn and Restored Paper: various methods described, including Torn Cigarette Paper

• Torrini (Count Edmond De Grisy): bio of this fictional character

• Tourniquet: defined

• Transfixed Pack: two card effects described

• Traps: defined

• Trunk Trick, Substitution: stage effect briefly described

• Tumblers: Bottomless, Mirror Glass, others described

• Turban Cut and Restored: described

V

• Van Hoven, Frank: 18??-19?? bio

• Vanishing Performer: described

• Vest-Pocket Magic: defined

• Volunteers: Short Article

W

• Walking Through a Brick Wall: described

• Wands: Article with discussion of production, coin wand, auto-gravity wand, Cigar Wand, Swallowing Wand, and Vanishing Wand

• Watch Tricks: Several tricks described including the Watch Mortar, The Watch Winder, and Watch It! Refers readers to Samuel Berland's Tricks with Watches.

• Wax: defined

• Williams, Oswald: 1881-1937 bio

• Wine and Water: briefly described

• Wyman, John: 1816-1881 bio

Y

• You Do as I Do: Briefly described, with reference to Hilliard's Greater Magic and Hugard's Encyclopedia of Card Tricks