Walter B. Gibson – Big book of magic for all ages

Contents:

vii Introduction

Chapter 1: How to Create a Simple Yet Challenging Act

Chapter 2: The Performance: Presenting a Complete Act

Chapter 3: Tricks with Rope, String, and Handkerchiefs

13 Harry Blackstone: and the Quick Vanish
19 Shake A Knot: handkerchief
20 Shake A Loop: handkerchief
21 Penetrating Handkerchief: off wand
22 United and Untied: handkerchief
23 The Animated Mouse: handkerchief fold
24 Three Paper Napkins: dark napkin moved from end to center as rolled
25 Vanishing Knot: in string
26 Drop-Away Knot: string
27 Loop a Loop: with two circles of string
28 Poko-Chinko: wooden disk release, can be done with washers, etc.
30 Rope and Cone: cone is suspended by a rope
32 Traveling Knots: from rope in bag A to rope in bag B
34 Go-Go Knots: vanish in tube
35 Straight Through: rope penetrates spectator’s arm
36 The Mysterious String: puzzle
37 String and Straw: cut thru straw and yet restored

Chapter 4: Dinner-table Magic

39 T. Nelson Downs: Miser’s dream
45 Balancing the Cup: on edge of saucer
46 Glass on Card: glass balances on single card
47 Amazing Tumbler Balance: another approach (impromptu)
47 Balancing Glass: on a table-cloth covered table
48 Changing Liquids: color changes when glass covered with handkerchief
49 Three Glass Turn Up: puzzle
50 Five in a Row: another
51 Five More In a Row: another puzzle
52 Seven Up: yet another variation
53 The Balanced Egg: on table
54 Traveling Salt: salt vanishes and reappears in a slow pour
56 Turnabout Knife: puzzle with a napkin and butter knife
57 Magnetic Dice: stick together
58 Magic Sugar Lumps: sugar lumps stick together
59 Stand-Up Matchpack: stands on its own
60 Jumping Chopstick: one jumps when touched by another
61 Around the Table: two person mentalism
62 A Chinese Mystery: lifting a bottle of rice with a chopstick

Chapter 5: Bafflers and Participation Tricks

63 Harry Houdini: the vanishing pocket watch
68 Tick-Tack-Toe: paper cutting trick
70 Thieves and Sheep: with small pellets
72 Three Matchstick Bafflers: puzzles
73 Follow the Arrow: as card is flipped
74 Topsy Turvy Numbers: variation
76 Magic Seven: mentalism
78 The Bending Pencil: illusion
79 Trick of the Month: calendar trick
80 The Mystic Watch: confederate trick
80 Amazing Match Balance: on your fingertip
81 Snap!: snapping a match in two
81 Smash!: impossible challenge
82 Do As I Do Card Trick: cards
83 Alternate Do As I Do: another version
84 Three-Heap Do As I Do: cards
84 Do As I Do Knot: string
85 Do As I Do String Trick: another
86 Slide-Away Knot: string
87 Call for the Wizard: telephone trick
88 Finger Figures: starts as a game, end up a mystery

Chapter 6: Mental Magic and Messages

91 Joseph Dunninger: with a card prediction
96 The Counting Race: game with a trick
96 Naming Numbers: two person effect
97 Naming the Object: feat of pretended thought projection
98 Mystic Totals: dice
99 Roll the Dice: more dice mentalism
100 Circles and Squares: mental mystery with round cards and numbers
102 Three Colored Spools: magician finds color of each spool wrapped in paper
103 Choose a Planet: Magician spells to the selected card
104 Three Clock Tricks:
104 – Crosswise Subtraction
104 – Around the Dial
105 – Cross Out Six
106 Calendar Calculation: calendar trick
108 The Three Numbers: mathematical mentalism
108 Magic Math: and more
109 Super Mathc: and yet more
110 Square of Nine: another calendar effect

Chapter 7: Money Magic

111 Horace Goldin: Dollar-Bill Trick
116 Double Your Money: one coin is shown, and then there are two
117 Six Cents at a Time: challenge
118 Dime to Quarter: in match box
119 Quick Coin Vanish: dime vanishes from between two half dollars
120 Buddha Money Mystery: paper fold
122 Find the Coin: coin fold
123 Big Money: half dollar appears in box of matches
124 Odds and Evens: Three coin puzzlers
124 – Quick Change
124 – Left and Right
124 – Add Them Up
125 The Doubling Coin: a coin is picked up and becomes two
125 Tell a Coin: magician knows heads and tails
126 Instant Coin Vanish: in handkerchief
128 Multiplying Coins: in the hands
129 Coin on Forehead: stunt
130 Doubling Money: tray multiplyer
131 Coin in Handkerchief: coin found in knot
132 One to Five: one coin multiplies to five
134 Self-Spinning Coin: coin stunt
135 Coin and Straws: lift coin and four straws with one straw
136 Seven Coins: puzzle
137 Tricky Turnover: puzzle
138 Fold the Bill: turns upside down
139 Coins That Stay: coin stunt
140 Floating Dollars: bills float above hand
142 Coins From String: metal washer release

Chapter 8: Tricks with Cards

143 Cardini: Cardini’s Four Ace Trick
148 A Special Note About Card Tricks: creating an act
150 Tricks With the Riffle Pack: the Riffle pack, often called the Svengali deck
152 – Lost and Found
153 – Instant Reverso
154 – Changing Colors
156 Quick Poker Deal: on a 2nd deal, magician gets a royal flush
157 The Gambler’s Dream: another poker hand
158 Super Poker Deal: and another
162 Twenty Cards: magician finds selection when spectator point to row they are in
164 New Deal Twenty-Card Trick: variation
166 Sense of Touch: magician produces same number of face up cards in 2 packets
168 Perfection Prediction: card prediction
170 The Baffled Burglars: story card trick
172 The Modern Burglars: another version
173 Cops and Robbers: another story trick
174 Crossed Colors: magician predicts red & black
176 The Magic Aces: Ace of Diamonds placed in center of pack rises to top
177 The New Magic Aces: follow-up
178 The Balanced Pack: on back of hand
179 Single-Card Balance: on back of hand
180 Steal the Sheep: thieves and sheep performed with cards
182 Four Kings in a Paper Bag: instantly remove four Kings from mixed cards in bag
183 Amazing Card Vanish: card vanishes from glass
184 Jumping Card: card jumps from deck
185 Slide-Away Card: card slid between cards ends up underneath
186 Traveling Cards: two cards transpose to bottom of deck
186 Card and Pack: discovering a card placed in the deck

Chapter 9: A Hatful of Miscellaneous Tricks

187 The Great Raymond: two strips of colored paper are torn and turn into a hat
192 Dicky Birds: finger trick
193 Invisible Transposition: red and green ribbons transpose between two clear tubes
194 Colored Crayons: magician knows which color crayon is selected
194 Colored Balls: similar to above
195 The Climbing Ring: up pencil
196 The Rising Pencil
197 The Bottle Imp: bottle hangs by string
198 The Traveling Checker: colored checker rises in stack
199 The Mystic Banana: cutting a banana inside the skin
200 The Jumping Ruler: jumps in the hand
201 The Magic Mark: on the hand
202 The Animated Hairpin: hairpin walks along a stick
203 Take-Apart Pins: safety pins
204 Link the Pins: safety pins
205 Cling-O-Clips: paper clips link
206 Jumping Elastic: rubber band magic
207 Vanished Ball: in handkerchief
208 Move the Clips: magician knows how many paper clips moved
209 Adhesive Thimbles: thimbles stick mouth to mouth
209 Magnetic Matches: matches move apart by invisible force
210 Have a Match: matches spray from box
211 Quick Matchbox Vanish
212 String and Matchbox: matchbox removed from string
213 Pop-Up Match: match pops up when box is opened
214 Matches from Nowhere: empty then full box
215 Turnabout Match: match instantly changes direction
216 Magnetic Matches: matches cling to the hand
217 Card to Matchbox

Chapter 10: Special Tricks for a Complete Act

219 Howard Thurston: and the Card Rise
223 Color Changing Balloon
223 Restored Paper Strip: torn and restored
224 Restored Ribbon: clearly cut through cards, yet restored
225 Silly Spooks: things happen behind a cloth
226 The Vanishing Bowl: behind cloth
227 Ball and Rope: Ball suspends on rope
228 The Oriental Snowstorm: fanned tissue paper floats like snowflakes
230 The Inexhaustible Box: production box