THE FIRST magic book I ever read was called The Modern Conjurer. It's an old book, with lots and lots of pictures in it. I learnt more magic from those pictures than I've ever learnt since. The Chinese have a proverb: "One picture is worth a thousand words." That's very true, especially of magic.
And so the artist and I have compiled this book of pictorial magic for you, believing that if you study it carefully, and learn the tricks in it, you'll become a good conjurer.
Some of the tricks are new. Some are good old ones which have entertained and amused audiences for many, many years. Some are easy, and some are a little more difficult. But all of them need practice, however easy they seem. That's the very first secret of magic—PRACTICE.
And the next most important secret is—KEEP YOUR SECRETS! Don't
ever tell anyone how a trick is done. You've had to learn the way to do it;
let other people do likewise! -
If you learn how to do only one single trick out of all this book, bear in mind those two important principles: PRACTICE ... and KEEP YOUR SECRETS!
When you feel that you can present several of these tricks with confidence and assurance, then look around for other books on magic. Learn all you can from books. And then make friends with other conjurers and exchange your information. But remember—only swop tricks with conjurers! Everybody else must think that these things are done by magic!
Good luck—and happy conjuring!
