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SLEIGHT OF HAND
SLEIGHT OF HAND
A Practical Manual of Legerdemain for Amateurs & Others EDWIN SACHS Dover Publications, Inc. New York Published in Canada by General Publishing Company, Ltd., 30 Lesmill Road, Don Mills, Toronto, Ontario. This Dover edition, first published in 1980, is an unabridged republication of the second, greatly enlarged, edition of the work as published by L. Upcott Gill, London, 1885. International Standard Book Number: 0-486-23911-X Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 79-54184 Manufactured
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PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION.
PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION.
It is always a matter for self-congratulation on the part of an author to be called upon to furnish a Preface to a second or subsequent edition of some "bantling of his brain." In the present instance the task is more satisfactory than usual, the author not coming before the reader empty-handed. Since the publication of the first edition, conjurors have not been idle, and numerous new methods for producing magical surprises have been invented. Such of these as are suitable or worthy—for, in thei
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Introduction.
Introduction.
"It is as pleasant to be cheated as to cheat," is a maxim that must have been framed expressly for conjuring, for the more completely one is deceived by its medium (and, be it said, by its medium alone) the better one is pleased. The date of the origin of conjuring, as we now understand the art, is not known, but there must have been proficients in the practice of it as early as the time of Chaucer; for that ancient writer speaks of one Coll Tregetour (Tregetour signifying a juggler) producing a
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Part I. Drawing-room Magic.
Part I. Drawing-room Magic.
This derives its chief beauty from the fact that it is almost entirely dependent on pure sleight of hand, a fact which audiences are never slow to appreciate. The most familiar objects are dealt with, and are made to vanish and re-appear in unexpected places, as though they really were disembodied and reinstated. The amateur will find, after a few years' experience, that the impromptu performances he may, from time to time, be called upon to give in the drawing-rooms of his acquaintances, will b
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CHAPTER I. PALMING.
CHAPTER I. PALMING.
THE PALM PROPER—THE FINGER PALM—THE THUMB PALM—THE REVERSE PALM. Method 1. The Palm Proper. —Hold the coin firmly between the thumb on the one side and the middle and third fingers on the other, the first and little fingers taking up graceful positions, as it were, to cover the movement about to be made ( Fig. 1 ). Remove the thumb to its ordinary position of repose, and, at the same instant, let the two fingers (second and third) press the coin into the palm of the hand, half way down the root
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CHAPTER II. TRICKS WITH COINS.
CHAPTER II. TRICKS WITH COINS.
TRICK FOR PALM PRACTICE—HOW TO "PASS" A COIN INVISIBLY—HOW TO CHANGE A COIN—THE USE OF THE WAND IN PALMING—TO PASS A MARKED COIN THROUGH A TABLE—METHOD FOR CONCEALING MANY COINS—THE AERIAL VISIT AND JOURNEY—TO "PASS" SEVERAL COINS—HINTS ON PRACTICE—TO CAUSE A COIN TO VANISH FROM A HANDKERCHIEF—ON BORROWING A HANDKERCHIEF—THE DANCING COIN—A MYSTERY WITHIN A MYSTERY—TO CAUSE A FLORIN AND A PENNY TO CHANGE PLACES—TO PICK A MARKED COIN FROM A NUMBER, BLINDFOLDED—THE MARRIAGE—TO INVISIBLY EXTRACT A C
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CHAPTER III. TRICKS WITH COMMON OBJECTS.
CHAPTER III. TRICKS WITH COMMON OBJECTS.
ON RAPIDITY AND DECEPTION—MISDIRECTION—A JAPANESE SUGAR TRICK—"FLY AWAY, JACK; FLY AWAY, JOHN: COME AGAIN, JACK; COME AGAIN, JOHN"—A "RISING BLADE"—TO RESTORE A PIECE OF COTTON THAT HAS BEEN CUT UP IN SMALL PIECES—TO PASS A RING FROM A HANDKERCHIEF ON TO A WAND HELD AT EACH END—A SECOND METHOD—A THIRD METHOD. I commence this, the second portion of drawing-room conjuring, with the decided hope that, before my readers attempt to follow me, they will have attained some proficiency in the art of pal
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CHAPTER IV. TRICKS WITH CUPS AND BALLS.
CHAPTER IV. TRICKS WITH CUPS AND BALLS.
THE CUPS—THE BALLS—HOW TO CONCEAL A BALL—HOW TO SLIP A BALL UNDER A CUP UNPERCEIVED—HOW TO VANISH A BALL: PHASE ONE, PHASE TWO, PHASE THREE—THE MANUFACTORY—HOW TO INTRODUCE LARGE OBJECTS BENEATH THE CUPS—BAG FOR HOLDING ARTICLES—HINTS—TALK FOR THE TRICK. The variety of tricks performed with the aid of cups and balls take a prominent position in the repertory of every conjuror laying claim to any proficiency in pure sleight of hand. Three tin cups (or, rather, as they are always used in an invert
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CHAPTER V. TRICKS WITH HANDKERCHIEFS.
CHAPTER V. TRICKS WITH HANDKERCHIEFS.
BURNING A HANDKERCHIEF IN A SMALL WAY—HINTS ABOUT APPARATUS—HOW TO PULL A HANDKERCHIEF THROUGH THE LEG—THE KNOT UNTIED BY MAGIC—THE CONFECTIONER HANDKERCHIEF—FEATS WITH HANDKERCHIEFS. What conjurors would do without pocket handkerchiefs, I will not venture to suggest. Almost every trick has a handkerchief of some kind as a component part. Handkerchiefs are torn up, burnt up, tied into knots, made receptacles for money, and used in a variety of other ways; in fact, they are the conjuror's most fa
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CHAPTER VI. CHINESE TRICKS.
CHAPTER VI. CHINESE TRICKS.
A NEW MARBLE TRICK—FIRE-EATING—FINAL EFFECT—THE BUTTERFLY TRICK—THE FAN—HOW TO MAKE THE BUTTERFLIES—HOW TO KEEP THEM IN THE AIR. Chinese Marble Trick. —Some years ago, there came over to England a few Chinese conjurors, who were seen by the public but very little, but who favoured me on several occasions with private views. Their skill lay chiefly in the performance of such delectable feats as swallowing sword-blades, tiny china cups, glass balls, and large leaden plummets. Although appreciating
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CHAPTER VII. TRICKS AT TABLE.
CHAPTER VII. TRICKS AT TABLE.
HOW TO CAUSE A WINEGLASS WITH WINE IN IT TO VANISH—ITS STARTLING REPRODUCTION—FILTER TUMBLERS—HOW TO CAUSE A PLATE OR OTHER LARGE ARTICLE TO VANISH—HOW TO PERFORM THE CUP AND BALL TRICK WITH PLATES AND BREAD PELLETS—A DIE TRICK—MAGICAL SURGERY—A DESSERT OF CORKS—KNIFE-SWALLOWING MADE EASY: TWO METHODS. To Vanish a Glass of Sherry. —When invited out to a dinner party, one usually leaves one's conjuring tricks at home; but in some instances, where, perhaps, one's fame has gone before, an unexpecte
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The Pass.
The Pass.
With the foremost of these, as the most important, I will first deal. The use of the pass is to transfer a given card from one portion of the pack to another. In nine tricks out of ten, a card is chosen and replaced in the centre of the pack, which is then shuffled. If this were in reality done without any previous interference on the performer's part, he would be at sea as to the position of the chosen card, and so rendered totally unable to find it when he wanted to do so. To avoid this contre
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The Diagonal Pass.
The Diagonal Pass.
This is a very useful variety of the two-handed pass, by means of which cards placed simultaneously in different parts of the pack are at once brought together. Say, three cards have been selected by various spectators. The performer presents the pack to each in turn, requesting to have the card chosen placed in any portion of it. The chooser thereupon pushes the card between the others, which are not opened out by the performer, but merely presented in a compact body. The card is not permitted
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The False Shuffle.
The False Shuffle.
This the conjuror will find a very useful adjunct to the pass. There is nothing very difficult about it, but it is necessary to be somewhat bold in executing it. The two methods of shuffling in ordinary use are the perpendicular and the horizontal. The perpendicular is the most business-like, and I have no doubt that it is used by most of my male readers who are card-players. Ladies, I am aware, mostly patronise the horizontal shuffle, in which the cards are passed from right to left, or vice ve
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The Change.
The Change.
This, as a sleight-of-hand feat with cards, takes precedence, for bare-faced daring, of, perhaps, any other. It consists in deliberately exchanging a card held in one hand for another in the pack held in the other hand, and this in full view of the audience. Such a feat may appear at first sight impossible, but, with a little attention and practice, it will become as easy as any other, although it will always demand some care and address in execution. There are various methods by means of which
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The Palm.
The Palm.
"Palm a card!" exclaims the reader, "how can one possibly palm a card?" Not after the manner of a coin, certainly; but, after the proper method, the palming of a card— i.e. , the concealing it unnoticed in the hand—is not at all difficult. It is as important as, and, next to the pass, more used than, the other sleights with cards, there being a continual demand for its assistance. To palm a card in the right hand, take it in the left, across the middle, and place it in the right, so that the top
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The Slide.
The Slide.
This is a very simple, but not, therefore, any the less useful, little deception, which deserves to be brought more into use by conjurors than it is. It consists merely in sliding back, in a particular manner, the bottom card of a pack, with the fingers of one hand, so that the other hand may remove the one next to it, and yet appear to actually remove the bottom card. The particular method of holding the pack is shown at Fig. 39 . The cards are taken, face downwards, in one hand, and the first
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The Force.
The Force.
This is the last of the elementary principles to be learnt, and in a highly important one. It is hardly a feat of sleight of hand, although requiring considerable practice and determination to carry out properly. The act of forcing a card consists in inducing the chooser of a card to select from those proffered by you any particular card you please. As will hereafter transpire, it is highly essential for some tricks that a particular card, and none other, be chosen. The best method is as follows
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CHAPTER IX. GENERAL REMARKS.
CHAPTER IX. GENERAL REMARKS.
PREPARATION—WHERE, AND TO WHOM, TO GIVE ARTICLES TO BE HELD—ON THE PUNISHMENT OF MEDDLERS—ON THE REPETITION OF TRICKS—REHEARSING—"PATTER"—ADDRESS—IMPERTINENCE AND AUDACITY—ON PLAYING THE BUFFOON. The learner has now arrived at that point where he will quit the humble drawing-room, understood in its ordinary sense, and essay to grander flights on the stage. It is true that this stage may, after all, consist only of the back drawing-room, the front one serving as the auditorium; but, in a conjurin
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CHAPTER X. THE TABLE AND DRESS.
CHAPTER X. THE TABLE AND DRESS.
THE TABLE: ITS HEIGHT—THE BODY—THE SHELF—THE LEGS—VANISHING AND CHANGING TRAPS—ON USELESS MECHANICAL ARRANGEMENTS—SIDE TABLES—HOW TO PASS ARTICLES DOWN TRAPS: VARIOUS METHODS—THE DRESS: POCKETS—THE VEST—HOW TO COMMENCE—INTRODUCTORY TRICKS. Of very important assistance in Grand Conjuring are the specially prepared tables, of which one, two, or three will be used, according to the size of the room. These tables differ from ordinary ones, in the first place, by being considerably higher, their heig
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CHAPTER XI. SLEIGHTS AND PROPERTIES FOR GENERAL USE.
CHAPTER XI. SLEIGHTS AND PROPERTIES FOR GENERAL USE.
HOW TO PRODUCE ARTICLES FROM THE WAND—ARTICLES PRODUCED FROM THE PERSONS OF THE COMPANY—VANISHING OBJECTS FROM THE HANDS—EXCHANGING ARTICLES—MESMERISING A DOVE—MARKING A CARD IN COURSE OF PERFORMING—PASSING HANDKERCHIEF OVER FLAME OF CANDLE—THE CONJUROR'S SHUFFLE—THE DEVIL'S HANDKERCHIEF—COIN HANDKERCHIEF—FLYING RING—MAGICIAN'S EGGS—PRODUCTIVE EGGS—COIN-VANISHING TUMBLER—MAGIC PLATEAU. Sleights. —Often, in the description of a trick, the learner is told that a handkerchief, coin, egg, orange, or
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CHAPTER XII. TRICKS WITH CARDS.
CHAPTER XII. TRICKS WITH CARDS.
HOW TO VANISH AND RECOVER A PACK—THE EGYPTIAN POCKET; HOW TO MANUFACTURE CARDS—THE MISSING LINK—ASCENDING CARDS; VARIOUS METHODS—THE CARD-HOLDER—WHAT APPARATUS NOT TO USE—THE SALAMANDER CARD—A LEGITIMATE USE FOR "FORCING" PACKS—HERRMANN'S BOUQUET—A HUMAN HEN—THE HATCHED CARD—THE WAND, AND HOW TO MAKE IT—MORE ABOUT APPARATUS. Nearly every modern conjuror of any pretensions to skill commences with a card trick. There is something about a good card trick well executed that always takes with an inte
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CHAPTER XIII. TRICKS WITH HANDKERCHIEFS AND GLOVES.
CHAPTER XIII. TRICKS WITH HANDKERCHIEFS AND GLOVES.
THE RESTORED HANDKERCHIEF: ITS VARIOUS MISFORTUNES—THE CONJUROR'S PISTOL—SUN AND MOON: A TOTAL ECLIPSE—THE DISSOLVING KNOTS—THE DECANTED HANDKERCHIEF—THE MELTING HANDKERCHIEFS—THE ELASTIC GLOVE: HOW TO ACCOMMODATE ALL SIZES. The Restored Handkerchief. —This title will doubtless apply to many tricks with handkerchiefs, so, if the performer thinks it too general, he can find another of his own for this particular trick. Herrmann called it Le Mouchoir Serpent, from the fancied resemblance to a snak
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CHAPTER XIV. TRICKS WITH COINS.
CHAPTER XIV. TRICKS WITH COINS.
THE INVISIBLE FLIGHT: THE GLASS—THE BOXES—OTHER APPARATUS USED IN THE TRICK—THE BANKER—HOW TO COLLECT MONEY—THE MONEY TUBE—THE MULTIPLYING TRAY—HOLD THEM TIGHT! OR, SKILL VERSUS STRENGTH—THE MONEY CHANGER—HINTS UPON MANNER—THE CRYSTAL PLATEAU—THE MONEY-PRODUCING CANDLE—THE FLIGHT—COIN AND WORSTED BALL TRICK. The Invisible Transit. —This is a remarkably effective coin trick. Several coins are inclosed in a little box, which is stood in a position close to the audience. An empty tumbler is placed
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CHAPTER XVI. THE CORNUCOPIAN HAT.
CHAPTER XVI. THE CORNUCOPIAN HAT.
ON SKILL—CANNON-BALLS—CAULIFLOWERS—THE DISTRIBUTION—BONBONS AND FLOWERS—SHOWER OF CUPS—MULTIPLYING BALLS: HOW TO MAKE AND HOW TO PRODUCE THEM—BUNDLE OF FIREWOOD—RETICULES AND DOLLS: HOW TO MAKE THEM—BIRDCAGES—A FEAST OF LANTERNS—AN UNFORTUNATE CLIMAX: HOW TO GET OUT OF IT—THE FLYING HAT. One of the most taking of all the tricks performed by the many public exhibitors is that in which a hat is borrowed from the audience, and at once from its interior are produced a quantity of heterogeneous artic
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CHAPTER XVII. TRICKS WITH WATCHES AND LIVE STOCK.
CHAPTER XVII. TRICKS WITH WATCHES AND LIVE STOCK.
ON BORROWING WATCHES—THE PUTTY WATCH—THE GLASS—TWO KINDS OF MORTARS AND PESTLES—THE DUMMY WATCH—THE WATCH BAG—HOW TO REPRODUCE THE WATCH—THE LOAF—THE TARGET—ANOTHER TARGET—THE PLATE SCREEN—THE ADHESIVE WATCH: A JOKE—THE WATCH BOX—A NOVEL RABBIT WARREN—HOW TO CAUSE RABBITS TO DISAPPEAR—THE BRAN VASE—THE BRAN—THE WELSH "RABBIT"—THE SAUCEPAN AND COVER—THE HAT STOVE—THE FUEL—THE INGREDIENTS—THE RESULT—THE BIRD AND CARD. Tricks with Watches. —The reader has doubtless been on the look-out for the chap
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CHAPTER XVIII. SHAM MESMERISM, CLAIRVOYANCE, ETC.
CHAPTER XVIII. SHAM MESMERISM, CLAIRVOYANCE, ETC.
BLINDFOLD FEATS—IMITATION SECOND SIGHT—ON SPIRITUALISM—THE MESMERISED POKER—THE PERAMBULATING WALKING STICK—THE ASCENT—THE TALKING GLASS: TWO METHODS—THE SPIRIT BOUQUET—THE SLATE TRICK—FIERY HANDS, WRITINGS, &C.—THE ELECTRIC TOUCH—THE ANIMATED SKULL. Clairvoyance. —This is one of the most mysterious agencies with which the scientific world has ever had to deal. Doubted by the majority, because of its seeming improbability, and because of the difficulty of comprehending it, the faculty of
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CHAPTER XIX. FINAL INSTRUCTIONS.
CHAPTER XIX. FINAL INSTRUCTIONS.
Having at length brought the beginner to that point where he will first have to shift for himself in real earnest, I wish to leave him in a position to do credit to my tuition, and, with this object, impart a few hints for his guidance. On the subject of practice, I would not say any more if I could. By this time, it must have become so evident to everyone that nothing can be brought to any degree at all approaching perfection without assiduous attention to detail, that any repetition of my ofte
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