Magic, Stage Illusions and Scientific Diversions, Including Trick Photography

Opening of the book

Please see the Transcriber’s Notes at

the end of this text.

THE SKIRT DANCE.

MAGIC

STAGE ILLUSIONS AND SCIENTIFIC

DIVERSIONS

INCLUDING TRICK PHOTOGRAPHY

COMPILED AND EDITED BY

ALBERT A. HOPKINS

EDITOR OF THE “SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN CYCLOPEDIA OF RECEIPTS, NOTES AND

QUERIES,” ETC.

WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY

HENRY RIDGELY EVANS

AUTHOR OF “HOURS WITH THE GHOSTS; OR, XIX. CENTURY WITCHCRAFT,” ETC.

WITH FOUR HUNDRED ILLUSTRATIONS

LONDON

SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON AND COMPANY

LIMITED

St. Dunstan’s House,

Fŧǵǵŧǡ Lĵƿŧ, FƯŧŧǵ Sǵǡŧŧǵ, E.C.

1897

CLjǙΏǡƗƄƒǵ, 1897, œΏ

MUNN & CO.

NEW YORK

ENTERED AT STATIONERS’ HALL, LONDON, ENGLAND

All rights reserved

The articles used from the SŕƗŧƿǵƗfiŕ AƽŧǡƗŕĵƿ and the SŕƗŧƿǵƗfiŕ AƽŧǡƗŕĵƿ

SǼǙǙƯŧƽŧƿǵ

are copyrighted

Printed in the U. S. A. by

J. J. Little & Co., New York City

PREFACE.

It is believed that the present work occupies a unique field in the extensive literature of magic. There are already a large number of treatises on natural magic and legerdemain, but in most of them very little attention has been given to the exposé of stage illusions, which are of great interest as they are so largely based on ingenious applications of scientific principles. Optics, mechanics, sound, and electricity have all been pressed into service by the fin de siècle prestidigitateur. In the present work great attention has been paid to elaborate tricks of this nature, and in many cases the exposés have been obtained from the prestidigitateurs themselves. In the first few chapters many of the best illusions of Robert-Houdin, Dr. Lynn,

Professor Pepper, Bautier de Kolta, Heller, Herrmann, Maskelyne and

Cooke, and Kellar will be found clearly explained.

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