Great Tricks Revealed by Will Goldston

From the introduction by Horace Goldin:

The present book is, I think, one of Will Goldston's best perhaps – the best. I am quite certain that the man who cannot learn magic from this book will never be a magician. All kinds of tricks are clearly explained and, to make quite sure that his readers will understand every word, the author has supplemented his clear explanations of tricks with numbers of equally clear illustrations. Looking through the book I find that in many places the letterpress is hardly necessary; the pictures "do the trick".

I should like to add a word of advice to any young man who is making his first approach to magic by reading this book. I strongly advise him to concentrate on a few tricks at a time – only one to begin with – and to get the performance of each trick as nearly perfect as possible before he takes up the study of another. The man who performs only half a dozen tricks really well is a far finer magician than one who just manages to get through two dozen tricks. Quality – not quantity – is the thing to aim at. It is a mistake to suppose that the most difficult tricks are necessarily the best. Some of the finest tricks in the world are perfectly simple, but the simplest trick – I am not sure which it is – needs practice before it can be presented properly to an audience. Therefore, I say to all young magicians: Here, in this book, you will find plenty of material for your performances; it is up to you to do your part and practise hard; the author cannot do that for you.

• INTRODUCTION
• CHAPTER I SOME MAGICAL RECOLLECTIONS
• CHAPTER II POCKET TRICKS
  • The Cut and Restored Cotton
  • The Money-Box
  • Change!
  • A Mysterious Match-Box
  • A Regular Twister
  • A Good Shot
  • The Hypnotized Cigar
  • The Jumping Match
  • A New Torn Strip Restored
  • The Magical Match
  • A Knotty Problem
• CHAPTER III ROUTINES: THIMBLES
  • A Pretty Sleight with a Thimble
  • The Puzzling Thimble
• CHAPTER IV CIGAR AND CIGARETTES
  • Cigar and Cigarette Tricks
  • Vanishing a Lighted Cigarette
  • Manipulations with a Cigarette. The Transfer
  • The Production of Five Lighted Cigarettes
  • A Cigarette Producer
  • James Wakefield's Cigar Routine
  • Sleights with Cigars
• CHAPTER V ROPE
  • A Rope Routine
  • Edward Proudlock's Cut Rope Routine
• CHAPTER VI BILLIARD BALLS
  • A Billiard Ball Routine
  • Albert Warby's Billiard Balls Routine
  • Bertram's Billiard Ball Trick
  • Patter
  • The Rising and Falling Ball
• CHAPTER VII SUGGESTIONS AND ADVICE
  • Special Tables
  • "If at First you Don't Succeed – – "
  • Useful Tips
  • Some of the Oldest Tricks
  • Useful Card Tips
  • The Importance of Patter
  • A Producer is Essential
  • Specialization
  • Dress Correctly
  • Methods in Hat Loading
• CHAPTER VIII CARD TRICKS
  • A Good Trick Pack
  • The Missing Card Discovered
  • An Optical Illusion
  • The Rising Card
  • The Envelope and the Card
  • The Hypnotized Cards
  • An Uncanny Trick
  • Hunter's "Spelling Bee" in Various Forms
  • The Spelling Bee
  • A Fine Thought-reading Trick
  • A Simple Card Frame
  • A Changing Tray for a Pack of Cards
  • The Improved Rising Cards
  • A Different Thought-reading Trick
  • The Egg and the Card
  • A New Card Frame
• CHAPTER IX INDIAN AND EGYPTIAN MAGIC
  • Indian Magic
  • Egyptian Magic
• CHAPTER X MISCELLANEOUS MAGIC
  • Catching Live Pigeons in the Air
  • The Ribbon Tube
  • The Note and the Balloon
  • The Best of All Bank-note Tricks
  • Silent Thought-reading
  • Thought-reading with Numbers
  • A Message Read in a Crystal
  • The Will Goldston Thought-reading Apparatus
  • Norman's Improved Die Trick
  • The Die and the Hat
  • A Production Screen
  • A New Production Box
  • A Production Canister
  • The Missing Watch
  • The Linked Rings
  • Streamers to Flag
  • A Good Flag-staff
  • Karnack's Spirit Hand
  • The Message on the Screen
  • Thumb-Prints
  • The Magical Tie
  • The Kellar Growth of Flowers
  • The Pellew Flower Production
  • Magical Suggestions
  • Thought-reading Simplified
• CHAPTER XI HANDKERCHIEF TRICKS
  • Suggestions for a Handkerchief Production Act
  • One from Three
  • A Novel Vanishing Handkerchief
  • A Bottle of Ink and a Handkerchief
  • A Handkerchief Pistol
  • The Improved Ghost Tube
  • A Mysterious Handkerchief
  • The Newest Soup Plate and the Handkerchiefs
  • Horace Goldin's Handkerchief Vanish
  • A Handkerchief and a Glass Chimney
  • The Handkerchief and the Glass Vase
• CHAPTER XII THE MAGICAL INVENTORS – A TRIBUTE
• CHAPTER XIII STAGE ILLUSIONS
  • A Trick Séance
  • Shooting an Arrow through a Girl
• CHAPTER XIV BLACK ART ROUTINE
  • Will Goldston's Black Art Routine
• CHAPTER XV THESE MEN MADE MYSTERY
• CHAPTER XVI MAGIC IN OTHER COUNTRIES