Sleight of Hand (Dover Magic Books) [9780486239118]

"If ever there were a more classic tome for beginners of general sleight of hand, I am not sure what it is. This book has been around for 131 years, has stood the test of time and is now considered a standard/must-have book for beginners. Even intermediate and professional magicians can find things and information of use in this book. 5 stars." — My Lovely Assistant
Let's say you are at a dinner party and are invited to perform a trick. You have no apparatus on you, nothing prepared. In an absent manner, you place a glass of sherry to your lips, as though bracing yourself for the fray. The glass is half emptied (be careful about this), when a sudden movement is made as though you threw it up to the ceiling; but nothing is seen to ascend, though the glass, with the wine in it, has disappeared. After a short pause, to allow the general astonishment to take full effect, the missing article is discovered inside the coat of your immediate neighbor, with the wine in it unspilt.
How is this startling trick performed? Find out in this legendary classic of legerdemain, Sleight of Hand, widely regarded by professional magicians as one of the finest magic books ever written. Clearly and minutely, the steps are given for hundreds of astonishing tricks: drawing-room tricks with coins, common objects, cups and balls, handkerchiefs, and so on, including many fascinating card tricks — The Congenial Aces, The Traveling Cards, The Assembly, etc.; and stage magic, encompassing the more involved tricks with coins, handkerchiefs and cards, and tricks with watches and livestock, sham mesmerism and clairvoyance, the famous Cornucopian Hat, and an impressive array of miscellaneous tricks — Houdini's Die Trick, The Ubiquitous Glass of Water, The Shower of Gold, The Chinese Rings, The Magic Omelette, The Great Dictionary Trick, and more.
Be assured that sleight of hand relies primarily on dexterity, not apparatus. And if you are truly interested in magic, you must eventually master sleight-of-hand techniques or give up the idea of being anything more than a beginning magician. These techniques, both basic and more advanced, are all here — in the best book on the subject that you could possibly own.