Blackstone, Harry, Sr.: Blackstone's Modern Card Tricks and Secrets of Magic
©1941 Garden City Publishing Co., Inc., Garden City, New York
Hardcover, w/dj, 301 Pages

Comments: Combined edition of the two titles, originally published in 1929 (Secrets of Magic) and 1932 (Modern Card Tricks)

Contents: (see note for section two)

Section One: Modern Card Tricks

1 Chapter I Preliminary Sleights
False Shuffles
Dovetail False Shuffles
Complete Pack Control
Overhand False Shuffle to Control Bottom Card
Overhand False Shuffle to Control Top Card
Top and Bottom Shuffle
Overhand Shuffle With Complete Pack
False Cuts
Simple False Cut With Three Heaps
Another False Cut With Four Heaps
Special False Cut With Five Heaps
Shuffle Cut
False Cut Shifts
The Revolving Pass
The Palm
The Glide
The False Count

29 Chapter II Card Locations
The Divided Pack
The New Pack
Easy Locations
The Master Card Location
The Slide Out
The Push Through
The Push Back
A Neat Location
The Fan Location
A Card Detection
The Pick-up Heaps
Surpasso
An Easy Force
The Joker Force
The Force Location
Behind the Back
The Glimpse


71 Chapter III Card Discoveries
The Knot Out
Card From Pocket
Any Number
A Reversed Card
One Reversed Card
Three Reversed Cards
Out of the Hat
Blackstone's Cut Trick
Card in Cigar Box
Card Elimination


94 Chapter IV Spelling Tricks
Simplicity Speller
Spread-Out Speller
Four Heap Speller
Easy Spelling Trick
The Mental Speller
The Progressive Speller
A Spelling Trick
Automatic Spelling


119 Chapter V Easy Card Tricks
Card Found In Hat
Two Number Trick
Bottom to Top
Thought Discovered
Twenty-five Cards
A Double Prediction
Vanished Card
The Mystic Discovery
The Same Number
The Twenty Card Trick
Improved Twenty Cards
Mathematical Discovery
Three Heaps
Many Heaps
Name in Envelope


155 Chapter VI Advanced Card Tricks
Card In the Pocket
Four Ace Change
Three Card Monte
The Traveling Ace
The Hoax With Aces
The Ace Hoax
Traveling Card Trick
Improved Pocket to Pocket
A Four Ace Trick


179 Chapter VII Special Card Tricks
The Ten Card Miracle
Improved Card Circle
A Mystic Prediction
Double Discovery
The Card Foretold
Passe Passe Cards
Cards and Envelopes


Section Two: Secrets of Magic
(Note: contents in this section copied from stand-alone edition; may not be fully accurate)



1 Chapter VIII Blackstone's Sleight of Hand With Cards
3 Blackstone's Card Control
5 False Shuffle System
7 The End Shuffle
9 To Force a Card
11 The Second Deal
13 The Changes
15 Card Tricks With Sleights
17 The Knife in the Pack
19 The Spectator's Trick
21 The Travelling Deuce
23 The Ten Card Trick
25 Blackstone's King and Queen
27 The Turning Card
29 Blackstone's Masterpiece Pack
31 Corner Bending
33 The Mystic Reverso
35 Card Through Handkerchief and Case
37 The Hung Card
39 Divination Card Tricks
41 The Latest Card Box
43 The Improved False Count

49 Chapter IX - Effective Pocket Tricks
49 Torn and Restored Paper
51 Another Paper Tearing: variation
53 The Ball and the Tube: commercial magic prop
54 Improved Ball and Tube: for vanishing the gimmick
55 Ball and Glass Tube: another variation
57 Giant Match Production: from matchbox
59 The Cigarette From Nowhere: while lighting an invisible cigarette, a real one appears
61 Improved Cigarette From Nowhere: variation
63 The Four Colors: magician knows which dot on a mirror was covered
65 The Divining Die: die put in opaque box yet magician knows what number is on top, with variation
66 Knife Through Handkerchief: knife cuts paper but not handkerchief, with variation
67 Through the Coat: another variation
68 Self Rising Match Box: on hand
69 Cigarette Tube: apparatus described
71 The Mysterious Cigarette: a combination of effects
72 The Divining Dial: clever box helps magician know what color was selected with a dial
73 The Mummy Case: magician knows what color mummy placed in a case
75 The Four Color Blocks: describes a clever commercial color revealing box
77 Pencil Through Coin: Holder for a coin allows a pencil to penetrate
78 The Colored Bars: magician determines which bar in which hole
79 The Red Hot Ball: chemical trick
80 Cigarette to Cigar: gimmick briefly described
81 Colored Crayons: color determined behind back
82 Blackstone's Paper Ball Trick: two in the hand and one in the pocket
84 The Uncanny Die: each spectator sees a different side of the die exposed
85 The Adhesive Cigarette Pack: likely won't work with modern cigarette boxes
86 The Improved Coin Box: Brief trick with the Okito coin box (old style)
87 Coin Changing Slide: a clever slide box
89 Penny and Dime Trick: briefly described

91 Chapter X - Magic with Apparatus
92 The Repeating Handkerchief Vanish: using a pull repeatedly
94 The Drum Production: producing many silks from an empty cylinder on a stand
95 The New Confetti Bowls: rice bowls
96 Die, Frame, and Ribbon: ribbon strung through frame and die, yet die removed
97 The Elastic Sticks: optical illusion
98 Chines Wands: the Chinese Sticks effect described
100 More Chinese Wands: the more modern version
102 The Clinging Wand: gimmicked
103 The Vanishing Wand: when rolled in paper, two versions described
104 Double Production Wand: produce a silk
105 Franciscus Handkerchief Wand: quickly vanish a silk
106 The Handkerchief Pedestal: appearing silk in glass
107 Handkerchief and Glass Production: using the pedestal
108 Vanishing Glass and Handkerchief: use of a servante
109 Egg Cling Clang (with Handkerchief Pedestal): a routine
110 Mysterious Penetration: Glass of Ink rises UP
114 The Chinese Wonder Blocks: ball mysteriously appears between two blocks
117 Comedy Hat Levitation: hat suspends in air
119 The Billiard Ball Box (Improved by El Barto): Billiard ball vanishes from box with two compartments
121 Production of Four Bouquets: with special pot
123 Novel Production Box: yes, with mirrors!
125 Two New Coin Stands: described
127 New Style Production Box: Box with no top or bottom, a tray, and a piece of glass
129 The Bogart Tube: Water poured in tube, cover placed over and broken to remove silks, then water poured out
131 The Passing Knots: knots pass from one set of handkerchiefs to another
132 Con Act Finale: new Coin Ladder described

134 Chapter XI The Linking Rings and the Cups and Balls
134 The Chinese Linking Rings: a full routine for the 8 ring set described
140 The Dropping Ring (An Additional Move): for four together
142 Adding the Key Ring: ideas
143 The Cups and Balls: a routine with 7 balls and most any cups; no sleight of hand and three large load climax
145 Penetrating Cups: optical illusion

159 Chapter XII Stage Magic and Illusions
159 Production of Fluids: from under clothes
160 Flower Basket Production: special tray
161 Lighted Lamp Production: special table
163 Vanishing Lamp: vanishes on tray
165 The Germaine Jars: improved presentation
168 Blackstone's Three Card Trick: Three Card Monte on a giant scale (gimmicked cards)
170 The New Sword Cabinet: girl vanishes and reappears at the end
173 The Glass Trunk: girl appears inside
175 A Magical Appearance: opener
177 The Cleaver Illusion: apparently chops the assistant in many sections!
180 Walking Through Glass: illusion
182 Pigeon Rabbit and Goose: production
185 The Girl and the Shadow: illusion
187 The Ghost
190 Franciscus Screen Production
192 The Vanishing Horse
195 The Disappearing Elephant

201 Chapter XIII Mental Mysteries and Spirit Tricks
201 Naming the Number: mathematical
203 Giant Memory: uses special chart
205 Boards and Cards: magician determines card selection through special indexes
207 Thought Foretold: paper predicts mentally selected card
209 The Magic Square Test: a magic square effect
211 Five Cards and Five Pellets: paper predicts remaining card
213 Double Prediction: Effect using several methods
215 Improved Book Test: describes several methods
217 Best Billet Switch: utility move
219 The Ink Bottle: getting info from a paper
221 The Mysterious Name: named person appears on previously blank paper
223 Pocket Slates: small spirit slates briefly described
225 The Abacus Slate: flap slate described
227 The Mechanical Slates: can support two messages
229 The Number Forcing Pack: how to force a number
231 Blackstone's Pet Trick: card trick
233 Sealed Message Reading (Improved Method): magician reads questions before opening envelopes; variations described
235 Two Slate Test: no flaps
237 The Figure Total Slate: cleverly gimmicked slate
239 Card and Frame Mystery: special frame allows message to appear
241 Figure Switching Pads: several approaches
243 The Wrist Pillory: though imprisoned, performer can perform deeds
245 The Thumb Pillory: a "thumb tie" apparatus
247 The Rapping Hand: apparatus described

249 Chapter XIV How to Present Magic
249 Producing Magical Effects
251 The Opening Trick
253 Suggestions for Patter
256 Arranging a Program
257 Conclusion