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The Concealed Art of Magic
Sanderson, George P
Goodliffe Publications (1972)
In Collection
#4887
10*
Conjuring
Magic tricks
Hardcover 
England  eng
Sanderson, George P.: The Concealed Art of Magic
©1972 Goodliffe Publications, England
Hardcover, 176 pages

Tight Copy, Hard Bound w/dust jacket, Book, Like New - DJ, Fine wear to the edges. Hard to find book, 174 pages, has Busby sticker inside back cover

Comments: Illustrated by George Sanderson

Contents:

v Foreword (William G. Stickland)
vi Introduction (John Braun)
vii Acknowledgements (G.P. Sanderson)

1 Chapter One Ars est Celare Artem: True Art is to Conceal Art
9 Chapter Two Penetration of Old China:
15 Chapter Three Binary Selection
23 Chapter Four Sigma Display Switch: visual bill switch
29 Chapter Five Incredible Transposition: of two bank notes (dollar bills)
33 Chapter Six Miraco Plus:
39 Chapter Seven That Top-of-Pocket Dodge:
41 Chapter Eight Sigma Umbrella and Silks:
49 Chapter Nine Those Double Envelopes: naturalness in magic and the use of envelopes
53 Chapter Ten With the Aid of Osaka:
57 Chapter Eleven Sigma £1 Note and Security: burnt and restored bank note
69 Chapter Twelve The Grand National:
75 Chapter Thirteen Changing Card at the Fingertips:
79 Chapter Fourteen Sigma Atomic Disintegrator:
99 Chapter Fifteen Sigma 20th Century Silks:
107 Chapter Sixteen Sigma Progressive Monte: a Monte style effect with 6 cards
121 Chapter Seventeen Impromptu Four Coins Through Table: using just four coins
127 Chapter Eighteen Sigma Forcing Stand:
133 Chapter Nineteen Sigma Pre-Arranged Cards:
137 Chapter Twenty Sigma 4 by 9 Deck:
141 Chapter Twenty One Switching the Cards
143 (i) Stand Switch
144 (ii) Breast Pocket Switch
146 (iii) Packet of Envelopes Switch
149 (iv) Back Switch
152 (v) Tray Switch
154 (vi) Table Switch
158 (vii) Side Switch
161 (viii) Spin Around Switch
163 Chapter Twenty Two Holiday for the Dead:
167 Chapter Twenty Three The One Ahead in Disguise:
Product Details
No. of Pages 176
Personal Details
Read It No
Location Magic Library (Home)
Condition Mint
Owner Bryan-Keith Taylor
Notes
George P. Sanderson was born in Sheffield, England on the 23rd of June 1904. Since his early schooldays he was interested in magic and at the age of thirteen he began to take it quite seriously. Two years later he accepted his first paid booking. But in view of the fact that he wanted to pursue a professional career in engineering he adopted a different persona called 'Sigma'. His early job was that of a draughtsman in an engineering office and he didn't earn enough money to squander on expensive magic paraphernalia. This triggered his ingenuity to devise many of the effects that he performed.

In 1926, because of his job, he had to move to Essex where he found excellent opportunities to perform semi-professionally for private engagements as 'Sigma' and to utilize the props he had previously created. But this activity lasted only ten years because promotion in his job and building up his own business implied less time on his hands to dedicate to magic and reluctantly he had to abandon public performances.

In 1970 he retired and moved to Malta where he immediately got in touch with the newly formed IBM Ring 202. He instantly became a very committed secretary of the Ring and was involved in the organization of the meetings and other activities. Drawing on his youthful creativity, through Goodliffe, in 1972 he published his first book, 'The Concealed Art of Magic' which describes effects that get away from "purpose-made" and "garishly decorated… tin cans and boxes" and advocates more direct magical effects. The profits from this book were donated to the benevolent fund of the British Ring.

While in Malta he never performed publicly but he was very keen on encouraging this outlook on magic in his private performances and lectures. He also worked very hard to encourage the ethics of originality and avoidance of plagiarism. He still kept in touch with the British Ring whose secretary was William (Bill) Stickland and he attended a quite a few Conventions. After John Calvert's visit to Malta, he introduced the latter to the British Ring that eventually booked Calvert for one of their Conventions.

He published several articles and two more books: Right Under Their Noses (1977) and Priceless Magic (1981). The Malta Ring became temporarily inactive in 1976 and George preferred to take a back seat and enjoy the company of his wife Pat who was at that time not in the best of health. She died some years later and George passed away in August 1986 in Malta.