Tricks and Diversions with Cards
$120
Out of stock
Description
Hurst and Company, New York. ca. 1880. 12vo. Softcover. Hand-colored wrappers, back, and spine missing. Front shows age discoloration, and two tears with superficial flaking. Right edge tear continues, progressively smaller to page 26. Some foxing, pages otherwise clean with black and white illustrations throughout. String binding holding up well. Fair to Poor condition.
Early book on card tricks and cheating, this text has held up surprisingly well for its age and original printing quality. From the same publishers as “The Magician’s Guide or Conjuring Made Easy” and “The Black Art Exposed: The Great Chinese Wizard’s Handbook of Magic” this handbook for aspiring magicians and card sharks describes itself as:
“A popular explanation of all the deceptive tricks ever performed by the most celebrated conjurors, magicians, and prestidigitators: simplified and arranged for home amusement and special entertainments: to which is added an exposure of the card tricks made use of by professional card-players, blacklets and gamblers.”
Frequently reprinted in later years with various magicians names on the cover for use as a pitchbook, this is a seminal piece of the history of prestidigitation and early modern stage magic.
