George Kaplan - Fine Art of Magic [PDF]

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T HE F I NE ART of

MAGIC BY

GEORGE G. KAPLAN

First Edition

EDITED BY

JneN Huceno

wrrn 316 rLLUsrRATroNsBY FneNcrs J. Rrcnnv

FLEMING BOOK COMPANY YORK, PENNSYLVANIA r948

COPYRIGHT,

1948, By GEORGE G. KAPLAN. rights in thi.s book are reserued,. No part of it rnay be reproduced, in any manner whatsoeuer, ncr may any of the original tricks or equipment d.escribed herein be mdnufactLned, for sale, or be sold, without uritten permission. For informa_ All

tion, add,ressFleming Booh Company.

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To My Youngsters ELLEN and ARTHUR My most enthusiastic and wide-eyed audience

FOREWORD

with the modern tempo. The art of magic has made such rapid strides in recent years,and hasdevelopedon such a broad plane, that specialization is becoming the order of the day. My personal preference has been for tricks of the "mental" variety. In my experience with this type of magic, I have developedcertain theories of presentationwhich I have endeavored to embody in this work. Effective Presentation, it seemsto me, is best achieved by eliminating sleight-of-handwher' ever possible, by working directly, and-most important of all-by performing in a casual,unhurried manner. Included in this book are many of my choice platform efiects,as well as mystifying close-uptricks which taunt and delight. I sincerely trusr that the reader will give as much attention to the concluding chapter as'to the others, for in it will be found what I consider the key to successfulpresentation. I want to expressmy grateful acknowledgment to Jean Hugard, dean of magicians, whose signal work in editing the material in this volume did much to bring the book to fruition. Very little need be said-nor, indeed, can be said within the limits of a preface-of-the high esteem in which he is held by his fellow-magicians,not alone for his personal qualities, but also for his ability as a magician and an outstanding writer in the field of magic. It has been a privilege to have his assistancein preparing, for releaseto the magical frater' nity, much of the material from my repertoire. My thanks go, also, to Francis J. Rigney whose excellent illustrations will, I am sure, help the reader to comprehend clearly the modus operandi of the various effects.His experience in illustrating cxtends over a period of thirty years,as a journalist and as stafi membcr of tlre lloy Scoutsof America. His own knowledge of magic has err:rblccllrirn to givc lris clrnwingsan added touch of clarity. [vii]

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THE FINE ART OF MAGIC

And, finall|, these acknowledgments would be incomplete were I not to expressmy keen satisfaction that this volume is being published by the Fleming Book company, whoserepuration for fine bookmaking in the field of magic is so firmly established. GBoncn G. Kepr-aN

CONTENTS CHAPTER

PAGE

vii

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