Conjurers’ Mechanical Secrets by S.H. Sharpe

Details: Annotated and with an introduction by Charles Reynolds; Edited by William Broecker and Charles Reynolds. Illustrations by Greg Webb. From the introduction, “”…the book is part of a series of books, the Secret Science, on which Sam Sharpe started writing over sixty years ago…” Other books in the series include Conjurors’ Optical Secrets; Conjurors’ Psychological Secrets; and Conjurors Hydraulic and Pneumatic Secrets. Other notes also exist. Covers many of the mechanical principles behind magic tricks, and provides examples for each.

Contents (from book ToC):

i Introduction (Charles Reynolds):

1 Mechanical Process

5 Faking
5 Diverse Formation: examples Lota Bowl, etc.
8 Double Facing: objects appear the same either way around
9 Inside-Out Construction: example color changing handkerchief
9 Movable Section: slides, hinged sections, etc.; example Matter Through Matter
13 Secret Access
13 Detachable Section: example of Jean de Vignes detachable head doll
15 Secret Compartment: example glass handkerchief production cabinet, others
22 Shell or Sheath Construction: sawing, etc.
24 Altered Identity: object changed to look like something else
25 Indirect Route or By-Pass: a direct route is diverted, such as sword through body, and other examples
28 Compression/Expansion: multiple illusion examples
29 – Jarrett’s Girls From a Picture Illusion
30 – Val Walker’s Radium Girl Illusion
31 – Jarrett’s Bangkok Bungalow Illusion
32 – Jarrett’s Twenty One Person Cabinet Illusion
34 – Spring Canes and Candles
36 – De Kolta’s Expanding Die
37 – Nixon’s Expanding Die Illusion
38 – A Match for Anyone
40 – The Flying Box (A.S. Cubitt)
42 – The Gilded Cage
43 – The Reticule Fold
45 – Sectional Construction

46 Auxiliary Aid
46 Duplication or Doubling
46 Masks
47 – The Light and Heavy Metal Disc
47 – Maskelyne’s Mystic Ascent
48 – The Decapitation Illusion
50 – The Recalcitrant Decapitee (Georges Melies)
58 Form Substitutes
61 – Stanley Collins’s Penetrating Die
63 – Devant’s The Curious Case
65 Secret Containers or Holders
66 – Devant’s Mascot Moth Illusion
67 – Servais Le Roy’s Asrah Levitation and Vanish
71 – Carl Hertz’s Indian Rope Trick
72 – A Vanishing Cage
75 – The Topit Vanisher
75 – Illusion Steps
76 – The Rainbow Illusion
77 – Harness Containers
77 – Okito’s Dove Vanishing Basket
78 – Fall-Apart Dove Vanish
80 – Multim in Parvo Production Boxes
81 – The Drawer Box for Transforming Articles
82 – The Chest of Drawer Boxes
83 – Dleisfen’s ABC Boxes
83 – The Shuttle Caddy – The Sliding Die Box
85 – A Double Production Caddy
85 – The Three-Compartment Shuttle Caddy
86 – Okito’s Checker Cabinet
88 – Smaller Shuttle Tricks
89 Summary of Mechanical Concealment Methods
89 – Bautier de Kolta’s Appearing Lady
92 – The Lemon Trick – My Own Version (Theo. Bamberg)
94 – Stage Elevator Traps
95 – Devant’s Indian Rope Trick
98 – The Large Load Droppers
101 Secret Connection or Passage
102 – Ball and Tube
102 – Mobile Tick-Line Control
103 – Trick-Line Transport
104 – The Return Tunnel
105 – Pigeon Pail and Basket
107 Secret Control
109 – The Brema Nut Trick
110 – The Chinese Prayer Vase
110 – Knife in Rice Suspension
110 Sealing Devices
111 Selector Systems of Devices
111 – Indexing System
112 – Any Card Called For
114 – The Magic Well
115 Pistons and Pedals
117 – Rotary or Carousel Selectors
118 – The Little Innkeeper
119 – A Rudimentary Relay
120 – Joseffy’s Rising Card Relay
120 – Conradi’s Any Card Rises
121 – Loaded Dice
121 – Hornmann’s Animated Hand
122 – Imp Bottle
123 – The Temptation of Good St. Anthony
125 Gyroscopic Control
125 – A Mystery Clock Mobile
126 – Flash Handkerchief
127 – A Magic Clock With Watchwork Control
129 Thermal Devices
129 Timed Devices
129 – Prearranged Sequence Timing
129 – Joseffy’s Magic Skull
131 – An Electrical Time Switch
131 – Clockwork-Controlled Pistons
131 – A Mechanical Time Signal
132 – Decremps’ Devices
133 – Sand Column Control
134 – Thick Oil Timing
134 – Compressed Air Timing
134 – The Egg-timer Timer
135 Thermal Timers
135 – Thermometer Timers
136 – Thermostat Timers
136 – A Gravity Magnetic Timer
136 – Suction-Adhesion Timers
137 Chemical Timing

Publisher: Hades Publications
Pages: 137
Location: Alberta, Canada
Edited by: William Broecker, Charles Reynolds
Dimensions: 9″x11″
Date: 1992, 2003
Binding: hardbound