Modern Magic

Modern Magic
Author	Professor Hoffmann
Publisher	G. Routledge & Sons
Publication Date	1876
Language	English
ISBN:	0548127301
Followed by	More Magic (1890) Later Magic (1903) Latest Magic (1918)
Pages	511

Modern Magic: A Practice Treatise on the Art of Conjuring was published by Professor Louis Hoffmann in 1876.

Professor Hoffmann was the first in recorded history to attempt to record magic in an encyclopedic fashion with his quadralogy (or tetralogy) Modern Magic, More Magic, Later Magic and Latest Magic.

The material in these four books recorded the state of the art of magic of the late 19th century. He used material from Ponsin's book, Nouvelle Magie Blanche Dévoilée (1853), as well as from Robert-Houdin's book, when collecting material. A translation of parts from Ponsin's book not used by Hoffmann was published in 1937 by S.H. Sharpe under the title Ponsin On Conjuring.

The first edition of 2,000 copies were sold out in seven weeks.

The book was first serialized in a popular magazine for boys. The magazine began as "Young Gentleman’s Magazine" when the serialization began and the title changed to "Every Boy’s Magazine" before the end. The serialization ran during 1872 to 1876.

It was eventually published in one volume. Most magicians at the time were upset with the exposure. But over time the book became the "bible" for many would be magicians.

It was rated as one of the "Ten basic books for a working library of conjuring" by H. Adrian Smith.

Tricks with Cards (1889) was a reprint of the sections dealing with just the card magic from Modern Magic except for six new pages on scams which included "Canfield's Expose", "short changing", the "soap game" and the "spindle game".

Availability

Copyright has expired for this book in the United States (and likely many other countries as well). Two editions are available in their entirety on Google Books: Modern Magic (1904), Modern Magic (1877). The books are also available for PDF download from the same location.

Chapters

• CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
• CHAPTER II GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF SLEIGHT-OF-HAND APPLICABLE TO CARD TRICKS
• CHAPTER III CARD TRICKS WITH ORDINARY CARDS, AND NOT REQUIRING SLEIGHT-OF-HAND
• CHAPTER IV TRICKS INVOLVING SLEIGHT-OF-HAND, OR THE USE OF SPECIALLY PREPARED CARDS
• CHAPTER V CARD TRICKS REQUIRING SPECIAL APPARATUS
• CHAPTER VI PRINCIPLES OF sLEIGHT-OF-HAND MORE ESPECIALLY APPLICABLE TO COIN TRICKS
• CHAPTER VII TRICKS WITH COIN WITHOUT APPARATUS
• CHAPTER VIII TRICKS WITH COIN REQUIRING SPECIAL APPARATUS
• CHAPTER IX TRICKS WITH WATCHES
• CHAPTER X TRICKS WITH RINGS
• CHAPTER XI TRICKS WITH HANDKERCHIEFS
• CHAPTER XII TRICKS WITH DOMINOES AND DICE
• CHAPTER XIII THE CUPS AND BALLS
• CHAPTER XIV BALL TRICKS REQUIRING SPECIAL APPARATUS.
• CHAPTER XV HAT TRICKS
• CHAPTER XVI MISCELLANEOUS TRICKS
• CHAPTER XVII STAGE TRICKS
• CHAPTER XVIII CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS
• APPENDIX
  • CHAPTER I Introduction
  • CHAPTER II KEMPELEN: Kempelen's Speaking Figure
  • CHAPTER III THEODIN
  • CHAPTER IV AUTOMATA: PSYCHO
  • CHAPTER V MARIONETTES
  • CHAPTER VI CLAIRVOYANCE
  • CHAPTER VII SPIRITUALISM
  • CHAPTER VIII PARLOR MAGIC

Editions

• 1st edition, 1876, Routledge
• 1st US edition, 1882, Routledge
• 7th Edition 1889
• 15th Edition 1898
• reprinted many times by various publishers

First edition copies, and even some of the early later printings, command high values today on the collector's market.

References

• Hoffmann's First Book Contract By John Henry Grossman.
• Mahatma, July 1900