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Isn't it Wonderful? A History of Magic and Mystery
| Isn't it Wonderful? A History of Magic and Mystery | |
 Frontispiece | |
| Author | Charles Bertram |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Swan Sonnenschein |
| Illustrator | PHIL MAY, A. C. CORBOULD, BERNARD F. GRIBBLE, and other Artists |
| Publication Date | 1896 |
| Language | English |
| Followed by | A Magician in Many Lands |
| Pages | 301 |
One of two books by Charles Bertram, "The Royal Conjuror." Includes an overview of the history of magic, followed by a memoir of his life as a magician. The title comes from Bertram's catch-phrase, "Isn't it wonderful?"
Introduction
THE profession of conjuring, if not the most ancient, is certainly one of the oldest professions in the world, and, before commencing my account of the efforts made by a humble professor of the art, I trust that the reader may be interested by a short sketch of its history. Without this, it is possible that he might receive a book relating to the conjurer's art with a shrug of the shoulders. But conjuring, if it has now drifted down to the level of mere entertainment, has played its part in the history of the world ; and even nowadays I am prepared to hold that it is an art which, if it is not the intellectual peer of painting or poetry for instance, still demands the devotion of a lifetime and a natural aptitude, it not genius, from him who would excel in it.
Contents
- Introduction
- My Introduction to the Art of Conjuring
- Some Notable Performances
- People whom I have met
- Public Performances
- Illusions, etc.
- Dodges
- False Shuffles
- "Sharps on the Turf."
- Some Incidents
- Explanations of a few Tricks
- Hints to Amateurs
- L'Envoie
Availability
Isn't it Wonderful? is in the Public Domain in the United States, and is available as a downloadable digital text from, among other places, the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library. https://digital.cincinnatilibrary.org/digital/collection/p16998coll21/id/28308
