Learn Magic by Henry Hay

Learn Magic is a classic magic book for serious beginners. It teaches 20 lessons and focuses not just on effects, tricks and moves, but also on the 'how to learn magic' aspect. Beautifully illustrated by Hans Jelinek.

Henry Hay's larger magic book for beginners, The Amateur Magician's Handbook is broader in scope and already assumes some basic knowledge about magic.

1st edition 1947, 2nd edition 1975; 1st digital edition 2013, 210 pages.

Table of Contents

1. FOREWORD
2. INTRODUCTION

   PART 1

   CHAPTER 1. HOW TO WATCH A MAGICIAN

3. The Greatest Magician?
4. The Different Kinds of Magic

   CHAPTER 2. HOW TO BE A MAGICIAN

5. Rehearsal Before Practice
6. How to Get Applause
7. Your Personality and Your Patter
8. Planning
9. Learning a Trick
10. Enlarging Your Repertory

    BOOK LIST

    PART 2

    LESSON 1. THE FLYING COIN

    LESSON 2. HANDLING A DECK OF CARDS

11. Dealing Position
12. The Overhand Shuffle
13. The Riffle or Dovetail Shuffle
14. The "Waterfall" Finish
15. Second Split for the Dovetail Shuffle
16. Fanning the Cards
17. The Card at the Number
18. Mind Control

    LESSON 3. THE LARIAT KING

19. Inventing Magic
20. The Lariat King
21. How the Trick Is Done

    LESSON 4. THE AFGHAN BANDS AND THE CUT TURBAN

22. How to Make the Afghan Bands
23. How to Work the Turban Trick

    LESSON 5. FINDING A SELECTED CARD, 1: FORCING

24. Forcing and Forcing Decks
25. The Svengali Pack
26. Forcing Sleights: The Fan
27. Forcing Sleights: The Slip
28. Another Knife Force
29. The Telephone Trick

    LESSON 6. FINDING A SELECTED CARD, II: LOCATIONS

30. False Shuffles
31. The Tap Location
32. The Glimpse
33. The Spelling Master
34. The Stripper Deck
35. The Long Card
36. The Double Card
37. The Short Card
38. The Pass, or Shift
39. The Red and Black Aces

    LESSON 7. ESCAPES

40. The Kellar Tie
41. The Sack Escape
42. The Chair Tie

    LESSON 8. THE EGG BAG

43. Palming an Egg
44. Egg Production Routine

    LESSON 9. MIND READING

45. The Billet Test
46. The "All-Alike" Gag
47. The "One-Ahead" Gag
48. The Envelope Test
49. Getting Impressions
50. Torn-Billet Reading
51. Stage Clairvoyance
52. Codes
53. Pointer Codes
54. Number Codes
55. Talking Codes
56. Silent Methods

    LESSON 10. REVEALING A SELECTED CARD

57. The Turned Card; Victim's Choice
58. The Card Nailed to the Ceiling
59. The Jumping Cards
60. The Transfixed Pack
61. The Rising Cards (Three Methods)
62. First Method
63. Second Method
64. Third Method
65. The Mental-Selection Spelling Master

    LESSON 11. THE THUMB TIP

66. Cigarette Vanish
67. The Torn and Restored Paper Ribbon
68. Handkerchief Vanish

    LESSON 12. A SILK ROUTINE. PART I

69. Preparing for the Act
70. Handkerchief Production (Elbow)
71. The Dissolving Knot
72. Shaking in a Knot
73. Silk from Candle
74. The Flying Knot
75. Handkerchief Production (Thread)
76. The Sympathetic Silks

    LESSON 13. A SILK ROUTINE. PART II

77. Preparing for the Act
78. Hand Silk-Dyeing
79. Silk-Dyeing (Paper Tube)
80. The "Lamp-Chimney" Vanish

    LESSON 14. THE MISER'S DREAM

81. Coins for Magic
82. The Finger Palm
83. The Thumb Palm
84. The Regular Palm
85. The Edge Palm
86. Palming Several Coins
87. The Back Palm
88. The Miser's Dream

    LESSON 15. CARD PALMING

89. The Top Palm
90. Palming Several Cards
91. Williams' Card in Pocket
92. Color Changes
93. Clip Color Change
94. Erasing the Spot
95. The Side-Steal Color Change
96. Reversing the Color Change
97. The Double Lift
98. The Back Palm
99. Five-Card Vanish and Recovery

    LESSON 16. TWO GREAT TRICKS OF CARD PALMING

100. Leipzig's Lightning Locations
101. The Cards Up the Sleeve
102. The False Count

     LESSON 17. THE SPONGE BALLS

103. The Basic Sponge-Ball Move
104. The Routine

     LESSON 18. THE MULTIPLYING BILLIARD BALLS

105. The Conjurer's Clothes
106. The Trap Pass
107. The Change-Over Palm
108. The Multiplying Ball Routine

     LESSON 19. THIMBLE MAGIC

109. Silent and Talking Acts
110. Quieting a Noisy Crowd
111. The Thimble Thumb Palm
112. Deliberate Vanish
113. Thimble Routine

     LESSON 20. YOUR MAGICAL OUTFIT

114. The Magician's Table
115. The Black Art Table Top
116. Servantes
117. The Bottomless Glass
118. The Mirror Glass
119. Flying Silk
120. Candy Production
121. Wands
122. Programs
123. Stage Management

     PART 3

     HOW STAGE ILLUSIONS WORK

124. The Floating Lady
125. The Vanishing Performer
126. The Trunk Trick
127. The Mirror Principle
128. Lost in the Crowd
129. Bullet-Catching
130. De Kolta's Cocoon
131. The Oyster Shell
132. De Biere's Costume Trunk
133. The Goldfish Bowls
134. The Rapping Hand
135. The Talking Skull
136. The Merry Widow
137. The Spirit Cabinet
138. The Milk Can Trick
139. The Basket Trick
140. The Sword Cabinet
141. Sawing a Woman in Two

word count: 72806 which is equivalent to 291 standard pages of text