Magic

Ellis StanyonProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.6

Word count: 260K words
Chapters: 27

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Magic by Ellis StanyonAuthor: Stanyon, Ellis, 1870-1951,Language: English, Class: GV: Geography, Anthropology, Recreation: Recreation, Leisure, Release Date: Jul 8, 2011

Editor's review

This is a practical English-language book for magic enthusiasts. The author, Ellis Stanyon, was a magic researcher and publisher active from the late nineteenth to early twentieth century who spent years organizing and teaching close-up and stage magic techniques. The book covers the basic principles and sleights of magical performance in direct, step-by-step language and bears a clear mark of its era, giving readers a glimpse of early modern magic instruction. Its value lies not in spectacular revelation but in treating magic as a craft that can be broken down and practiced: sleight, misdirection, timing, and performance psychology are interrelated throughout. For Chinese readers it is both a free English-language original source and a primary text for understanding the Western magic tradition; reading it requires some English proficiency, and it is best practiced repeatedly with props in hand. It is suitable as supplementary reading on magic history and performance craft, not as a quick-start manual.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Western magic history and early magic instruction
Magic enthusiasts with basic English reading ability who are willing to practice hands-on
Cultural researchers studying performance art and popular literature
Readers who want to expand their reading with free public-domain English materials

Not a good fit for

Complete beginners looking for Chinese-language illustrated magic tutorials
Readers expecting exposure of modern large-scale illusions and video-style teaching
Readers who struggle with English and are unwilling to look up words or compare translations

Reading tips

Read the table of contents and preface first to understand the book's structure, then choose chapters of interest for close reading.
Whenever you read a sleight, practice it immediately with simple props such as cards or coins; do not chase speed.
When encountering technical terms, first guess from context, then check a dictionary, building a vocabulary of magic English.
Read alongside other magic history materials and note the era-bound limitations of the techniques and any safety cautions.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book suitable for complete beginners with no knowledge of magic?

Not very suitable as a first introductory book. It focuses on traditional technique explanation, lacks modern illustrations and a step-by-step curriculum, and is in English. If you have basic English and are willing to practice slowly, it can serve as supplementary material; complete beginners should start with Chinese introductory tutorials and return to this book later.

What props do I need to read this book?

Most of the items involved are common small props such as cards, coins, knots, and handkerchiefs; a standard deck of cards and a few coins are enough to begin most exercises. There is no need to buy professional magic equipment; the point is to understand the logic of the sleights and the rhythm of performance, and consider upgrading props only after becoming proficient.

Does this book reveal magic secrets or teach performance?

Both, but it leans toward instruction. The author aims to teach techniques, explaining sleights and performance points rather than simply listing secrets. Readers should treat it as a practice manual, focusing on how to perform moves naturally and direct audience attention, rather than merely memorizing the mechanisms.

What should I watch out for when reading a public-domain edition?

This is a public-domain e-book, and layout and illustration quality depend on the specific edition; scanned typos or formatting problems may appear. It is advisable to cross-check the text against multiple sources while reading, skip passages that are hard to understand for the moment, and focus on the actionable descriptions of sleights rather than getting stuck on individual details.

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About the author

Ellis Stanyon Author · British · 1870–1951

Ellis Stanyon (1870–1951) was a British magician and publisher. Public information about him is limited; he is chiefly known for collecting and disseminating magic literature. He edited the magazine Magic and systematically recorded a large body of magical techniques, leaving material that fellow performers and enthusiasts could study. His representative work, Magic, follows the same approach, concentrating on specific methods and performance routines rather than abstract theory, and is therefore of practical value for preserving and passing on the craft. His career reflects a dual role as professional magician and publisher: he worked on stage while using periodicals and books to gather scattered experience into written form, making details that were otherwise hard to transmit orally available in print. The single work held here offers a glimpse of one strand of British magic writing from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century.