The Trick Brain

Book excerpt: The Trick Brain, the second volume of the [Fitzkee] series, is an extended discussion of the mechanics of magic. It explains how mechanical devices and methods are used to deceive laymen. All of the thousands of tricks in the magician's repertoire are analyzed to belong to but 19 general basic categories. Then, each of these basic effects is discussed, one by one. All of the possible methods of producing all of the basic effects mechanically are clearly revealed. Finally, through an ingenious idea stimulator, a method of utilizing this extended research for the producing of new tricks is explained. The Trick Brain, the creator of new trick plots and their methods, supplies the title of the book, although it forms but a small portion of the complete work.