''Modern Magic'' by

Professor Hoffmann Professor Hoffmann (1839–1919) was the pseudonym of Angelo John Lewis, an English-born barrister and writer who has been described as "the most prolific and influential magic author and translator until modern times."

(real name ''Angelo Lewis'') is a treatise in book form, first published in 1876, detailing the apparatus, methods and tricks used by the

magicians Magician or The Magician may refer to: Performers * A practitioner of magic (supernatural) * A practitioner of magic (illusion) * Magician (fantasy), a character in a fictional fantasy context Entertainment Books * ''The Magician'', an 18th-ce ...

and conjurors of that era. Hoffmann was considered to be one of the greatest authorities on the theory and practice of magic, despite his own limited professional experience as a magician.

The ''Modern Magic'' book series

Professor Hoffman imparted much of his wisdom and expertise in the art of magic through a series of four books:H. Adrian Smith - "Hoffmann's Five Foot Shelf of Magic", ''Tops Magazine'', Vol. 1, no. 12, Dec. 1936, p. 47. *
Modern Magic
' (48 articles, first serialized in Routledge's ''Every Boy's Paper'', and then published as one volume, in 1876.) *
More Magic
' (1890) *
Later Magic
' (1903) *
Latest Magic
' (1918) Of the series, ''Modern Magic'' is best known. The book contains advice on the appearance, the dress and the staging of a magician. It then goes on to describe many tricks with playing cards, coins, watches, rings, handkerchiefs, dominoes, dice,

cups and balls The cups and balls is a performance of magic with innumerable adaptations. Street gambling variations performed by conmen were known as Bunco Booths. A typical cups and balls routine includes many of the most fundamental effects of magic: the ba ...

, balls, and hats, and concludes with a long chapter of miscellaneous tricks, including magic with strings, gloves, eggs, rice and some utility devices. The penultimate chapter describes large stage illusions, and the final chapter contains advice on routining a magic show, and more advice on staging. Its popularity is due in part to the scarcity of teaching materials available to would-be magicians in the late 19th century. ''Modern Magic'' was the first book in the English language to really explain how to perform magical feats.MagicNook - Hoffmann Books
Accessed 2015-07-21

References

External links

Professor Hoffmann at MagicPedia

''Modern Magic'' online at Google Books

''Modern Magic; a Practical Treatise on the Art of Conjuring''
From th

in the Rare Book and Special Collection Division at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

*
Professor Hoffmann Books Downloadable from Archive.org
{{Magic and illusion Magic books 1876 non-fiction books

The ''Modern Magic'' book series

See also

References

External links