Through the ages, countless ingenious performers have astonished their friends or audiences with "magic"--not the black arts, but simple or sometimes complicated tricks that can be learned and passed on. This book will tell you how to do some of these and do them well. Opening with stories of magic as practised by the great professionals of the past and present: Houdini, Maskelyne and Devant, Las Vegas' Seigfried and Roy, David Copperfield, etc., you will go on to learn how to tackle most aspects of magicianship. From selecting and perfecting your patter to handling awkward apparatus and bowing out in grand style. this book is beautifully illustrated with hundreds of stunning posters, photographs, and drawings.