Tarbell Course in Magic - Lesson 2 by Harlan Tarbell
Tuesday, 15 January 2013 23:42 | 
Written by Administrator | 
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The History of Sleight Of Hand
Before proceeding with the lesson I want to give you some further history of Magic -- this time, on the branch of Magic called Sleight of Hand.
Sleight of Hand is the art of deceiving the eye of the spectator by adroit movements of the hand so as seemingly to bring about the following effects:
1--Producing--making an object appear
2--Vanishing--making an object disappear
3--Transforming—changing an object
Legerdemain and prestidigitation are synonyms of the term, sleight of hand.
The term, legerdemain, is often used to cover all kinds of conjuring by means of mechanical and other contrivances, but properly applies only to tricks performed with the hand. In analyzing the word we find that it is derived from the French "leger de main," which means nimbleness of hand, or literally, "light of hand" — "the light touch."
The word, prestidigitation, also applies to tricks depending on the hand only for execution. This word has a Latin origin and analysed means quickness of the fingers.
Last Updated (Wednesday, 16 January 2013 01:32)
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