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This book is 120 pages of illustrated and photographed magic of Edward Massey and contains 15 pages in full color. The biography section summarizes the life of Massey including an informative timeline which pieces together the inventions and key events in Massey’s life.

The full working and original instructions for the following items are included:

• Chinese Flame Clock
• Color-Changing Candle
• Duplex Slates (Routine, not the instructions)
• It’s Amazring
• It’s a Baffler
• It’s a Cutie
• Key of Mystery
• Oriental Fire-Water Tubes
• Ribbon Fantastique
• Sawing Through Arm
• Squeezaway Block
• Strange Cabinet of Deodar
• Toto the Clown

There are many more tricks that include the working (without the instructions) including 2 patented Massey effects.

In addition, a catalog of more Massey items is included at the end to show the expansive depth to Massey’s inventions.

There are also numerous items included from his book and many magazine contributions which are reprinted to round out the book.

See the contents below for more details.

From the Preface by the Author:

When I was about 15 years old, I was at the San Jose flea market, and I came across a small collection of magic tricks which I have to this day. I believe I paid $15 for the small lot which was a lot of money for me at the time. One of those tricks happened to be what I now know is “The Strange Cabinet of Deodar.”  The trick was just the cabinet with no glass or spears, but I did come to theorize correctly that it was a penetration for a drinking glass as that was the only item that really made sense to fit in there.

The cabinet always was a bit of mysterious item and the more I found out about it, it took on even more meaning.

Over the years, I collected a few other Massey items and came to research more on his magic and life.  I didn’t intend on writing the definitive book on Edward Massey’s magic, but I did want to write something as I have always been interested in his magic.   I did want to include some of my favorite Massey effects and as I researched more and more, the number of pages began to grow. However, I came to realize quickly that there is quite a bit of magic Massey created and many of the effects are hard to track down.  The result of all of this is what you have before you and I hope you enjoy it.

Contents

• Preface
• Edward M Massey Biography
• Early Interest in Magic
• Education and Work
• Books
• Early Magic Inventions
• Massey Original Magic Creations
• Massey Timeline
• Chest of Chu Chin Chow
• Background and Method
• To Perform
• Preparation
• Patter
• Chinese Flame Clock
• Background
• Method
• Instructions
• Alternate Instructions
• Cigimmick by Edward M. Massey
• Color-Changing Candle
• Background
• Method
• Instructions
• Commando
• Background
• Method
• Croix Rouge
• Background
• Method
• Patter
• Duplex Slates
• Background
• Method
• Routine
• Finger Guillotine
• Background
• Method
• Glass through Glass - Penetration Trick or Clear Through (Invented by Edward Massey)
• Background
• Method
• The Great Gawd Budd by Edward Massey
• Instantaneous Rose-Bush
• Background and Method
• Patter
• It’s Amazring
• Background
• Method
• Instructions
• It’s a Baffler
• Background
• Method
• Instructions
• It’s a Cutie
• Background
• Method
• Instructions
• Key of Mystery
• Background
• Method
• Instructions
• The Marvelous Blocks
• Oriental Fire-Water Tubes
• Background
• Method
• Instructions
• Ribbon Fantastique
• Background
• Method
• Instructions
• Sawing Through Arm and Carving Cutter
• Sawing Through Arm
• Carving Cutter
• Background
• Method
• Instructions
• Squeezaway Block
• Background
• Method
• Instructions
• The Squeeze-Away Block by Edward M. Massey from Blackstone’s Annual of Magic – 1929
• Strange Cabinet of Deodar
• Background
• Method
• Instructions
• Toto the Clown
• Background
• Method
• Instructions
• Vivisection Illusion
• Background
• Method
• Patent
• An Inventor Explains His Method by Edward Massey
• Magic as a Hobby by Edward M. Massey
• Catalog of More Massey Magic
• Buried Treasure
• Cardagger
• Cardette Case
• Carioca Production
• Century Silk Frame
• Cigarette to Handkerchief or Handkerchief to Cigarette
• Color Flight
• Comedy Vase
• Contrary Bottle
• Cover to Cover
• Disintegrator Box
• Diskoff
• Enchanted Frame
• It’s a Corker
• It’s a Flash
• It’s a Stopper
• Giant Stopper or Stage Stopper
• Imp Box
• In a Magazine
• Mephisto Tube
• Plex Ray
• Potpourri
• Roamin’ Candle
• Tri Kerette
• Tuba-Flora

This controversial book exposes some of the popular effects and illusions of famous magicians including Robert Houdin, Houdini, Thurston, Kellar, Siegfried and Roy, and Doug Henning. The most curious inclusion is how David Copperfield is billed as the "All-Time Greatest Magician" and yet Becker chooses only to expose his simple tricks with paperclips, rubber bands, and rope.

The Magic of Robert Harbin was published in 1970 and has only had one authorized printing.  Only 500 copies were printed and they are hand numbered and the original owners name was hand written into the book when originally sold.  The book sold for $75.00 in 1970 which was quite pricey in that day.  Now copies sell for many multiples of that amount.  The book contains the plans for the Zig-Zag girl illusion which according to Harbin was best illusion he had originated at the time the book was published.

While the title of this book may lead you to believe it is not appropriate for the professional magicians, it is a significant apparatus book with numerous fine line illustrations and photographs over 37 chapters covering over 500 tricks over nearly 400 pages. It was actually released as "Successful Conjuring for Amateurs" for the UK market and "Successful Magic for Amateurs" for the US market with no other notable differences. A later abridged edition called simply "Successful Conjuring" was also released later without credit to the original author.