MagicGizmo

The Book of Exquisite Conjuring is an undated softcover publication and is the first of a two volume series and is believed to be the only Conradi works available with an English translation. It is also unique in that small amounts of color are introduced into various pictures and the page borders. Total number of pages is 47.

“The Darts of Cupido” is a stage effect of shooting darts through an assistant to a target behind. When you see the method, I am sure you will hesitate to put this in your show when you see the method since it involves actually firing the dart into he target. The “One-Day-Fly” routine is another stage effect requiring a significant amount of apparatus which is divination effect using playing cards on elaborate stands and spirit dial type pointer to do the selection. The “Floating Ball” is an Okito-type floating ball stage effect.

 

“Conradi’s Mysterious Sleigh-Bell Combination” and “Sleigh-Bell Pigeons” both involve a seemly difficult item to perform magic with as they tend to give themselves away with the tell-tale sound. In these routines, the bells appear on the end of ribbons, vanish, and even a sleigh bell ladder apparatus in covered. The book concludes with a supplement entitled: “Cloth Painting (Rag-Pictures)”

 

Some More Exquisite Conjuring is the second of the series and is similar in format and in the use of color. “My Uncle ‘Noah’s’ Umbrella” begins the book and is a vanish of 7 scarfs which appear magically on the ends of the skeleton of an umbrella. The “Phantom Illusion” is an Asrah-type levitation explain with the aid of nice photographic plate with 7 different scenes depicting the flow of the illusion. The book has 53 total pages.

 

The “Magic Cubes” is credited as a Conradi original is described next. It is an effect where two stacks of blocks numbered 1 through 6 change places under the cover a tube. This contains the complete Conradi routine with over 20 illustration. The effect is also known by the names, “Cube-a-Libre” and “Bewildering Blocks.”

 

“Conradi’s Great Skull Illusion” involves the disappearance of a skull from underneath a scarf, which then reappears a previously empty glass cabinet. “The Flowers of Magic” is described, by Conradi, as a “well-compiled succession of tricks with and without apparatus to produce flowers of all sizes…” The routine spans 9 pages and illustrated with over 30 figures.

 

“Conradi’s Handkerchief Illusion” involves the use of a special gun to vanish the handkerchief whose working is well illustrated. “Hostile Brothers or “Fire & Water” is a showy stage routine involving the production of giant fire-bowls and appearing and disappearing goldfish-bowls. As in the first book, a supplement is included, by H.W. Tagrey. This supplement is called “Soap Bubbles” and covers various tricks (most without apparatus) with these bubbles and includes the recipe to toughen the bubbles up.