There is no doubt that it is one of the oldest arts in the world, and it can be traced right back to the days of ancient Egypt, and even beyond that. If you become a capable magician and cause people to look astonished at your tricks and illusions with boxes, rings, cards, handkerchiefs, and so forth, you will merely be copying men who lived thousands of years ago.

It is astonishing the number of things a magician must know before he can hope to succeed fully. Nothing is too out-of-the-way for him to mark, learn, and inwardly digest; nothing too obscure for him to delve into and find out the whys and the wherefores; and nothing in the art too big for him to tackle.

Magic is not merely a matter of telling people which card they chose, or showing them how to pour lemonade, tea, coffee, beer, and water out of one teapot. It is the whole show that counts…