[Magic tricks]. Teufelselixir oder das Ganze der geheimen Magie. Oder Der kleine Hexenmeister und Memotech[n]ik [!] (Gedächtnislehre). Karten- Physikalische- Chemische Kunststück.

Germany, ca 1850s.

4to (190 x 232 mm). German manuscript, brown ink on paper. 2 parts in one volume: Title, 25 pp. Title, 26 pp., with an incomplete table of contents on the inside of the lower cover. With numerous pen-and-ink sketches and tables, some lightly coloured in red. Contemporary pink half cloth over marbled boards with handwritten label (as quoted) to upper cover.

 3.000,00

Highly interesting manuscript collection of magic tricks, divided into two parts: card tricks ("Der Kartenkünstler oder 50 leichte Kartenkunststücke") and physical, chemical, sleight-of-hand, and mnemonic tricks ("Physikalische-, Chemische- und Geschwindigkeits-Kunstücke [!] und Memotechnik [!]"). In spite of the title, the first part contains only 31 tricks, with a final number "32" showing that more were to follow before this collection was abandoned. The second part contains 37 effects, including such tricks as "Bosco's famous ball game", "The dead crab", "How to spirit a dollar through the surface of a table", "How to make a coin invisible in one's palm", "The magical Quodlibet", several rope and knot tricks, as well as a joke item: "How to eat three pieces of sugar and then spirit them under a hat" (namely by putting the hat on one's head).

Binding somewhat rubbed. Occasional slight brownstaining; the final few pages are supplied in a different handwriting. Numerous illustrations explain the knots and loops described.