Fitzkee, Dariel: The Trick Brain
Book Two of the Fitzkee Trilogy
©1944 1st Edition; Magic Ltd
Hardcover, 311 Pages

Trick Brain
Image courtesy Bryan-Keith Taylor
The Trick Brain
Image courtesy eBay seller OurMagic

Comments: The second in the Fitzkee Trilogy on the theory and practice of performing magic.  The others are "Showmanship for Magicians (1943) and "Magic by Misdirection" (1945). Available as an e-Book from Lybrary.com

Contents: (Note: numbers are not page numbers)

  1 Introduction
  2 Clearing up a puzzle
  3 Art versus science
  4 The reason for a book of fundamentals
  5 Where this work came from
  6 Old things are best
  7 Bromides
  8 Time and tide
  9 Of words and style and other trivialities

 10 Chapter I: Classification of Effects
 11 Thousands from so few
 12 Trick and effect
 13 Classification of card effects, by T Page Wright
 14 Conjuring feats, as Mr Sharpe sees them
 15 Fundamental effects, through Mr Freer's eyes
 16 And nineteen effects for this work
 17 Their definitions

 18 Chapter II: Upon These Fundamentals We Stand
 19 A fertile field for argument
 20 You may lead a horse to water
 21 What you may use
 22 What you may do
 23 Time
 24 Conditions
 25 Of repetitions and the like
 26 Are secrets important?
 27 But twenty from many

 28 Chapter III: The Beginning of Appearance
 29 Three ways of looking for tricks
 30 From a secret place while diverted
 31 The form
 32 The detachable portion
 33 Repeating
 34 The thread, elastic and spring pulls
 35 Decanters to spiders' webs
 36 Spring levers and balloons
 37 Guided gravity
 38 Revolving panels

 39 Chapter IV: Appearances, Continued
 40 Secret compartments
 41 Double bottoms double sides
 42 Movable compartments
 43 Mirrors
 44 Cast iron elephants
 45 Two compartments, either of which may become secret
 46 Concealed by an accessory
 47 Remote places

 48 Chapter V: Appearances, Again
 49 Expansibility
 50 Eggs and chickens
 51 Covering which blends with the background
 52 Sliding slats
 53 Loading while concealed by an accessory
 54 Chemicals

 55 Chapter VI: Appearances, Still Going On
 56 Secret ingress
 57 Secret passageways
 58 Optical projection
 59 Hollow shells
 60 Secret exchange
 61 Pretense

 62 Chapter VII: The Vanish
 63 Opposites
 64 Disposal while distracted
 65 Disposal and form
 66 Detachable portions for vanish
 67 Pulls and the flying cage
 68 Improvements
 69 Secret compartments again
 70 Even two secret compartments
 71 Shells
 72 Collapsibility
 73 Covering to oblivion
 74 Gone behind an accessory
 75 Black art
 76 Chemistry

 77 Chapter VIII: Vanish, Continuing
 78 Gone like the malefactors
 79 Secret passageways
 80 Optics
 81 Shells
 82 Reversing the appearance principle
 83 Substitutions
 84 Pretense
 85 Disguise

 86 Chapter IX: Transpositions
 87 Combination vanish and appearance
 88 Clocks that pass
 89 Duplicates While attention is away Change in proximate surroundings
 90 Secret exchange
 91 Flaps
 92 Compound transpositions
 93 Refinements
 94 Difliculties of classification
 95 Disguise with a die
 96 Shells and buttons
 97 Concealed conveyance
 98 Pretense
 99 The invisible man
100 Complex transpositions
101 And other applications

102 Chapter X: Transformations
103 Combination vanish and appearance
104 Dual identity
105 Bricks, billiard balls and canes
106 Substitution
107 Shells
108 Concealment
109 Bold tactics
110 Pulls Coverings
111 Secret compartments and disguise
112 The disappearing princess
113 Concealment and secret passageways
114 Disguise
115 Relative surroundings
116 Bulk, blinds and reversible panels

117 Chapter XI: Penetration
118 Can matter pass through matter?
119 The very few ways
120 Secret passageway
121 Around
122 Duplicates
123 New for old
124 Needles to rings
125 Substitution
126 Two obstacles and two Parts
127 Magnets
128 Collapsibility
129 Pretense
130 Implication
131 Random examples
132 Princess, phantoms, blocks, ghosts, glasses, spokes, boxes
133 Optics, ties
134 Grandmother's contribution
135 Passageways in profusion

136 Chapter XII: Restoration
137 Two conditions
138 Dupes again
139 Pretense
140 Disguise
141 Six ways
142 Cremation, decapitation, dismemberment and other gory details
143 Paper
144 Valuables
145 Mr Kolar's String
146 Ropes
147 Portions
148 Rubber bands, string, cards, plates, ribbons, neckties, handkerchiefs, ropes

149 Chapter XIII: Animation
150 Invisible connection
151 Concealed connection
152 Clockworks
153 Stored up power
154 Indirect connections
155 Chemicals
156 Secret compartments
157 Human power
158 Gravity
159 Centers of gravity
160 Balance
161 Pendulums, handkerchiefs
162 Implication with silk
163 Automata

164 Chapter XIV: Anti-Gravithy
165 Suspension
166 Concealed support
167 Shifted center of gravity
168 Rising figures
169 Pianos
170 Invisible support
171 Ashrah
172 Magnetic repulsion
173 Atmospheric pressure
174 Threads
175 Concealed support again
176 Reels
177 Hair
178 Magnetic attraction
179 Weight

180 Chapter XV: Attraction
181 Invisible support
182 Concealed support
183 Magnetism
184 Ad-hesion
185 Secret grips
186 Canes, cigarettes, tables, vases

187 Chapter XVI: Sympathetic Reactions
188 No common characteristics
189 Silks
190 You do as I do
191 Interpretations identify
192 Effects really in other categories
193 Candles
194 Productions
195 Cards and saucers
196 Cards
197 Flocks of sympathy tricks
198 Suggestions on how to do
199 Suggested effects

200 Chapter XVII: Invulnerability
201 Fire eating, cooking steaks and walking on swords
202 Rolling in a barrel of glass
203 Kids and a bed of spikes
204 In a cake of ice
205 Traps
206 Bullet catching
207 Stretching
208 Electrocution
209 Methods unique to the problem

210 Chapter XVIII: Physical Anomaly
211 Shadows
212 Seeing through matter
213 Living heads
214 Pencils, dollar bills and other contradictions
215 Other suggestions of violated physical laws
216 Time

217 Chapter XIX: Spectator Failure
218 An impossible game
219 Shells and cards
220 Rattle bars, foo cans, ropes and barrels
221 Conveyance, substitution, disguise, duplicates
222 Running up hands, bank nights, bingo, spell
223 downs
224 Puzzles
225 Interpretation of transformation and transposition effects
226 Threading contest

227 Chapter XX: Control
228 A fine line between animation and control
229 Clocks, hands, bells and skulls John Mulholland's bell
230 Coins, hands and Bill Larsen's slipper
231 Drumsticks and snakes
232 Balls and spelling
233 Sand and a trick with liquids
234 Ducks and dogs

235 Chapter XXI: Identification
236 Discovery
237 How
238 Marks Delay
239 Psychology
240 Tags, crayons, sticks
241 Magnetic methods Keys
242 Arrangements
243 Mathematics
244 Latin
245 Indirect marks
246 Pyramids, discs, ballot boxes, clocks and lead pencils
247 Living and dead
248 Luminous paint
249 Glimpses
250 Forces
251 Exchange
252 Mind reading, cards and telephones
253 Indirect keys
254 Confederates Codes

255 Chapter XXII: Thought Reading
256 Taken from the subject
257 Reading the recorded thought How to manage a glimpse
258 One-ahead, extracting the card, and transparencies
259 Exchanges Stealing the note Feeling the writing
260 Secret impressions Carbon and wax
261 Contact mind reading
262 Microphones
263 Reading messages in the dark
264 Confederates
265 Forced thought

266 Chapter XXIII: Thought Transference
267 Projected to the receiver
268 Codes audible and visible Memorized routines
269 Indirect codes
270 Position and felt codes
271 Specialization Forcing
272 Confederacy Secret writing
273 Delayed commitment
274 Contact mind reading

275 Chapter XXIV: Predictions
276 Foretelling the future
277 Forcing
278 Delayed commitment
279 Confederacy
280 Slates to books
281 Nail writers Pocket writing
282 Indexes and filing devices
283 Substitution
284 Providing for every contingency
285 Locked chests, sealed jars and sealed envelopes

286 Chapter XXV: Extra-Sensory Perception
287 Spectacular delusions
288 Seeing with the fingertips
289 Detection other than claimed
290 Blindfolds
291 Secret identifications
292 Seeing through welded steel plates
293 Detection the FBI couldn't use
294 Defective impediment
295 Interpretation again

296 Chapter XXVI: Pseudo Skill
297 Imitations of skill
298 Not mysteries as to method
299 Memory
300 Balancing eggs
301 Gambling demonstrations
302 Lighting matches in mid air
303 Pocket picking
304 Cube root
305 Fans

306 Chapter XXVII: The Invention of New Trick Plots
307 A numbering system
308 Drawing lots for a new trick
309 Make added lists
310 Needles, knitting and otherwise
311 Pitchers, pails and decorations
312 Sacks, birds and words
313 Arbitrary selections force the imagination
314 Original trick Plots
315 Original routines
316 Generalities broaden the field
317 Original combinations
318 Cards and The Trick Brain
319 Cards on a plate
320 Practical experience

321 Chapter XXVIII: Methods for New Trick Plots
322 Basic methods
323 Generalized for stimulation
324 Why this book was written
325 The "how" of the needles
326 A new trick: Needles to packet
327 What flower do you prefer?
328 Say it with flowers
329 Adaptation
330 Method selection
331 Animated sympathetic rope
332 Weed out those you don't like
333 The Trick Brain does many things

334 Chapter XXIX: The Trick Brain
335 Introducing The Trick Brain in person
336 What it is
337 How it works
338 Lists of basic effects
339 List of essential factors
340 Lists of objects
341 Lists of basic methods

342 Chapter XXX: Techniques of Invension
343 How various inventors attack the thirty-card trick
344 Leipzig, Buckley Baker, Zens, Scarne Vernon
345 Card to the Pocketbook by various methods
346 The Diminishing Cards by Bertram Chapender, Stanyon, Baker and Walsh
347 The Bill In Cigarette by many including Rae, Thayer, Ervin, Davenport
348 The wands
349 Sawing a woman
350 Six card repeat
351 Many effects with blocks
352 Whiskey glasses
353 Trunk tricks
354 How method is shaped by style and circumstances
355 The linking rings
356 Conditions and capabilities

357 Chapter XXXI: Sleight-of-Hand Translation
358 Mechanical methods apply to sleight-of-hand performers
359 The hand is a mechanical device
360 Secret hiding places
361 Reasoning out methods
362 Bouquet to silk
363 Step-by-step analysis
364 Forms, detachable portions, pulls, secret compartments, shells
365 The hands as accessories
366 Cards as accessories
367 Coverings which blend, secret passageways secret exchange
368 Disguise, secret compartments

369 Chapter XXXII: New Lamps for Old
370 Other valuable uses for The Trick Brain
371 How tricks may be changed in effect
372 Interpretation again
373 Shelves full of unused tricks and devices
374 Reclaiming them for new purposes and uses
375 An example with The Passe Passe Bottles
376 Analyzing what they really may be
377 An example with the mirror glass
378 What to look for and how The Trick Brain will suggest new uses

379 Chapter XXXIII: The Ultimate Objective
380 Marshaling the elements of the mechanics of magic
381 Disagreements are expected
382 Reduction to final elements is intended
383 The foundations of mechanical magic
384 Tools are tricks
385 Technique of performance
386 Overcrowded workshops and unskilled mechanics
387 All the tricks you will ever need
388 Mechanics not profound
389 Fundamentals all here
390 A list of the fifty four elements
391 Are these the true secrets of magic?
392 What of the mind?

393 Chapter XXXIV: Glossary Of Definitions Of Fundamental Expedients


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