"People have always been fascinated by magic," says author, teacher, and magician Allan Kronzek. In this entertaining how-to book — prepared especially for young, aspiring magicians — he shows how to learn and perfect mystifying feats of illusion that will baffle any audience. Simple directions and clearly drawn diagrams enable beginners to master a host of dazzling deceptions: passing objects through solid barriers, cutting and restoring a length of rope, card tricks featuring the "magnetic touch," and many more. Young magicians will also find complete directions for performing "The Spirit of Isis" — a dramatic tour de force in which one figure seemingly becomes another.

Step-by-step instructions demonstrate each step of the learning process — from understanding the effect to be achieved to successfully performing the trick itself. Mr. Kronzek, a professional magician, provides numerous helpful hints and secrets of the trade, including how to misdirect the audience's attention, practicing deception while handling props and equipment and how to develop a natural approach and smooth line of "patter."

With this book and a bit of practice, young would-be magicians will soon be on their way to mastering a grab-bag full of tricks that will astonish and delight family and friends alike.

Reprint of The Secrets of Alkazar: A Book of Magic, Four Winds Press, New York, 1980.