The book is also available in a set with our two other J. N. Maskelyne books here.
 
Limited to just 100 numbered copies, this huge hardback book, exclusive to us, collects together twenty-six articles and books written by, or with the cooperation of, John Nevil Maskelyne. Spanning forty years of the great magician's life, most of the texts are reproduced here for the first time since publication. The book is of the highest quality, printed and bound in the UK by a specialist printer, smyth-sewn to ensure longevity and with a silk marker ribbon and head and tail bands.
 
Publisher's description:
 
These writings, when grouped with their companion publications Modern Spiritualism and Sharps and Flats, represent, as near as possible, the entire published output of J. N. Maskelyne. The texts span Maskelyne’s entire career, starting with the controversial exposure of the methods of The Davenport Brothers, which first made his name, and ending with a few words of wisdom to his fellow magicians penned during his retirement. The book contains the following texts from 1873 to 1913:
 
The History of a Mystery!
£1000 Reward. Maskelyne and Cooke; an Exposé of the Falseness of Their Pretentions.
Natural Magic (The Leisure Hour)
Oriental Jugglery (The Leisure Hour)
Automata (The Leisure Hour)
Conjuring (The Boy’s Own Paper)
Mystery and Mummery; or, Houdin and the Arabs. (The Boy’s Own Paper)
Conjurers’ Properties (The Leisure Hour)
A Few Words About Ghosts (The Leisure Hour)
A Spiritualistic Exposé (The Pall Mall Gazette)
The Supernatural? [Excerpts]
The Magnetic Lady or A Human Demagnetised, being an Appendix to The Supernatural?
The Latest Spiritualistic Fraud. Mr. Maskelyne on “Professor” Baldwin. (Truth)
The Great Wizard of the West. Mr. J. N. Maskelyne at the Egyptian Hall. (The English Illustrated Magazine)
Magic (Encyclopædia Britannica, Tenth Edition)
Plate Spinning (The Royal Magazine)
Plate Spinning (Modern Conjuring)
The History of a Thousand Pound Challenge
The Art and Craft of Thought Reading (The Pall Mall Magazine)
My Reminiscences (The Strand Magazine)
Conjuring (Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh Edition)
Maxim versus Maskelyne
Maxim versus Maskelyne. The End of the Discussion (The Strand Magazine)
The Fraud of Theosophy Exposed
Appendix to The Theosophic Heresy
Originality (The Magical World)
 
Early works which feature include an important series of articles he penned for The Leisure Hour explaining conjuring methods of the past and discussing his accomplishments in the fields of stage magic and automata. There are even two early articles in which Maskelyne explains to the public how to perform conjuring, though these were written anonymously so as to escape criticism from fellow magicians.
 
Maskelyne’s many campaigns against fraudulent spiritualists feature across the book, including his contributions to Lionel Weatherly’s book The Supernatural? The rare separate appendix to this book, in which the magician explains the methods of “The Georgia Magnet”, is also reproduced. Maskelyne’s last book, The Fraud of Theosophy Exposed is reprinted in full, merging his fight with spiritualism with myth-making on the story of The Indian Rope Trick.
 
Three interviews spanning Maskelyne’s life are also reproduced, giving a great insight into the man’s views and career in his own words.  In later life, Maskelyne wrote many articles for popular magazines, including explanations of his plate spinning act, a history of thought reading with methods and an illustrated autobiographical piece reminiscing over his long career.
 
Each of the twenty-six items reproduced in this book is accompanied by a newly written title page giving context to the text and physical specifications of the original publication. The majority of articles are produced in facsimile, with all of these reproductions scanned from originals specifically for this book. A 12 page full-colour plate section illustrates many of Maskelyne’s books in one-to-one scale.
 
Condition: New.
 
Binding: Hardback
Year: 2024
Publisher: CollectingMagicBooks.com
Pages: 530
Dimensions (to nearest cm): 28 X 22cm