The Universal Conjuror; or, the Whole Art of Legerdemain, as Practised by the Famous Breslaw, Katterfelto, Jonas, Flockton, Comas, and by the Greatest Adepts in London and Paris : containing a variety of tricks and deceptions with cards, cups and balls, automaton figures, German puddings, quicksilver, birds, eggs, rings, money, handkerchiefs, watches, &c. never before made public.

London: Printed by W. Lewis, Finch-Lane, for T. Allman, 42, Holborn-Hill, and May Be Had of All Booksellers, Price Sixpence, 1832. 8vo, recent half calf and marbled paper boards. Folding hand-colored frontis., 28 pp.

One of several editions of this work first published in 1829. All are rare, with OCLC recording just a few copies each of editions published in 1829, 1830 and 1832. Among the tricks included are “to seem to swallow a Long Pudding made of Tin,” “The Card nailed to a Wall by a Pistol-shot,” “To break an Iron Bar as big as your arm,” “To take a Bird out of a Cage and make it appear as dead, or roll about as you please,” and so on. With a lively and entertaining frontispiece depicting a magician firing a pistol at the image of a skeleton in a cloud of smoke emerging from an urn, flanked by a clown holding a skull smoking a pipe and a monkey juggling three balls.

REFERENCES: Toole-Stott, R. Conjuring, 674.

CONDITION: Very good, tissue repairs to split in frontispiece fold and tear in frontis. in bottom left margin.