"Modern Magicians Hand Book" by William J. Hilliar. Chicago: Frederick J. Drake & Co., (1902). First edition
Hilliar listed himself as the "author", but the only part he may have actually written was the small section on hand shadows (a reprint from his 1900 booklet). The rest was taken from Nelson Downs, his book for Howard Thurston, Hoffmann's "Modern Magic" (1876), "More Magic" (1890), Roterberg's "New Era Card Tricks" (1897) and material from Selbit's book with a similar name "The Magician's Handbook" (1901). According to a review of Hilliar's book by Paul Fleming, "It was not a good book."
[Source: Magicpedia at geniimagazine.com/magicpedia/Modern_Magician's_Hand_Book]
(I like the little red devils on the cover anyway.)
"Modern Magicians Hand Book" by William J. Hilliar. Chicago: Frederick J. Drake & Co., (1902). First edition
Hilliar listed himself as the "author", but the only part he may have actually written was the small section on hand shadows (a reprint from his 1900 booklet). The rest was taken from Nelson Downs, his book for Howard Thurston, Hoffmann's "Modern Magic" (1876), "More Magic" (1890), Roterberg's "New Era Card Tricks" (1897) and material from Selbit's book with a similar name "The Magician's Handbook" (1901). According to a review of Hilliar's book by Paul Fleming, "It was not a good book."
[Source: Magicpedia at geniimagazine.com/magicpedia/Modern_Magician's_Hand_Book]
(I like the little red devils on the cover anyway.)