Classic Books on Mentalism and Mind Magic
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Classic Books on Mentalism and Magic
The Internet Archive (archive.org) provides free access to hundreds of classic books mentalism, psychism and mind magic. Most of these were published in the nineteenth or early twentieth centuries and are now in the public domain.
For your convenience, we have gathered together many of the best, arranged in alphabetical order by author.
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Alpheus, A.
Complete Hypnotism, Mesmerism, Mind-Reading and Spiritualism (1903)
Arnold, George (1834-1865)
The Magician's Own Book, or the Whole Art of Conjuring (1862)
Atkinson, William Walker (1862-1932)
A Series of Lessons in Personal Magnetism, Psychic Influence, Thought-Force, Concentration, Will-Power, and Practical Mental Science (1901)
Clairvoyance and Occult Powers [as Swami Panchadasi] (1916)
Mind Power: The Secret of Mental Magic (1907)
Practical Mind Reading: A Course of Lessons on Thought-Transference, Telepathy, Mental Currents, Mental Rapport, etc. (1907)
Practical Psychomancy and Crystal Gazing: A Course of Lessons on the Psychic Phenomena of Distant Sensing, Clairvoyance, Psychometry, Crystal Gazing, etc. (1908)
Baggally, William Wortley (d. 1928)
Telepathy: Genuine and Fraudulent (1919)
Ball, W.W. Rouse [Walter William Rouse] (1850-1925)
Mathematical Recreations and Essays, 9th Edition (1920)
Blitz, Signor [Antonio Van Zandt] (1810-1877)
Fifty Years in the Magic Circle: Being an Account of the Author's Professional Life; His Wonderful Tricks and Feats; With Laughable Incidents and Adventures as a Magician and Necromancer, and Ventriloquist (1871)
Brady, Frederic A. [Publisher]
The Black Art! or, Magic Made Easy (1869)
Branson, Lionel Hugh (1879-1946)
Indian Conjuring (1922)
Brown, George
Occult Psychology (1919)
Buchanan, Joseph Rodes (1814-1899)
Manual of Psychometry: The Dawn of a New Civilization (1885)
Burlingame, Hardin Jasper (1852-1915)
Leaves from Conjurers' Scrap Books: Or, Modern Magicians and Their Works (1891)
Cannon, Alexander (1896?-1963)
The Invisible Influence: A Story of the Mystic Orient with Great Truths Which Can Never Die (1934)
Carl, James [James Wakefield] (1875-1955)
Practical Conjuring (1911)
Carrington, Hereward (1880-1958)
The Physical Phenomena of Spiritualism, Fraudulent and Genuine (1908)
Hindu Magic: An Expose of the Tricks of the Yogis and Fakirs of India (1913)
Your Psychic Powers and How to Develop Them (1920)
Cheiro [William John Warner] (1866-1936)
Cheiro's Language of the Hand: Complete Practical Work on the Sciences of Cheirognomy and Cheiromancy, Containing the System, Rules, and Experience of Cheiro (1900)
Palmistry for All: Containing New Information on the Study of the Hand Never Before Published (1910)
Cooper, Robert
Spiritual Experiences, Including Seven Months with the Brothers Davenport (1867)
Cremer, William Henry
Magic No Mystery: Conjuring Tricks with Cards, Balls and Dice; Magic Writing, Performing Animals, etc. etc. (1876)
Crest Magician [Magazine]
The Crest Magician: Devoted to Magic and Magicians (1907-1908)
Cumberland, Stuart C. (1857-1922)
A Thought-reader's Thoughts, Being the Impressions and Confessions of Stuart Cumberland
Davenport Brothers [Ira Erastus; William Henry] (1839-1911; 1841-1877)
The Davenport Brothers, The World-Renowned Spiritual Mediums: Their Biography, and Adventures in Europe and America (1869)
Davenport, Reuben Briggs
The Death-Blow to Spiritualism: Being the True Story of the Fox Sisters, as Revealed by Authority of Margaret Fox Kane and Catherine Fox Jencken (1888)
De Caston, Herbert
Peerless Prestidigitation: Being a Collection of Entirely New Ideas and Effects in the Fascinating Art of Modern Magic (1910)
De Laurence, Lauron William (1868-1936)
Clairvoyance and Thought-Transference (1916)
Crystal-Gazing and Spiritual Clairvoyance (1916)
Hypnotism: Magnetism, Mesmerism, Suggestive Therapeutics and Magnetic Healing (1910)
DeLawrence, George (1886-1928)
Impromptu Magic with Patter (1922)
Denton, William (1823-1883)
Nature's Secrets: Or, Psychometric Researches [with E. Denton] (1863)
The Soul of Things: Or, Psychometric Researches and Discoveries [with E. Denton] (1871)
Dixie, Raymond
The Boy Magician: A Large Number of the Latest and Best Tricks Carefully Selected for the Rising Generations of Conjurers (1922)
Dornfeld, Werner [Dorny] (1892-1982)
"Trix and Chatter": A Novelty-Serio-Comic-Magic-Ologue (1921)
Downs, Thomas Nelson (1867-1938)
The Art of Magic (Edited by John Northern Hilliard) (1909)
Evans, Henry Ridgely (1861-1949)
The Old and the New Magic (1906)
Godwin, William (1756-1836)
Lives of the Necromancers (1834)
Goldston, Will (1878-1848)
Stage Illusions (1912)
Grasset, Joseph (1849-1918)
The Marvels Beyond Science: Being a Record of Progress Made in the Reduction of Occult Phenomena to a Scientific Basis (1910)
Gregory, William (1803-1858)
Animal Magnetism: Or, Mesmerism and its Phenomena (1884)
Grumbine, Jesse Charles Fremont (1861-1938)
Psychometry: Its Science and Law of Unfoldment (1898)
Halphide, Alvan Cavala
The Psychic and Psychism (1901)
Herrmann, Alexander (1844-1896)
Herrmann's Wizards' Manual: A Practical Treatise on Coin Tricks, Card Tricks, Sleight-of-Hand, Illusions, Black Art, Mind Reading, Spirit Mediumship, Ventriloquism, etc., etc. (1916)
Hoffmann, Professor Louis [Angelo John Lewis] (1839-1919)
Conjuring Tricks with Coins, Watches, Rings and Handkerchiefs From "Modern Magic" (1900)
Modern Magic: A Practical Treatise on the Art of Conjuring (1904)
Later Magic (1904)
Holden, John Watkins [Dr. Holden] (1844-1917)
A Wizard's Wanderings From China to Peru (1886)
Holmes, Donald [Donald Holmes Alsdorf] (1879-1958)
Some Modern Conjuring: A Series of Original Experiments in the Magic Art (1909)
The Magic Art (1920)
Hopkins, Albert A. (1869-1939)
Magic: Stage Illusions and Scientific Diversions (1897)
Houdini, Harry [Erik Weisz] (1874-1926)
The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin (1908)
The Miracle Mongers and Their Methods: A Complete Expose of the Modus Operandi of Fire Eaters, Heat Resisters, Poison Eaters, Venomous Reptile Defiers, Sword Swallowers, Human Ostriches, Strong Men, etc. (1920)
Hull, Burling [Burlingame Gilbert Gault Hull] (1889-1982)
Sleights: Being a Number of Incidental Effects, Tricks, Sleights, Moves and Passes, for Purposes Ranging From Impromptu to Platform Performances (1914)
Hurst & Co. [Publishers]
The Practical Magician and Ventriloquist's Guide: A Practical Manual of Fireside Magic and Conjuring Illusions (1876)
Hurst, Lulu (1869-1950)
Lulu Hurst (The Georgia Wonder) Writes Her Autobiography (1897)
Ivey, Arthur (1891-1975)
The Magical Mail: A Monthly House Organ {Magazine] (1921)
Jastrow, Joseph (1863-1944)
Fact and Fable in Psychology (1900)
Joire, Paul Martial Joseph (1856-1930)
Psychical and Supernormal Phenomena: Their Observation and Experimentaion (1916)
Kardec, Allan [Hippolyte Léon Denizard Rivail] (1804-1869)
Experimental Spiritism: Book on Mediums; Or, Guide for Mediums and Invocators (1874)
Spiritualist Philosophy: The Spirits' Book. Containing the Principles of Spiritist Doctrine (1893)
Kellar, Harry (1849-1922)
A Magician's Tour: Up and Down and Round About the Earth. Being the Life and Adventures of the American Nostradamus, Harry Kellar (1890)
Kenilworth, Walter Winston
Practical Occultism (1921)
Kilner, Walter John (1847-1920)
The Human Atmosphere: Or, the Aura Made Visible by the Aid of Chemical Screens (1911)
Kingsford, S.M., Miss
Psychical Research for the Plain Man (1920)
Latour, Harry
Magical Suggestions (1921)
Leadbeater, Charles Webster (1854-1934)
Clairvoyance (1903)
Lorento [pseudonym]
Lorento's Wizard's Guide; or Magic Made Easy (1878)
Lustig, David J. [La Vellma] (1893-1977)
La Vellma's Vaudeville Budget: For Magicians, Mind Readers and Ventriloquists (1921)
Mahan, Asa (1799-1889)
The Phenomena of Spiritualism Scientifically Explained and Exposed (1875)
Maskelyne, Nevil (1863-1924)
Our Magic: The Art in Magic, The Theory of Magic, The Practice of Magic [with David Devant] (1911)
Mason, E. Jr.
Ventriloquism Made Easy, Also an Exposure of Magic and the Second Sight Mystery (1860)
Massey, Edward M. (1889-1964)
New and Original Magic: Comprising a Number of Novel and Entertaining Effects (1922)
Maudsley, Henry (1835-1918)
Natural Causes and Supernatural Seemings (1886)
Mayo, Herbert (1796-1852)
Popular Superstitions and the Truths Contained Therein, With an Account of Mesmerism (1852)
McCabe, Joseph (1867-1955)
Is Spiritualism Based on Fraud?: The Evidence Given by A.C. Doyle and Others Drastically Examined (1920)
N.C. [Anon.]
Psychometry and Thought-Transference, With Practical Hints for Experiments (1887)
Nichols, Thomas Low (1815-1901)
A Biography of the Brothers Davenport: With Some Account of the Physical and Psychical Phenomena Which Have Occurred in Their Presence, In America and Europe (1864)
"Old Conjuror, An"
Prestidigitation, or Magic Made Easy: Being a Complete Handbook of Legerdemain ... (1870)
Oudini [Frank J. Rowan] (b. 1885)
Secrets of the Great Mysteries Now Revealed for the First Time (1909)
Page, Charles Grafton (1812-1868)
Psychomancy: Spirit-Rappings and Table-Tippings Exposed (1853)
Page, Howard L.
The Dual Mind (1909)
Paine, Albert Ware (1812-1907)
The New Philosophy (1884)
Pinchbeck, William Frederick
The Expositor; or Many Mysteries Unravelled (1805)
Pinetti, Herman [pseudonym]
Second Sight Secrets and Mechanical Magic (1905)
Porta, John Baptista [Giovanni Battista della Porta] (1535-1615)
Natural Magick (1589; English translation 1658)
Rhine, J.B. [Joseph Banks Rhine] (1895-1980)
Parapsychology: Frontier Science of the Mind (1957)
Robert-Houdin, Jean-Eugene (1805-1871)
Memoirs of Robert-Houdin, Ambassador, Author, and Conjuror (1860)
Robinson, William Ellsworth [Chung Ling Soo] (1861-1918)
Spirit Slate Writing and Kindred Phenomena (1898)
Roterberg, August (1867-1928)
Latter Day Tricks (1896)
Salverte, Eusebe (1771-1839)
The Occult Sciences: The Philosophy of Magic, Prodigies, and Apparent Miracles, Vol. I (1829; English translation 1847)
The Occult Sciences: The Philosophy of Magic, Prodigies, and Apparent Miracles, Vol. II (1829; English translation 1847)
Schorb, George
Riddles and Drawing-Room Magic (1907)
Schubert, Hermann (1848-1911)
Mathematical Essays and Recreations (1903)
Scot, Reginald (1538?-1599)
The Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584; 1886 reprint)
Shaw, William Henry James (b. 1859)
Magic Up to Date. Or, Shaw's Magical Instructor (1896)
New Ideas in Magic: Illusions, Spiritualistic Effects, Etc. (1902)
Sprague, Eli Wilmot (1847-?)
Spirit Mediumship: Its Various Phases. How Developed and Safely Practiced ... (1912)
Squier, Edward Summers
Tricks and Magic Made Easy (1919)
Stanyon, Ellis [William Ellis Stanyon] (1870-1951)
Conjuring for Amateurs: A Practical Treatise on How to Perform Modern Tricks (1901)
Magic: In Which are Given Clear and Concise Explanations of all the Well-Known Illusions, as Well as Many New Ones Here Presented for the First Time (1903)
Thomas, Northcote Whitridge (1868-1936)
Thought Transference: A Critical and Historical Review of the Evidence for Telepathy, with a Record of New Experiments 1902-1903 (1905)
Waller, Charles (1879-1960)
Original Creation for Magicians Hitherto Kept "Up His Sleeve" (1920)
Warford, Aaron A.
How to Become a Magician: Containing a Grand Assortment of Magical Illusions as Performed by the Leading Magicians and Wizards of the Day (1882)
Wehman Bros.
Wehman Bros' New Book of One Hundred and Fifty Parlor Tricks and Games (1905)
Willson, Beckles (1869-1942)
Occultism and Common-Sense (1908)
Wright, George E.
Practical Views on Psychic Phenomena (1920)
X, Dr. [Willis Dutcher] (b. 1878)
On the Other Side of the Footlights: An Expose of Routines, Apparatus and Deceptions Resorted to by Mediums, Clairvoyants, Fortune Tellers and Crystal Gazers in Deluding the Public (1922)
Young, Martin [Publisher]
The Secrets of Ancient and Modern Magic: Or, the Art of Conjuring Unveilled (1880)
