In general magic books cover a certain subject area. Here a slice through time is offered. The 'Magic Annual' describes the best and most popular effects from one year. (There is a second volume in this series Magic Annual 1938-1939.)

Max Holden writes in the introduction: "Some of the items are new, some are old tricks given a novel twist, while other effects, although known in a general way, are now published in detail for the first time - among these latter, the Hugard Fire Eating Act, Hugard's Bullet Catching Feat and my own presentation of Smoke Pictures. Jean Hugard has given his best, as usual, and I am especially indebted to Daniel Dew whose contribution, 'Walking Through a String of Beads,' is one of the cleverest illusions to be brought out in many a day."

Frontispiece
Foreword
CIGAR AND CIGARETTE MANIPULATION
- Cigar Manipulation
- Swallowing a Cigar
- Pouring a Smoke
- Just a Cigarette Paper
- Cigarette Paper, Torn and Restored
- A Cigarette Routine
- Multiplication of Cigarettes
- Routine with the Dropper
- Vanishing of Cigarettes from a Glass
- Cigarette Rising from a Packet
- Magnetized Cigarettes
MISCELLANEOUS
- The Bill in the Envelope
- Ashes
- Ashes - Second Method
- Thimble and Trumpet
- Impromptu Newspaper Tearing
COINS
- The Flying Coins
- Vanish of Coin from Trouser Fold
CARDS
- Do as I do-You Can't
- Magician vs. Gambler
- Touch
- Touch - variation
- G. W. Hunter's Twelve Card Transposition
- The Knock-Out Card Trick
- Maguire Card Force
- Pack of Cards Change to Foulard
SILKS
- Silks and Soup Plates
- The Knot in the Silk
- G. W. Hunter's Silk Routine
BILLIARD BALLS
- Two Billiard Ball Moves
- Billiard Ball Change Over
- The Limit Multiplying Billiard Balls
- Passage of Four Balls from Hand to Hand
- Production of Four Balls Without Using a Shell
- An Egg Production Climax
SOME USEFUL GIMMICKS
- The Silk Gimmick
- A Card Holder
- Ball Shell with Tongue
- Vanish for a Ball
- New Card Index
- Torn and Restored Paper Strip Gimmick
IMPROMPTU TRICKSTER
- Impromptu Linking Rings
- A Cigarette Interlude
- A Cigar Vanish
- A Match Divination
- The Knee Thread
- Wand through Hat
- Somersaulting a Pack
- A Rising Card
- Egg Cups and Pellets
- Knife and Egg Shell
- A Surgical Operation
- Concussion of the Brain
- Shot in the Eye
- Cutting the Thumb
STAGE TRICKS AND ILLUSIONS
- Hugard's Floating Ball
- Hugard's Fire Eating
- Hindu Fire Eating
- The Whole Art of Smoke Pictures
- Ropes, Fan and Silks
- Cords, Fan and Silks
- XXth Century Spirit Seance
- Production of Real Cannon Balls
- Walking through a String of Beads
- Hugard's Bullet Catching
THE NEW MAGIC CARTOONS
- Blurbo and the Rabbit
- Blurbo the Cut-up
- Blurbo and Princess Astrid
- Blurbo's Levitation
- Blurbo's Putting on the Dog
- Blurbo's Indian Rope Trick