Massey was the inventor of many mechanical magic tricks that have become part of the routines of modern magicians. Probably his most successful invention was the Finger Guillotine, which he sold to Max Holden. More than thirty of his tricks are explained in this beautiful and scarce publication.

There are 26 mechanical gems described and explained with enough detail to allow the home builder to construct them with little trouble. He explains six utility devices and seven sleights. His electro-magnetic drumhead loader uses technology which was innovative for 1922. The clockwork "automatic release" is a utility device which will do away with the ubiquitous "string to offstage assistant" which was common in those days.

1st edition 1922, 200 pages. 1st digital edition 2013, 117 pages.

Table of Contents

1. I Foreword
2. II Personal Observations
3. III A Word On What Is To Follow
4. IV An Opening
5. V To The Colors; Or, The Makings Of A Nation
6. VI A Diminishing Card
7. VII The Sure-Fire Handkerchief Pistol
8. VIII The Drumhead Target
9. Ix Candle Smoke
10. X The Pedestal Top
11. XI The Automatic Release
12. XII With Four Coins
13. XIII Prohibition
14. XIV The Flower Cage
15. XV A Borrowed Ring
16. XVI The Chest Op Chu Chin Chow
17. XVII Blanc et Rouge
18. XIX With A Billiard Ball
19. XX Jack Rose
20. XXI The Wrist Stock
21. XXII The Rising Cards Again
22. XXIII The Borrowed Handkerchief And The Impenetrable Casket
23. XXIV The Crystal Card Trapeze
24. XXV An Instantaneous Rose-Bush
25. XXVI Divination
26. XXVII Have A Smoke?
27. XXVIII Two At A Time
28. XXIX The Interrogatable Goblet
29. A Magical Appendix
30. - Types Of Servante
31. - Methods Of Palming Cards
32. - To Secretly Obtain A Silk Handkerchief
33. - A Black Art Table
34. - The Coin Jar
35. - "Le Tourniquet" Pass For Coins
36. - The Use Of A Form
37. - Palming A Billiard Ball
38. - The Pass
39. - The False Shuffle
40. - The Force

word count: 33759 which is equivalent to 135 standard pages of text