Modern Magic Manual by Jean Hugard

Jean Hugard, an accomplished magician during his day, was born in Australia in 1872. He performed magic all around the world throughout his life, mostly in Australia, New Zealand, and even the United States. He moved to Brooklyn, New York, after retiring from performing magic, where he wrote more than thirty books on the subject, including Money Magic, Encyclopedia of Card Tricks, and Houdini's Unmasking. He went blind near the end of his life, yet despite this, he continued to practice magic and write about it. On August 14, 1959, he passed away.

Steven Cohen is a well-known contemporary magician who specializes in close-up magic. He has performed for celebrities such as Woody Allen, David Rockefeller, Martha Stewart, Warren Buffett, Stephen Sondheim, and the Queen of Morocco, among others. He's also appeared on the History Channel, the Late Show with David Letterman, CBS, and CNN, as well as in prestigious magazines including the New York Times and Forbes magazine, and is the author of the book Win the Crowd. He currently resides in New York City and performs a long-running act at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.