"Sleight of Hand: A Practical Manual of Legerdemain for Amateurs & Others" by Edwin Thomas Sachs is a comprehensive guide that delves into the art of magic and illusion. This manual is designed for both beginners and those with some experience, offering detailed instructions on various sleight-of-hand techniques. Sachs emphasizes the importance of practice and presentation, providing readers with a solid foundation in the principles of magic. The book covers a wide range of tricks, from ca...

In "Sleight of Hand: A Practical Manual of Legerdemain for Amateurs & Others," Edwin Thomas Sachs provides a comprehensive examination of the art of deception through magic and illusion. Written in a clear, instructional style, the book presents a series of meticulously detailed techniques designed to equip aspiring magicians with the necessary skills to perform a variety of tricks. Sachs offers a historical context for the craft, tracing its evolution and highlighting its role in entertai...

It is always a matter for self-congratulation on the part of an author to be called upon to furnish a Preface to a second or subsequent edition of some "bantling of his brain." In the present instance the task is more satisfactory than usual, the author not coming before the reader empty-handed. Since the publication of the first edition, conjurors have not been idle, and numerous new methods for producing magical surprises have been invented. Such of these as are suitable or worthy—for, i...

Not many men emerged from Trafalgar without an ounce of credit to their names, but courtesy of an over-fondness for rum and his habitual bad luck, Lieutenant Martin Jerrold managed it. In February 1806, he is given one final chance to redeem his reputation and dispatched to Dover.Things don't augur well when, walking off the effects of a night in the tavern, Jerrold stumbles across a corpse lying on the beach. And they take a distinct turn for the worst when, to his horror and bemu...

August, 1806. As Britain fights alone against France, the greatest political chancer of his age hatches an audacious plot to upend the world order. Only one man stands in his way. Unfortunately, that man is Lieutenant Martin Jerrold.With powerful enemies in England to escape, Jerrold is only too happy to undertake a routine mission to America. But he'll soon wish he had stayed at home, as his journey takes him across pirate-infested seas, through the wilderness of the American fron...

July 1806. Commanding a prison hulk full of French captives, Lieutenant Martin Jerrold thinks his war can't get much better. He's far away from the more life threatening aspects of naval service and he can keep his mistress close to hand. It all seems too good to last.And so it proves. When one of the prisoners goes missing, Jerrold's comfortable world is suddenly turned upside down. Ordered by the First Lord of the Admiralty to recapture the Frenchman at any cost, he finds himself...

In "Sleight of Hand: A Practical Manual of Legerdemain for Amateurs & Others," Edwin Thomas Sachs presents a comprehensive guide to the art of magic, primarily focusing on sleight of hand techniques. Written in a clear and engaging style, the book demystifies the intricacies of manipulation, misdirection, and performance, allowing readers to develop their skills from fundamental tricks to more complex illusions. The manual is steeped in the context of late 19th-century magic, a time when t...

This book provides an accessible introduction to the fascinating and topical subject of black holes. It bridges the gap between popular non-mathematical expositions and advanced research texts, using simple undergraduate level calculations and the most basic knowledge of relativity to explain current research. This means the theory can be understood by a wide audience of physicists, including those who are not necessarily interested in learning higher-level mathematical techniques.The thir...

This introduction to the fascinating subject of black holes fills a significant gap in the literature which exists between popular, non-mathematical expositions and advanced textbooks at the research level. It is designed for advanced undergraduates and first year postgraduates as a useful stepping-stone to the advanced literature.The book provides an accessible introduction to the exact solutions of Einstein's vacuum field equations describing spherical and axisymmetric (rotating) black h...

On Desolation Island, with the known world out of reach, uneasy alliances are sometimes forged…Captain Bligh, of Bounty fame, is now governor of New South Wales and facing mutiny anew, having lost the support of local settlers. Jack Aubrey is commissioned to come to his rescue. With a beautiful but dangerous spy on board, along with an unwelcome hold full of convicts, and war with America brewing, can Captain Jack Aubrey reach Australia in one piece?Outmanned and ou...

Pressed into King George's Navy for the second time in a month, John Pearce and his comrades, the so-called Pelicans, find themselves working aboard HMS Griffin, a slow and over-crowded ship, sailing the Channel in search of the numerous French privateers that prey on English merchant shipping: her task to stop them and, if possible, to capture or destroy them.But Pearce has greater things on his mind: he must rescue his ailing father from the dangers of revolutionary Paris, and to...

Fleeing from the evil Sir Philip Morton, Peter Brownrigg finds himself on the wrong side of the law. On the run to London he meets Kit and the two decide to stick together. But a chance discovery endangers their lives and soon Peter is deep in murderous plots, secrets and even treason.Set in the turbulent days of Elizabeth I, this classic story of danger and intrigue conjures up a world of mystery, twists and turns and thrilling action.