Essential Robert-HoudinPreface to The Secrets of Conjuring and Magic
Todd Karr
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You are about to read one of the most influential books ever written on the subject of magic. Robert-Houdin stands among the very finest magicians of all time, and these are his real secrets, the basic theories behind his approach to magic, the thinking that revolutionized the art of conjuring. If you read closely, you will see how Robert-Houdin’s approach sharply steered the typical magic show from being merely a showy demonstration into a powerful art form, an entertainment that presented true mysteries for the audience.
The attention to the nuances of sleight-of-hand and the subtleties of magic psychology flow through Robert-Houdin’s routines here, whether small close-up tricks or elaborate stage effects, and this level of understanding about magic strategy resonates to this day. Prior to Robert-Houdin, very few magicians stopped to see how they could make their magic more seamlessly deceptive, how they could refine their performances, how they could convince the audience more thoroughly.
This book holds the keys to Robert-Houdin’s philosophies, many of which magicians have adopted as basic foundations of the art over the ensuing years since its publication. You will encounter his famous statement about the magician as an actor, but in its original context. Contrary to what many magicians might expect, the phrase does not appear amidst advice on scripting and theatrical techniques; instead, Robert-Houdin drops in this important thought as he examines the word prestidigitator, stressing that quick hands are less important than the feeling of magic the magician creates:
A conjuror is not a juggler; he is an actor playing the part of a magician, an artist whose fingers have more need to move with deftness than with speed.
But even casually mentioned, that idea took hold in the consciousness of magicians worldwide and led them to concentrate on acting like real magicians instead of merely demonstrating shiny apparatus for their spectators.
The original French edition, Les secrets de la magie et de la prestidigitation, was published in France in 1868. Professor Hoffmann loved the book; his translation, which you are about to read, appeared a decade later in 1878.
The familiar refrain of “Practice, practice, practice” appears here, too, in its original form: “To succeed as a conjuror, three things are essential — first, dexterity; second, dexterity; and third, dexterity.” Robert-Houdin displayed that motto prominently at the opening of the book as a call to excellence, an unmistakable warning that achieving an adequate level of competence would require layer after layer of hard work and tireless dedication.
And in the midst of his list of general principles of the art, Robert-Houdin inspired generations of improved magic with this far-reaching observation:
Some conjurors use an excessive amount of gesture in order to cover their manipulations. This is wrong. Genuine conjuring demands perfect simplicity of execution. The more simple and natural the movements of the performer, the less likely is the spectator to detect the trick.
Robert-Houdin chose his words carefully. His descriptions of sleights and their nuances set a high standard for other magic books, but unlike many authors, his words came from years of actual study and performance rather than armchair theorizing. His instructions here are the teachings of a superb professor who knew just how to help his students learn.
In one chapter on card sleights, he writes that “any further explanation I might give on the subject would only tend to complicate the instructions I have already given.” It is for that reason that I have decided to eliminate Professor Hoffmann’s frequent footnotes. Hoffmann helpfully offered suggestions of outside reading or variations, but more often than not his comments only served to distract the reader and in some cases mislead them as to Robert-Houdin’s actual teachings. For example, in his notes on the pass, Hoffmann suggests that the move is not only simple to learn, but also that it should be hidden by jiggling the hands up and down; both notions are obviously contrary to Robert-Houdin’s admonitions regarding diligence and natural movements.
Stephen Minch, in From Witchcraft to Card Tricks (1991), points out:
It can be argued that this book was the most important volume on conjuring published in the nineteenth century. Here, finally, was a serious work written not by a debunker or a hack or an amateur, but by the most respected professional magician in France’s history.
While Robert-Houdin includes in his book the best tricks and sleights offered by Decremps and Ponsin, his treatment of them shows the unmistakable hand of a full-time performer; and to the past store of material, Robert-Houdin added numerous new effects, most of which have since become classics....
In his book Robert-Houdin also gives invaluable new tips and handlings for sleights. Here we find the method for secretly obtaining a break under the top card of the deck by removing a card from the pack and gesturing with it, misdirecting from the pack while the thumb pushes over the top card and the fourth finger forms a break beneath it. This technique is now a standard ploy of card magic, particularly useful in preparing for a double lift.
Here we find the idea of steaming open the seal or stamp on a new pack, so that the cards can be prepared and then resealed in their container. Here we find the first description of the gambler’s cop and the snap-over color change.
Here we find an improved handling for the top change, in which the right fingers’ grip remains consistent as the cards are switched. Further to its credit, the handling is quieter than the older one. Curiously, this superior technique was ignored by all but a select few texts published after Robert-Houdin’s book, and is little practiced even today.
And here we find invaluable tips for those learning the classic force. “It is well to say take [a card], and not choose, though the latter word is frequently used. The word choose implies a liberty of action which it is better not to suggest too strongly.”
By the way, you’ll notice that Robert-Houdin mentions that not only did he write the text, but he also drew the illustrations. He was, of course, a creator of fine art objects like his ornate clocks and exquisite automata, so perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised that his talents were so diverse, but it’s still a pleasant surprise that makes the book even more of a direct link to Robert-Houdin’s mind.
This text will help you learn to be a wizard. Let the master’s words guide you.
— From Todd Karr's preface to The Secrets of Conjuring and Magic in Essential Robert-Houdin (2006)