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**Magic Mine No. 1** is a classic magic booklet authored by the legendary Canadian magic inventor **Stewart James** and published by Harold Sterling in **1957**.
Known as one of the most prolific, mathematically-minded inventors in magic history, Stewart James focused this compilation on **12 practical, audience-tested routines** designed for club, parlor, and stage performances. The hallmark of the book is that the effects require very little technical sleight of hand or complicated mechanical apparatus; instead, they rely on clever principles, psychological subtleties, and easy-to-construct props.
The booklet spans 28 pages and features detailed instructions, illustrations, and performance scripts ("patter") for the following routines:
* **Silversion:** A borrowed, marked coin cleanly penetrates the wall of a completely sealed glass bottle. Both the bottle and coin can be thoroughly examined afterward.
* **Cheerio Glass:** A stage-ready routine featuring the complete, visual disappearance of a 4-inch drinking tumbler. Crucially, it does not require trick tubes or specialized magic tables.
* **Squaring the Square:** A topical, parlor-style puzzle effect performed using a single sheet of paper and a pair of scissors.
* **Count of Monte Carlo:** An updated routine fixing an older, notoriously unreliable magic principle. James introduces a handling that guarantees the effect works 100% of the time.
* **Double Ring Ceremony:** Two borrowed finger rings cleanly penetrate right through a length of unprepared rope. No knots are tied, and everything can be handled by the audience.
* **An Easter Mystery:** A quirky, narrative-driven problem utilizing three eggs and a borrowed top hat, resolved in a highly unorthodox, magical manner.
* **Gofar Ball:** Highly praised by magic historians, a ball vanishes from a tube and instantly travels to the inside of an inverted tumbler that is partially covered by a second tube. A spectator can immediately reach in, grab the ball, and examine all elements. Only one ball is used.
* **Astral Dagger:** Drinking straws held firmly by a spectator are sliced cleanly in half using the invisible "astral counterpart" of a visible dagger. The routine is designed so that performing the trick naturally destroys any secret gimmick used.
* **Let the Chips Fall:** A routine featuring patriotic-colored balls and poker chips. The performer drops the chips one by one, and though the audience can distinctly hear each chip fall, only the specific chips supposed to be used are ever seen.
* **Unwritten Predictions:** A direct, minimal mentalism prediction. The method was so clean that it was highly praised by Theodore Annemann (the father of modern mentalism).
* **Slatest:** A mentalism effect where a spectator's selected picture or word appears on a standard chalk slate, drawn in the exact color the spectator chose.
* **Hotelepathy:** A novel narrative mystery revolving around a toy store suitcase, ending in a surprise climax. James provides variations for performing it with or without standard magic dealer items.
**Legacy:** Like much of Stewart James's work, *Magic Mine No. 1* is highly regarded by magic creators because it strips away heavy technical difficulty in favor of bulletproof, deceptive structure. It remains a masterclass in how to build strong magic with everyday objects.