The presentation of magic is a distinct art in itself. It is different from any other form of public appearance, yet it has certain points in common with many of them.

The impromptu magician must be an extemporaneous speaker; the comedy magician must be a comedian; the platform magician must certainly be an actor. Yet this is a good rule that does not work both ways. The best speakers, comedians, lecturers and actors may not be capable of becoming good magicians.

Why? Because there is an important element of psychology in the presentation of magic--something which the magician learns partly by instinct, and largely by experience.

There are many difficulties which confront the magician. He must always do two things at once--perform an effect for his audience and operate a trick for himself. He is telling one story and thinking another. A slip will injure his prestige; and if he slips he will never receive sympathy, but will be the object of ridicule.

To offset these difficulties, the magician has a tremendous power in his behalf. It is a simple application of the rule that "you can't beat a man at his own game." The magician is playing a game with his audience; he knows the game and the audience does not.

Therein lies the charm of magic--the lure that brings thousands to the art. Because of it, a mediocre performer, weak as a speaker and devoid of dramatic ability may thoroughly mystify a group of highly intelligent people. Yet in that strength lies weakness. Encouraged by the ease with which they can mystify, many budding performers are neglectful of presentation.

The magic of 1960 has one flaw. Too many observers attribute its marvels to the device, rather than the deceptionist. In this Atomic Age, "push-button" magic has come into the ascendant and it is something strictly to be shunned. No matter how well a trick works, it must bear the stamp of the individual who performs it, not the manufacturer who supplied.

For that reason tricks with hidden "gimmicks" are coming into their own. They give the magician the benefit of mechanical devices without the audience recognizing it. Inventive genius is important to magic, which is all the more reason why it should be kept secret. This conforms to the fundamental principal of the magician's art, namely:

Misdirection: This is an application of the law of suggestion, patterned particularly to the magician's purpose. It is a psychological fact that a person's interest can be focused upon only one thing at a time; that to divide attention is to lose it.

The magician takes advantage of this in his work. He carries attention one way so that people will forget the other. The simple example is the pretended placement of a coin (or other object) in the left hand while acutally palming or retaining it in the right.

Inexperienced magicians become self-conschious and exaggerate such actions as though the moves should be watched closely. Actually, sleights should be performed with a nonchalance whenever possible. The more natural the manner, the greater the deception.

In picking up a wand or some other object, the magician may dispose of something that he has already palmed, again uilizing misdirection. In many of the tricks that appear in this book, certain routines or suggestions are given as part of the misdirection essential to those effects.

Style: A performer's style of presentation not only aids in misdirection but types him in the minds of the audience. To perform out of character is a mistake, and in recent years we have seen the development of many new and unusual magical effects suited to individual styles.

For example, the so-called "sucker" tricks, which apparently go wrong and then turn out right, are excellently suited to the beginner or the casual performer who treats his legerdemain in light or humorous stule. Today magic has become an adjunct to a master of ceremonies, comedians, or even public speakers, and with the rise of television the art has entered a new era.

Over TV attention can be focused upon close-up effects as well as large stage illusions. During the presentation of big effects the viewers can be taken on stage, so to speak, making every spectator the equivalent of a committee member from the audience. This is helpful, giving magic a greater impact, but it has changed the current style.

The really modern magician must be his natural self or adopt a humorous style, rather than play an outright mysterioso. The old-line prestidigitator, who used the footlights as a chalk-line barrier between himself and his audience, has gone the way of the witch doctor and the medicine man.

Not that such a presentation is totally outmoded. On the contrary, it has a dramatic quality when judiciously applied. But the magician who favors the mysterious style must rise to it when occasion, rather than adopt it as his one and only pose.

Magic today should be geared to modern speed. Audiences become bored with the poseur or raconteur who wastes who wastes time trying to prove how good he is by using words when a few tricks would be better. One of the smash effects in the repertoire of a highly successful magician of the new school takes him exactly three seconds to present. Then he has gone on with something else, while the audience is still catching its breath.

The Program: The preceding comments have emphasized the importance of choosing a proper program, that is, picking the right tricks for the right occasion, It is of primary importance that the budding magician should try to be different.

If every magician is cutting up a rope and restoring it, the best plan is to cut out ropes entirely. Even when a magician has invented a good trick of his own he can often afford to drop it when everyone else starts imitating it, and invent something else.

It may not have to be better, because not trick is good when it becomes commonplace. That is why basic magic is somewhat cyclic. Great tricks go into oblivion, only to rise to new favor, sometimes in fresh guise.

In choosing a program, one factor should be kept in mind: the audience. They are the folk who must be amused, mystified, and, above all, entertained. So set your pace to please them.

For close range, pocket tricks are best. Use as many ordinary objects as you can. When special apparatus is involved, employ only items that may be passed for examination. For platform or stage, larger equipment is required, scaling in size according to the scope of the show.

Here the essential thing to remember is that you are working for a group, rather than for individuals who inject their own notions or challenges into the more intimate close-up show. But above all:

The one way to learn magic is to begin doing it. It is one art in which experience is the best teacher. Those words are as true today as when the first intruductionto Secrets of Magic was penned, over 50 years ago.