Harlan Tarbell – Complete Tarbell Course in Magic 1-8

Format: PDF

The Tarbell Course stands as the most extensive and detailed collection of magic literature available today. Spanning nearly 1,300 pages and featuring around 2,900 illustrations, it encompasses a wide array of magical disciplines, including sleight of hand with cards, coins, thimbles, cigarettes, silks, ropes, and extends into mentalism and illusions. This course goes beyond mere techniques, offering insights into performance, presentation, marketing, and other essential aspects of being a magician. Since its inception in the late 1920s, no other work has matched its depth and breadth. The Tarbell Course remains a vital reference and study resource, making it a must-have for any magician’s library.

David Bamberg, known as Fu Manchu, credited the original course for his success in the field.

This package includes the original correspondence course consisting of 60 lessons, along with an additional postgraduate lesson authored by Tarbell. Note that these lessons differ from the later published anthologies (books 1-8, of which only volumes 1-5 were penned by Tarbell; the remaining volumes were added for marketing purposes). The original 60 lessons may be found under different lesson numbers and headings in the first five volumes, with the postgraduate lesson appearing in volume 8. Some content from the original lessons is exclusive to this collection.

The lessons are thoughtfully structured, teaching not only the techniques and principles but also the history of magic, ethical considerations, marketing strategies, and presentation skills for each trick. In essence, this unique course is a pinnacle of magic literature.

For those seeking alternatives, the Rupert Howard Magic Course offers a similar experience and may even surpass the Tarbell Course in certain aspects.

Table of Contents

1. THE HISTORY OF MAGIC
2. THE HISTORY OF SLEIGHT OF HAND
3. NECROMANCY AND DIVINATION
4. DEVELOPMENT OF SUPERSTITIONS
5. MAGIC AND RELIGION
6. MAGIC AND THE SCIENCE OF MEDICINE
7. THE ROPE AND TAPE PRINCIPLE
8. THE RELATION OF MAGIC TO OTHER SCIENCES
9. THE PRINCIPLES OF CARD EFFECTS
10. CONFIDENCE AND ENTHUSIASM
11. THE PENETRATING RING; THE JUMPING RUBBER BAND; THUMB TIE WITH RUBBER BAND; THE JAPANESE THUMB TIE
12. CARDS THAT PASS IN THE NIGHT; THE CARDS UP THE SLEEVE
13. THE REGULAR PASS; THE CARD STAB; THE X-RAY KNIFE; THE MAGNETIC KNIFE
14. THE FORCE; PRODUCING A CARD FROM A WHOLE ORANGE; THE CARD AND THE BANANA; THE BEWITCHED BANANA
15. GUIDE TO CARD POSITIONS; VARIOUS PRINCIPLES OF PALMING AND SHIFTS; THE CONJURER’S TOUCH; A MYSTERIOUS DISCOVERY; “MARVELLO”; CARDS, ENVELOPE, AND HAT
16. “TACK IT”; NEW ERA VERSION OF CARD THROUGH HANDKERCHIEF; THREE CARDS THROUGH THE HANDKERCHIEF; RISING CARDS THROUGH HANDKERCHIEF
17. “SNAP IT”; FLASH CARD PRODUCTION; MYSTERY OF THE GLASS HOUSE
18. RISING CARDS