The Old and the New Magic

A richly illustrated history of conjuring from the ancient temple wonders to the stage stars of the early 1900s, with chapters on Robert-Houdin and the great performers who followed him.

Henry Ridgely Evans, 1906 · Open Court Publishing Co. Complete 416-page PDF. Free to download: check out at $0 and the file arrives by email and on your order page.

This classic is in the public domain. Scans come from library copies, so expect the odd stain or stamp of an old book.