Aspiring illusionists can learn from one of the world's greatest magicians with this facsimile of a 1922 book by Harry Houdini. The master sleight-of-hand artist explains how to use the simplest of props ― sheets of paper ― to completely captivate audiences. Houdini's easy-to-follow directions, many of them accompanied by illustrations, are accessible to readers of all ages and skill levels.

The manual consists of four parts: paper tricks, paper folding, paper tearing, and paper puzzles. The first section reveals the secrets behind such magic tricks as "The Dancing Sailor" and "The Spirit Communication." Subsequent sections offer guides to folding a bird, a bullfrog, a hat, and other traditional origami models and to carefully tearing paper to produce a ladder, a five-pointed star, a string of dancing skeletons, and other intricate figures. The final part presents several challenging paper puzzles based on geometric forms.