Magic is, by nature, a rather secretive field. One of the first people to write in detail about various tricks, methods and devices used to perform magic was Professor Hoffmann. His articles were considered pioneering in the field, particularly among English speakers. He became known as an expert, although he had not much personal practice as a magician. Instead, he studied magic, both tricks and theory. This particular work is taken from parts of Modern Magic, which was a collection of articles he wrote on various aspects of magic that was collected and published in 1876. Professor Hoffmann's real name was Angelo Lewis. He was born in London on July 23, 1839, and died in December of 1919. In addition to writing about magic, he also wrote stories for children, including the book Conjurer Dick, published in 1886.