The Parlor Book of Magic (By Professor Raymond. Edited by Signor Blitz)

The Parlor Book of Magic is a fascinating volume from 1889. It is divided into two parts.

The first is The Parlor Book of Magic and Drawing-Room Entertainments. This contains really bizarre games of all types. Fully illustrated with similarly bizarre drawings of men in tailcoats and top hats blowing on feathers, imitating animals, pretending to play instruments and doing charades. I think the TV killed this sort of thing.

The second is Parlor Pastimes: Or, the Whole Art of Amusing. By Prof. Raymond. Containing all the latest and best conjuring tricks, magician’s feats, and necromancer’s illusions, of the past and present day. Together with a large collection of the best riddles, conundrums, charades, enigmas, rebuses, transpositions, anagrams, puzzles, paradoxes, acrostics, and problems, ever put together. It includes many dangerous tricks which you would unlikely find in any household book today (ex. melting lead over candles, making fireworks, etc). Also many involving chemical processes I have never seen or heard of.

There are also several hundred riddles, including the earliest printed “Why did the chicken cross the road?” I have yet seen.

Name me, and you destroy me.

(Silence).

And some stupid wordplay.

“Why should all sober people go to rest directly after tea?”

(Because when “t” is gone night is “nigh!” Hahahah…)

“Why is a pig like the letter N?”

(“Because it makes a sty ‘nasty.’”)

What is worse than raining cats and dogs?

‘Hailing cabs and omnibuses.’

You could spend hours perusing it. Unfortunately, I could not tell you where to get a copy. They turn up very occasionally. Probably a pretty sound investment.

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9B0CE6DE163AE532A2575AC0A9679C94689FD7CF&oref=slogin

1889 New York Times article. Apparently Blitz was committed to the Kings County Insane Asylum.

Blitz, Signor. The Parlor Book of Magic. 1889. New York: Hurst and Co.