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Hugard's Secret Manuscript Preface |
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Jean Hugard (1871-1959) remains one of magic's most prolific authors, with dozens of classic books to his credit, including The Royal Road to Card Magic, Expert Card Technique, and other great works, as well as his decades-long run of his magazine Hugard's Magic Monthly.
In the 1940s, Hugard typed up an extensive translation of the 1894 classic autobiography of French magician Edouard Raynaly. Published in 1894, Raynaly's book Les Propos d'un Escamoteur followed the magician's experiences during his professional magic career, filled with stories of masters like Herrmann and De Kolta, his meetings with celebrities like Victor Hugo, and his first-hand observations of European and Indian conjurers.
Hugard's 162-page translation was never published. Willed to his friend Milbourne Christopher, the little typed manuscript waited patiently in a file as the decades passed. Ben Robinson obtained the manuscript in the 1980s and later sold it to me.
Edouard-Joseph Raynaly was born in Paris August 7, 1842 and died on December 19, 1918. In the 1870s, he performed hypnotic stunts toured with Isadore Bonheur as part of the Bonheur Brothers act. Later he was later featured at the Théâtre Robert-Houdin under the management of Georges Méliès and wrote for the French magic magazine L'Illusionniste.
Besides his autobiography, Raynaly's works include writings on card effects, hypnotism, and mnemonics.
— Todd Karr