In 1936, Mystic Craig (William M. Vagell) published the book "The Elusive Canary - (The Vanishing Bird Cage) The Last Word In Cages". This long out-of-print rare book is now available in an e-book (pdf) edition on the invaluable Lybrary.com - https://www.lybrary.com/the-elusive-canary-p-926908.html
Here is my review of the book -
The Elusive Canary - (The Vanishing Bird Cage) The Last Word In Cages by Mystic Craig (with assistance from Jean Hugard) has long been somewhat elusive itself. The book was originally self-published in 1936 and sold for $2.00. Today in 2025 it is not unusual to see a copy going for $65 or more. Many thanks to Lybrary.com for making it available. Mystic Craig's real name was William M. Vagell.
Those magicians who have a particular interest in the classic effect, The Vanishing Bird Cage, will be the primary audience for this book. I for one am glad to have access to this rare book as an e-book edition through Lybrary.com. For what it is as a historical piece , I'm rating this book 5-stars, but potential buyers should be aware that it is a slender volume (23 pages) and the subtitle: “The Last Word On Cages” is a bit of an exaggeration on the part of the author. It is not a comprehensive treatment on all the various methods and types of vanishing bird cages that had been used from the time of Buatier De Kolta (the inventor of the effect) to the time when the book came out (in 1936). It is mostly the author's own particular handling for the effect and a few novel ideas he had for enhancing the effect. Although, at the time (and in the years since then) you could almost say it was the ONLY word on the vanishing bird cage, as very little detailed information has ever been put into print on this delightful, but difficult to perform feat of magic. Most information on performing the vanishing bird cage effect -- the 'real work' on the cage -- has been passed along in person from magician to magician or in the occasional article published in magazines such as Linking Ring or M-U-M. In the present day I would say “the last word on cages” is to be found in John Carney’s outstanding book Sleights and Insights in his chapter on 'The Vanishing Bird Cage Revisioned', which at 27 pages is longer than The Elusive Canary. John Carney also covers much of the same material from his book Sleights and Insights in a video tutorial which is also titled 'The Vanishing Bird Cage Revisioned'. (Available to purchase from John Carney on his website - https://carneymagic.com/carneymagic-2013-complete-series/ )
At any rate, I appreciate Mystic Craig’s book The Elusive Canary , even if it falls a bit short of being “THE Last Word On Cages”. It contains some valuable information on the vanishing bird cage, so for the vanishing bird cage aficionado I would recommend it as a historical curiosity worth reading. It is rumored that master craftsman James P. Riser (whose vanishing bird cages are regarded as among the best ever made) has a book in the works about The Vanishing Bird Cage, which, if he ever publishes it, may likely be The Last Word On Cages.
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I want to take this opportunity to thank the following magicians for the assistance and
information given me making this book possible. John Mulholland for the historical
background and the title, who does his Flying Cage in a very unique showmanship
manner. Also to Jean Hugard for his assistance in helping to compile this first and only
book in magicdom on Bird Cage Vanishes and Routines.
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| Cover of the book 'The Elusive Canary' by Mystic Craig |
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Mystic Craig about to vanish the cage and canary.
(in the book the author mentions he uses a Thayer cage;
Walter Baker made the cages for Floyd Thayer.) |
