Many years ago by a stroke of good luck, a fortunate combination of circumstances, I acquired a complete file of Thayer instruction sheets designed to accompany the apparatus. This just may be the only complete collection of Thayer secrets in existence. Recently I happened to mention this to Lloyd Jones who urged me to compile these instructions in book form, stressing the tremendous value of such a collection to magicians. This I consented to do but found there was too much material for one book. It was therefore decided to issue these secrets in several volumes, of which this is the first.

Some of the instructions may seem a bit sketchy because the apparatus furnished needed little explanation. No attempt has been made to alter the instructions as it seemed desirable to preserve the Thayer touch created by Thayer's wording.

"They don't make 'em like that anymore," is an oft-heard expression. This could well apply to the magical apparatus made by Floyd Thayer in the 20's and 30's. The Thayer slogan "Quality Magic" was no idle boast. The workmanship was equal if not superior to the best including Roterberg, Conradi, Bartl, and Willmann.

Eugene Burger was a big fan of this compilation of instructions. He wrote:

"Reading magic catalogs taught me a great deal about what I might call 'the magic that was available to the many.' It is important to have a thorough understanding of this kind of magic - so that one's own magic, at least in part, is able to transcend it. These collected instruction sheets will give any beginner an astonishing and valuable lesson in the art of reading magic dealer ads."