How a theatrical ghost walks.  (But no mention of how ectoplasmic perambulation occurs.)  From Spook Crooks by Julien J. Proskauer, 1932.

From Monmouth's 1910 yearbook.

From Judge's Library, 1904.

With that exclamation point, "Couldn't this be magic" isn't a question.  But Gene Wolfe, in his utterly spectacular Book of the New Sun, notes that "Words are symbols.  [One] chooses to delimit magic as that which does not exist, and so it does not exist.  If you choose to call what we are about to do here magic, then magic lives while we do it."  Possibly related is Maxim Gorky on the divine: "If you believe in Him—He exists.  If you don't—He doesn't" (The Lower Depths).

From Pembroke's 1978 yearbook.  (With a bonus "Believe it if you need it" from American University's 1974 yearbook.)

Commenting on our video about the weird secret of rolling blank dice, George Parker (author of The Little Book of Creativity) said: "Great piece! Thanks. My mind went to two places. Well actually a million places but the two that passed: I will start to look at coins as two-sided dice and metal disks as a two-sided blank dice. The other one was triggered when you talked about how blank dice may call out occult, as in hidden, powers. Since 5% of the universe consists of things we can observe, with and without instruments, and the rest is hidden (27% dark matter, 68% dark energy -- and we have little clue about what it even is) we should throw blank dice way more often."

"Blind to the magic and deaf to the melody."  From the 1921 Southwestern yearbook.

"Mighty the wizard who found me at sunrise sleeping and woke me and learned me magic."  From the 1921 Southwestern yearbook.  See The Young Wizard's Hexopedia and Magic Words: A Dictionary.

University of Massachusetts Boston yearbook, 1978.

"Treat the Master and sweet the Magic."  From the 1921 Southwestern yearbook.  See Magic Words: A Dictionary and The Young Wizard's Hexopedia.

The magic art of the Great Humbug.  An illustration by W. W. Denslow from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, 1900.

There's an ironic subliminal message in this book cover — the middle of the word "exposed," "pos," is highlghted by the box behind it, suggesting "positive."  Spirit Rapping Exposed by John Henry Anderson, 1860.  See Seance Parlor Feng Shui.

"I now call upon the spirits."  From Gilbert Chemical Magic by Alfred Carlton Gilbert, 1920.

Before "Peace, Love, Mickey," there was "Magic, Love, Leprechauns."  And, to this day, it's a Googlewhack.  From National-Louis's 1975 yearbook.

"Caused him to be clothed in the royal vestmentrs."  From The Arabian Nights Entertainments, 1899.

From The Fashionable Science of Parlour Magic by John Henry Anderson, 1860.  See Seance Parlor Feng Shui.

Our planet's spokeswizard, Cyril the Sorcerer, honored us with an invitation to formulate a magical coin.  We jumped at the prospect of alchemical metallurgy, but this wizard added the twist that he wished to work with precious woods, not metals.  He sought something less silver than sylvan.  For his coin design, I was inspired by the wizard's remarkable eyeglasses.  They have marvelous loops at the ends of the ear pieces.  I overlapped those loops, like linking rings, to form a third eye of wizardly wisdom.  The lens pieces are emblazoned with the two heavenly luminaries most associated with our planet.  The coin's other side depicts an open hand reaching for a star, surrounded by Cyril's teaching that "the magic is in your hand."  What a privilege to be a part of our planetary spokeswizard's enchantment!

By "A Mere Phantom."  The Magic Lantern, How to Buy and How to Use It, Also How to Raise a Ghost, 1866.