author
Arthur Ainslie
1870–1940
A stage magician turned writer, this early 20th-century performer brought practical conjuring to life with clear explanations and a flair for entertaining audiences. Best known for Water Wizardry, he wrote for readers who loved clever effects that felt achievable as well as surprising.
1 Audiobook
Water Wizardry: A collection of tricks in which water is the chief agent
by Arthur Ainslie
About the author
Working under the name Arthur Ainslie, Arthur Wellesley Odell Pain was a British magician and author active in the early 1900s. Sources describe him as both a performer and a writer on magic, and note that he also used the name F. M. Archer.
He appeared at London venues including Maskelyne’s Theatre of Mysteries, and accounts of his work link him with the influence of the celebrated magician David Devant. His reputation rests largely on practical conjuring books aimed at working performers and enthusiastic amateurs rather than grand illusion.
His best-known book is Water Wizardry (1922), and bibliographic records connect him with other magic writing as well. Some sources also suggest he may have ghostwritten additional books on conjuring, though that detail is presented as a possibility rather than a certainty.