author
Arthur Ainslie
1870–1940
A stage magician turned practical writer, he is best remembered for lively books that brought simple conjuring tricks within reach of ordinary readers. Writing under a professional name, he left behind a small but distinctive corner of early 20th-century entertainment.
1 Audiobook
Water Wizardry: A collection of tricks in which water is the chief agent
by Arthur Ainslie
About the author
Arthur Ainslie was the professional name of Arthur Wellesley Odell Pain (1870–1940), a British magician and author. Sources on his life are brief, but they consistently describe him as a performer with a strong interest in popular magic and as a writer who published instructional material for readers who wanted to learn entertaining tricks at home.
He is especially associated with Water Wizardry, a collection of tricks built around water effects, which later became widely available through public-domain editions. Some magic-history sources also suggest he may have helped write or ghostwrite other books on conjuring, though that detail is not always documented in the same way across sources.
For audiobook listeners, he is an appealing figure because his work comes from a moment when stage magic, parlor amusement, and practical how-to books overlapped. Even in a slim surviving record, he comes across as someone who wanted performance to feel approachable, playful, and a little mysterious.