Our Magic was written by David Devant and Nevil Maskelyne, the son of John Nevil Maskelyne, to redefine how the performance of magic was perceived. It stressed the importance of the art in magic. It was not keeping secrets or trickery that mattered, but the effect an act had that was of greatest importancethat came from the magician’s skill and inventiveness. Maskelyne covers the technical and performance requirements of a magician, while Devant shows the processes behind effects and the importance of storytelling in performance. The emphasis is always on understanding that knowing how a trick is done is not enough – a magician must know how to perform a trick to perfection. The book was not successful with general audiences but remains a key text for magicians.