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This 70-page book claims to reveal the actual techniques used by professional pickpockets, people who steal for money.
There is no “magic” as such in this book, but the information may have some value for those interested in or presenting pickpocket routines or acts.
This book was published in 1990 by Loompanics Unlimited. The company was one of the most unusual book publishers in the world. It’s sadly out of business now, but this description gives an idea of what kind of stuff you could get from ’em:
Loompanics Unlimited is the publisher of the world’s most controversial and unusual books: non-fiction and how-to for anarchists, survivalists, iconoclasts, mercenaries, investigators, drop-outs, researchers, and just about anyone interested in the strange, the useful, the arcane, the oddball, the unusual, the unique and the diabolical.
I somehow got on their mailing list in the 1990s and received their huge catalog. It had some of the weirdest and most disturbing books you could imagine – and lots of things you’d never come up with in your wildest dreams. (Loompanics web site still works to an extent, if you’re interested, but many of the links now lead to spam sites. The article archive will give you an idea of the sort material they handled.)
I dunno where I ran across this scan, but it got filed with my magic stuff since it’s sorta related.
Usual disclaimers apply: this material is for informational and entertainment purposes only. DO NOT try this out in the mean streets.