STICKLAND, WILLIAM. STICKLAND?S TENNIS RACQUET TRICK. Circa 1940. An unstrung tennis racquet is placed inside a paper bag, but when removed a moment later, it is strung, and a ball can be bounced off of the strings. Length 27?. Good working condition. Operates differently from previous lot. Owned and used by Stickland who featured it in his ?sporting magic? act. A good deal of controversy surrounded Stickland?s use of this effect, as it was associated with Levante. Stickland worked under the auspices of E.N.S.A., entertaining British troops with a sporting-themed magic act centering primarily around tennis and golf. Most of the secrets behind those effects are explained in the 1970 book, ?I.B.M. (Introducing Bill?s Magic),? with the exception of the racquet trick.