Read about the great illusions of magic and actually build them once you have this two volume set of books by Byron G. Wels.

The first volume talks about each illusion as it is presented to the audience, with an outline of how the illusion words.
The second volume contains actual working drawings of the illusion for building.

Included are: Substitution Trunk, The Buzz Saw, The Monster Guillotine, Thin Model Sawing a Woman in Half, The Asrah Levitation, Triple Escape Mystery, The Doll's House, The Broom Suspension - and 99 more...

Vol 1 - 308 pages
Vol 2 - 107 sets of plans.