Expert Card Technique

This book is comprehensive in scope-it covers about all of the basic techniques the card worker needs to know. It goes far beyond this, however. All techniques taught are described in *excruciating* detail so as to leave nothing to the imagination. It also includes ongoing words of advice on and entire chapters devoted to the _real_ secrets of magic: misdirection and presentation. As if all this were not MORE than sufficient to recommend the book, it's written in a very witty, eloquent, and entertaining style that makes it a joy to simply read. But wait! There's more! Please find enclosed numerous card effects worthy of the most discriminating audiences at less than the cost of your favorite magic dealer's Trick O' the Day. With regard to my own experience I've read this book near to tatters and have annotated nearly every other page-I got my money's worth and so will you.

You need SOME experience, but you do not need to be an expert as you may think by the title. I recomend buy "Royal Road to Card Magic" and this book together. "Royal Road to Card Magic" gives you some basics and this book will fine tune your skills. It gives you a great variety of slieghts. Take the palm for example, there are 14 versions of it. I can't say enough about this book. If you are even considering card magic, BUY THIS BOOK!

In each serious field of human endeavor there is one preeminent book--Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, McCormick on Evidence, Fowler's The King's English, etc. For card magic, this is the book. I bought my copy almost 20 years ago, and I still refer to it all the time. No, I'll never be able to do everything in this book--a 100% perfect second deal will forever elude me. But the wealth of material here is staggering. You get a chapter devoted to each sleight, such as false shuffles, palms, lifts, and passes. You also get chapters with amazing routines using the sleights. If you conscientiously study this book, there is very little in card magic that you will be unable to do. That said, the book has sparse diagrams and a writing style from almost 60 years ago, which means you really have to concentrate when reading it. I was disappointed to see that the beautifully bound Dover edition is out-of-print. If you see a copy, grab it. Don't hesitate; the world of advanced card magic awaits you.

Having studied card magic for some time now I can't recommend Expert Cad Technique enough. It is without doubt the ultimate maunual for card technicians. I've had to search very hard to find books that contain sleights that aren't listed in this book and nine times out of ten they don't have the quality of Expert Card Technique's binding and printing. ALthough the notes on presentation and performance are a little out dated, you'd be mad to not include this book in yourr collection if you are serious about learning card magic.

I'm a beginner at sleight of hand and this book had been referred to be many times by magicians more advanced than I. I decided to purchase it one day and was amazed at how complete it was. It covered everything from flourishes, palming, false shuffles and cuts, glimpses, reverses, crimping, jogging, even had entire chapters on the Faro Shuffle, Mentalism, and another on Presentation and Misdirection. This book is still referred to as the 'bible' on card magic by my teacher. And I find myself flipping through it's pages constantly, always learning something new. And with 318 Illustrations, it was easy to follow. The book covers beginner to advanced moves. So it'll stand against the test of time. And for the price... Well worth it's contents.