The Expert at the Card Table: The Classic Treatise on Card Manipulation (Dover Magic Books)

I am fairly new to card magic / artifice / subterfuge and this book was great. I find his way of explaining hand positions superior to that of Hugard and Braue's material. I also enjoy the way he writes far more... The introduction alone is worth the price. The techniques are great because one doesn't have to rely on diversion, most of the sleights can be pulled off with the spectator's eyes directly on the pack.

Ok, Ok, so the author is amazingly mysterious and I find that this makes me give a 5 star rating.First of all, this book is considered the bible of card work because of its historical significance. It seemed to be the first major public known book that contained wholesome magic material (second half of the book, LEGERDEMAIN), whilst also carrying a good blend of card cheating techniques using sleight of hand--the first half of the book.So, the second half focuses on magic / card conjuring practice and theory / card tricks... some of these moves quite extraordinary... but nonetheless still amazingly wonderful when mastered.I wouldn't recommend this book as a beginning for card magic (although it wouldn't be a bad choice if you have strong determination), but nonetheless this book is a must have. It will increase your knowledge on the subject (other authors reference his text) and may also interest you to practice some of these moves.S.W. Erdnase's style is incredibly mysterious: For a master card cheat, he has a master of vocabulary (This will also stun you) (I believe he self-edited the book). There are many theories as to the author's true identity, and I don't buy into the most popular one, that being the Milton Franklin Andrews theory. (Too much conflicting evidence)(Look at the name S.W. Erdnase, then spell it backwards. Interesting huh!)...Also, there are 5 mistakes in this Dover Edition. These are common knowledge among the greatest card men in the world, and I share them here with you now. These correspond to the Dover edition (Green cover).(Corrections in CAPS)1. Page 22(To Retain Complete Stock, 6th line)...Now suddenly draw out the middle packet with the right THIRD finger and thumb, and release ....2. Page 28(Third paragraph in middle of page)The THIRD finger and thumb do the work.3. Page 29(A little under middle of the page)After the hold is established, the main task is in acquiring facility to push out the bottom card with the THIRD fingertip.4. Page 82(Middle of page)The RIGHT third and little finger take no part in the action and are held idly out of the way.5. Page 128(Fourth line from top)This leaves >>C<<'s cards in position.<p>There you have it. Good luck!

This book is considered by many magicians to be the Bible of card magic. Anyone interested in learning card techiques should buy this book.It is not a magic trick book. If you want magic tricks, look elsewhere.Darwin Ortiz has written a book entitled, "The Annotated Erdnase", which has the full text of "Expert at the Card Table" and includes additional notes, etc.

If you are interested in cards, card magic, or cheating, then this book is for you. There aren't many pictures, so learning the different techniques and so forth contained in this book can be difficult at times. The die-hard card man or a dedicated student of card manipulation should get by ok with this book. If you learn everything in this book and could do it all perfectly, then you would no doubt be an expert at the card table. Good luck!

What else can I say? This book contains the real mechanics used by professional card handlers. The author's true name is not known because he knew that exposing these secrets could be detrimental to his health. Most of the material within is knuckle-busting, but worth your time if you would like to know how card cheats do what they do. -Diamond Jim Tyler