Howard Thurston's Card Tricks
by Howard Thurston

(1 review, 4 customer ratings) ★★★★★

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Howard Thurston's Card Tricks by Howard Thurston

Thurston explains fundamental sleights such as the Pass, Palm, Force, Change, Back-Palm and his system of expert card manipulation, which appeared for the first time in this book. It also describes a unique gimmick to make the Back-Palm almost effortless.

Thurston also lays claim to what we today call the Si Stebbins stack. He writes that it is his invention but he also thanks Si for his contributions and help.

1st edition, 1903, Henry J. Wehman; 83 pages.

CHAPTER I. A Few Incidents in the Life of Howard Thurston, Premier Card Manipulator of the World
CHAPTER II. Indispensable Sleights
CHAPTER III. The Continuous Front- and Back-Hand Palm, with Cards and Tricks in Connection Therewith
CHAPTER IV. The "Thurston" System of Expert Card Manipulation (Now Published for the First Time)
CHAPTER V. An Entirely New and Original Collection of Miscellaneous Card Tricks, Including the Correct Method of Performing Thurston's New Rising Cards

1st edition 1903; PDF 48 pages.
word count: 12421 which is equivalent to 49 standard pages of text

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Reviewed by Wilhelm Eberhard (confirmed purchase)
★★★★★ Date Added: Monday 23 January, 2012

This is probably one of first books describing stage card manipulations, specially productions from the back palm.

Later books, such as Buckley's Card Control, tend to assume that the reader had studied Thurston's book and knew the basic methods explained therein.

Although you can find these methods (practically the same as described by Thurston) in lesson 35 of the Tarbell Course on Magic, explained in a more clear and detailed manner, if you are interested in stage manipulations, this book is a must.

You will also find an interesting section about the Si Stebbins stack, which the author calls "The "Thurston" System of Expert Card Manipulation".

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