If you like Jean Hugard's Encyclopedia of Card Tricks, you'll love The Anthology of Card Magic by Gordon Miller.
As a reader, I love card trick anthologies because they provide an inexpensive way to experiment with many different styles of tricks, techniques, and presentations. Additionally, they introduce you to a wide range of talent.
And the talent on display in The Anthology of Card Magic is impressive. It's a smorgasbord of vintage card tricks from classic names like John Scarne and Ted Annemann to lesser-known contributors such as Bob Hummer and Joe Karson.
Gordon Miller, a 30-year staff member at Abbott Magic, compiled a collection of over 300 effects from the archives. Each was featured in one of Abbott Magic Company's retail catalogs, including titles previously out-of-print or forgotten, such as Amazing Card Miracles, Card System Deluxe, and Klever Kard Kodes.
In his introduction, he writes, "No apology should be afforded for the quantity or quality of the material provided."
Regarding quality in some magic compilations, there is a redundant amount of B- level tricks. However, in this case, Miller has collected abundant A-plus material covering everything from sleight-of-hand to pre-arranged packs, short cards, and more.
One trick I found especially interesting was the Fortune Telling Card Trick, a mind-boggling effect combining fortune telling, mind reading, and "pick-a-card" type magic.
Using two packs of cards, the magician demonstrates their fortune-telling skills, revealing to the spectator their age, how many siblings they have, whom they are expecting a letter from, the month of their birth, the year something important happened in their lives, and other interesting facts.
Klever Kard Kodes was the highlight of the anthology. It is a twenty-page treatise on two-person telepathy using playing cards, highlighting dozens of sneaky silent and verbal codes mentalists and confederates can use.
Whether you're a professional performer looking for new material or an amateur like me who enjoys browsing compilations and trying new tricks, this eBook is a goldmine.
At the low price of $12.95, it's more than a bargain. It's a steal. If you love card magic, buy this now.
