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Encyclopedia of Self-Working Card Tricks
by Glenn G. Gravatt

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Encyclopedia of Self-Working Card Tricks by Glenn G. Gravatt

This is a marvelous compilation of mostly easy and sleightless, or as it is usually called self-working, card tricks. Some effects do require moves such as palming, and a good false shuffle and false cut will go a long way to make many otherwise sleightless effects much stronger. But for the most part no sleights are necessary to perform the vast majority of effects taught.

From the Introduction:

It is to be hoped that the reader will not have to go far in this book before he realizes and appreciates that this is not just another book, collection, or compilation of card tricks. It is expected that the magical enthusiast and even the student who has read thousands of magical works will soon discover that here is something unique, something out of the ordinary.

A good part of this book was included in Jean Hugard's Encyclopedia of Card Tricks, but not everything. A comparison of what has been included in Hugard's work and what not can be found in A Comparison of the Gravatt and Hugard Encyclopedias of Card Magic by William Rugh.

This is one of the harder to find and quite expensive books on card magic, because only a small run of mimeographed copies was ever offered for sale. As the author himself admits, the original books are of poor quality rendering many pages very hard to read:

Please do not condemn it because of the poor mimeographing. We realize the fault only too well. We regret that some of the pages are scarcely legible.

This digital edition remedies this problem, because everything has been reset in new type making it readable and searchable. A few errors and typos have been corrected along the way. We have also translated one effect, which was only given in German, to English.

  • Introduction
  • Chapter One: Putting The Best Card Secrets To Work (Part One)
    • Sleight Of Foot
    • The Card Miracle - "Certain"
    • Gravatt's Great Divino Card Trick
    • Gravatt's Divino With Two Decks
    • Eastman's Deck Exchange
    • The Spirit Mathematician
    • Card And Crystal Ball
    • Coincidence Extraordinary
    • Modernism In Mentalism
    • Parade Of The Queens
    • Buried Alive
    • Out On Location
    • U Bite
    • Sure Locator
    • The Magic Thrust
    • Psychic Card Feat
    • Naming The Card In The Dark
    • Midnight Marvel
    • Up Your Sleeve
    • Sterotyped
    • Mindreading With Cards
    • Mediumistic Stunt
    • Telepathic Control
    • Long Distance Telepathy
    • Hokus Pokus Card
  • Chapter Two: Putting The Best Card Secrets To Work (Part Two)
    • Four To One Detection
    • Excello Card Discovery
    • New Card Discovery
    • Keystone Card Discovery
    • Impenetrable Stop Trick
    • The Nifty Key
    • Mephisto's Prediction
    • The Sequel
    • Infallible Detection
    • Upside Down
    • Surpasso
    • Five Card Mental Force
    • "Just Think" Mental Card Mystery
    • Matching The Aces
    • A Couple Of Cards Get Together
    • A Card And A Number
    • Impossible Card Discovery
    • The Finger Points
    • The Mentalist's Card Staggerer (Thought Card In Pocket)
    • Miracle Card Location
    • Super Card Prediction
    • Automatic Second Deal
    • Mental Masterpiece (Carbon Card Case)
    • The Guessing Contest
    • Telepathic Selection
    • Alpacka
    • Magicardo (Card Automatically Produces Itself)
    • Find The Queen
  • Chapter Three: Sailing The Miscellaneous Card Tricks Into Port
    • In The Dark
    • In His Pocket
    • Card Stabbing (Faked Newspaper)
    • Simplicity Four Ace
    • Simplicity Four Ace Number Two
    • Do It Yourself Discovery
    • Count Down Mystery
    • Neat Card Detection
    • Self Control
    • Pick The Queen
    • Card Detected By Pulse Beat
    • Wrinkle For Card Manipulators
    • Master Mental Mystery (A Peculiar Perception)
    • Get It
    • Improved Satan's Prophecy
    • The Vanishing Pair
    • The Unknown Leaper
    • Assistance Card Trick
    • The Flush Trick
    • Stampedo
    • Hourglass Cards
    • The Magi's Detection
    • Wonderful Color Divination
    • Demon's Detection
    • The Poker Shark
    • Incomprehensible Destroyed Card
    • Easy Card Discovery
    • Psychic Card Test
    • Naming Chosen Card
    • Ideal Card Divination
    • Number Of Cards Divined
    • The Whispering Queen
    • Egg And Card Mystery
    • Mental Telepathy
    • Williams' Card Trick
    • Knockout Counting Trick
    • Divining Pack
    • Card And Number
    • Great Psychic Card Feat
  • Chapter Four: Trailing The Double Backed Card To Its Lair
    • Repeating Card Turnover
    • Easy Coin Switch
    • Initialed Card Transposition
    • Initialed Card Telepathy
    • Turnover
    • Reversi!
    • Seership Predicto Or The Double Card Prediction
    • The Perfect Force
    • A Double Surprise
    • Transposition Supreme
    • The Red And Blue Transposition
    • Double-Backed Card Routine
    • Double Card Force
    • Single Card Force
    • Comedy Relief
    • Satan Behind You
    • Chameleon Backs
    • Remote Control
    • False Faces
    • Transposition Extraordinary
    • Grant's Giant Acrobatic Cards
  • Chapter Five: You Do As I Do
    • A Peculiar Coincidence
    • You Do As I Do
    • Identical Thought
    • You Do As I Do, Or Two Souls With A Single Thought
    • Follow Me
    • Miscellaneous Remarks
    • A Close Work Discovery
    • The Follow Up
    • Coincidence
    • Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde
    • "You Do As I Do" Again
    • Another "You Do As I Do"
    • A Strange Coincidence
    • Coincidence, Again
    • Sympathetic Sympathy
    • Synthetic Sympathy
    • Backs Up
    • Mental Coincidence
    • Coincidence
    • Another Marvelous Coincidence
    • A Card Sympathy
    • You Do As I Do — In The Dark
  • Chapter Six: Rocking The Diachylon Card To Sleep
    • Mesmerized Cards
    • Melrose
    • Two Viewpoints
    • Diachylon Stop Trick
    • Diachylon Super Color Change Force
    • Reversed Color Surprise
    • Card In Pocket
    • Diachylon Does "You Do As I Do"
    • Ace Transposition
    • Remote Control Improved
    • Remote Control
    • A Real Magical Vanish
    • The Queen Turns Over
    • The Acme Spirit Test
    • Diachylon Book Test
    • The Diachylon Force
    • Another Diachylon Force
    • Number Please
    • Sympathetic Pair (NO. 1)
    • Sympathetic Pair (No. 2)
    • Sympathetic Pair (No. 3)
  • Chapter Seven: Seating The Slick Card King On His Throne
    • Half Moon Location
    • Location Plus
    • Everybody's Choice
    • Stage Location
    • The Master Card Speller
    • Mystic Cut
    • Counting By Eye
    • Odd Or Even
  • Chapter Eight: Tracking The One Way Back To Its Doom
    • Five Card Stabbing Mystery
    • Thought Card Prodigy
    • The Five Senses
    • Divination Supreme
    • Premo Detection
    • Thought, In Person
    • Think Stop
    • The Deck That Isn't
    • Twentieth Century Sorcery
    • The Four Pile Location
    • The Cut Deck Location
    • A Card Is Found Once More
    • Odd Or Even
    • The Alternate Detection
    • A New Kink
    • Eight In A Row
  • Chapter Nine: Tracking The One Way Back To Its Doom (Part Two)
    • Red Or Black
    • Challenge Of The Year
    • Mind In Retrospect
    • Card Location Supreme
    • Hummer Detection
    • The Phantom Stab
    • Your Card, Your Number
    • Instant Mindreading
    • Wrinkles
    • Reading The Cards After A Genuine Shuffle
    • Ne Plus Ultra Card Location
    • One To Ten Detection
    • Different Reversible Backs
    • Incomprehendo
    • Transcendental Vision
    • A Reverse Move
    • Concluding Remarks
  • Chapter Ten: Decoying The Stacked Deck From Its Den (Part 1)
    • One In Fourteen
    • Count Your Card
    • Red And Blue Back Mixup
    • Fathomed Thought
    • Two Person Location
    • Fair And Square
    • Dual Sympathy
    • Another Sympathetic Mystery
    • Your Card
    • A Quaint Happening
    • The Great Card Location
    • Another Marvel
    • Read Them Off
    • The Fifteenth Card
    • Stop And Think
    • Reading The Cards
    • Lip Reading Test
    • Master's Touch
    • Hers's Your Card
    • Perfect Card Divination
    • Unique Telephone Test
    • Psychological Discernment
    • Eyes All Around
    • Note
    • Super Count Down
    • Poker Demonstration
    • Card Divination
    • Card Memory
    • Sensitive Thoughts
    • A Possible Impossibility
    • Pythagoras
    • The Great Detection
    • Thought Foretold
    • Fate And The Joker
    • Diabolical Transposition
    • Prophesied Spot Total
    • Wizard's Dream
    • Wizard's Will
  • Chapter Eleven: Decoying The Stacked Deck From Its Den (Part 2)
    • Mephistopheles' Touch
    • Cagliostro's Vision
    • New X Ray Trick
    • Shark Food
    • Quadruple Deck Mystery
    • Psycholia
    • Cremo Card Restoration
    • Psychic Prediction
    • Mysterious Detective
    • Count The Cut
    • Discard Trick
    • Ready Reckoner
    • The Pair Detection
    • Dead Easy Location
    • Take A Peek
    • Strange Coincidence
    • Excello Card Discovery
    • The Wonder Force
    • Improved Marvelous Divination
    • Odd Or Even
    • Premier Book Test
    • Controlled Coincidence
    • Cut
    • Poker Player's Dream
    • Novel Card Discovery
  • Chapter Twelve: Coaxing The Spelling Bee From Its Hive
    • Joker Spelling Routine
    • I'm A Son Of A Gun
    • Thought Spelling
    • You Selected The —
    • Lazybones
    • Thought Card Spelling Effect
    • Card Spelling Deluxe
    • Knockout Speller
    • Improved Chevalier
    • Incomprehendo Speller
    • Think Of A Card
    • Kater's Improved Spelling Trick
    • Seller's Joker Spelling
    • Perfect Spelling Pack
    • Seller's Whispering Speller
    • Duplex Comedy Speller
    • Think It Spell It
    • Perfection Speller
    • Farelli's Impromptu Speller
    • The Double Speller
    • Spellino
    • Jordan's Wizard Spelling Master (With Improvements)
    • Shuffled Spelling Bee
    • Spell It Yourself
    • Cannel's Spelling Bee
    • Howard's Simplex Speller
    • U Spell Your Card
    • The Spelling Bee Manuscript (Containing 9 Different Methods)
    • The Spelling Trick Effect
    • Seller's Speller Idea
    • An Easy Spelling Trick
    • Gwynne's Speller
    • Quadruple Speller
  • Chapter Thirteen: Luring The Svengali Deck From Its Haunts
    • The Svengali Wonder
    • The Master Forcing Pack
    • Prediction Effect with a Svengali Force Deck
    • The Cards And Dice
    • Mindreading
    • Thought Transmission
    • The Prize Winner
    • The Mirage Principle
    • The Eye Popper
    • Mental Control
    • Say Stop
    • Mirage Cards
    • Mind Reading
    • The Mystery Problem
  • Chapter Fourteen: Stalking The Mene Teckel Deck In Its Hideout
    • Card And Slates
    • Coincidence
  • Chapter Fifteen: Scaring The Stripper Deck Off Of Its Roost
    • Directions For Using The Wizard's Pack
    • To Separate The Red Cards From The Black
    • The Four Ace Trick
    • To Find A Card In Any Position
    • To Make A Selected Card Pass Through A Handkerchief
    • The Turned Card
    • To Allow A Number Of Persons Each To Select A Card, And To Pull Them Out Of The Pack, One After The Other Or All At Once
    • To Allow All The Cards To Fall Except The One Drawn
    • To Bring The Four Kings Together After Being Separated And Shuffled
    • To Pass A Selected Card Through A Table
    • The Animated Card
    • General Instructions
    • Sense Of Touch
    • Cutting The Chosen Card
    • Precipitation
    • The Blow Card
    • Fabled Cads
    • The Pocket
    • The Cut
    • Card And Glass
    • With A Confederate
    • Court Cards
    • Calling The Cards
    • Magnetism
    • At Any Number
    • Card Through Handkerchief
    • The Four Kings
    • Divining Knife
    • Card In Hat
    • The Fixed Card
    • Reunion
    • Satan's Mail
    • Card And Plate
    • Rising Cards
    • More Rising Cards
    • Startling Card Trick
    • Cards From The Air
    • Acrobatic Jacks
    • The Captain Card
    • Flying Card
    • Educated Die
    • Rising Card
    • Penetration
    • Reversible Cards
    • Three Card Reverse
    • Finding Three Cards
    • Card Divination
    • Lifting Any Number Called For
    • Four Ace Trick
    • Some Remarks About Shuffling Strippers
    • The Shuffled Speller
    • Like Thoughts
    • Positions Unknown
    • Just The Reverse
    • Sympathetic Numbers
  • Chapter Sixteen: Bringing The Dealers' Secrets Into The Open
    • Card Tearing Feat
    • Transposition Card Trick
    • Card And Orange Trick
    • The Slap Trick
    • The Magnetized Cards
    • The Conjuror's Touch
    • Princess Card Trick
    • The Mystic Circle
    • Sensational Card Mystery
    • The Divining Rod
    • Paint Brush Color Change
    • Improved Penetrating Card
    • The Great Pearl Mystery
    • Card Telegraphy
    • The Eclipse Vanish
    • Thought Card From Pocket
    • The Trend Of The Times
    • New Reverse Card
    • Banner Card Discovery
    • The Dream
    • Inseparable Aces
    • Like Seeks Like
    • Improved Pocket To Pocket
    • Master Riddle
  • Chapter Seventeen: Enticing Some Impromptu Card Tricks From Home
    • Satan's Mail
    • Four Ace And Envelope Trick
    • Sellers Card And Envelope
    • Mental Card Mystery
    • Mental Card Mystery No. 2
    • Gravatt's Card And Envelope
    • Tuned Minds
    • Unique Thought Card Discovery
    • Odd Or Even
    • Slates And Aces
    • The Two Card Slate Prophecy
    • Gravatt's Sympathetic Prediction
    • The Life Saver Principle
    • "Faces Or Backs, Which?"
    • The Life Saver
    • And There You Are
    • The Pointer Cards
    • Pick And Choose
    • Mckay's Card Transmission
  • Chapter Eighteen: Conclusion
    • Kli Ban's Card Trick Number One
    • Kli Ban's Card Trick No. 2
    • Impromptu Poker Deal
    • Number, Please!
    • A Card Trick Without Cards
    • Watch His Elbow
    • The Piles
    • The Voice Of The Spirit
    • Unique Rising Card
    • The Blue Intruder
    • Svengali Force
    • Subtle Card Force
    • The Fooler
    • Hull's Joker Spelling Trick
    • The Buddha Whispers
    • Master Card Location
    • Follow Me
    • The Merry Mix Up
    • Triple Card Mystery
    • Infallible Prediction
    • Neyhart Rising Cards
1st edition 1936, 440 pages; PDF 310 pages.
word count: 169447 which is equivalent to 677 standard pages of text