Cards in Magic & Conjuring

Originally entitled Artifice Ruse and Subterfuge at the Card Table, is probably the most cited and referenced book about card gambling moves - a classic in the history of magic literature. A must read for any card magician or aspiring gambling expert and an indespensable reference book. While the authorship of this book is hotly debated we are convinced it was Edward Gallaway. (For a detailed work on the search for Erdnase see Hurt McDermott's Artifice, Ruse & Erdnase.)

[A copy of this book is also included in Michael McDougall's Card Mastery. This ebook is also available in a German translation.

Paul Fleming wrote:

Jean Hugard and Fred Braue stand for quality. This is a booklet for all card enthusiasts. It has tricks from Bert Allerton, Stewart James, Bob Madison, and several Braue routines. The now famous 'Homing Card' is one of Braue's creations and described here for the first time.

1st edition 1948; 16 pages

Table of contents
page

1. The Braue Double Lift
3. Allerton's Amazing Aces
5. Pockethereal
6. 10 - 6 - 9 - 4
8. Nail Cutting
9. Nailcutting the Aces
9. Dunbury Delusion
11. Fan False Count
12. Triple Do
13. The Homing Card
16. The Great Trunk Trick

The younger generation of card magicians probably knows or has heard of Card College by Roberto Giobbi. The Royal Road to Card Magic is very similar but of older vintage and doesn't cover as much ground. It introduces the novice into the art of card magic one move and principle at a time, always with tricks accompanying the moves. It is therefore not a mindless list of moves but a well prepared and thought out textbook. It will take the beginner to an intermediate level. Once The Royal Road to Card Magic has been mastered one can move on to Expert Card Technique which requires a higher skill level.

Actually because Expert Card Technique did not sell well...

This is the 3rd edition which includes an additional chapter by Dai Vernon and another one by Dr. Daley. (The popular Dover version is a reprint of the 2nd edition and is lacking these two interesting chapters.) This book describes serious stuff. Card moves and tricks for the advanced card man. (For an excellent introduction to card magic see The Royal Road to Card Magic or the Card College series.) Expert Card Technique lists and explains in detail a large quantity of card moves. Card moves are abundant and any good card man will come up with his own variations and twists due to his constant use of cards and tireless perfection of...

Hofzinser was born at the beginning of the 19th century and lived in Vienna during a time called the 'Biedermeier'. This was a time where people enjoyed art and entertainment in drawing-room presentations and at little receptions in the houses and villas of the rich and famous. Hofzinser thus never performed on a stage but perfected the branch of magic today known as 'Close-up'. One could argue that Hofzinser is the grandfather of close-up magic in particular close-up card magic. And this book is all about card magic. We have to thank Ottokar Fischer for collecting Hofzinser's material about...

This book is indeed worthy the name Encyclopedia. Originally compiled by Doctor Wilhelm von Deusen in collaboration with Mr. Glenn G. Gravatt (published in two volumes Encyclopedia of Self-Working Card Tricks and The Second Encyclopedia of Card Tricks), and later rewritten by Jean Hugard. It has a very interesting introduction by Ted Annemann where he addresses the issue of inventing new tricks and claiming ownership. This book will provide you with more card tricks than you ever wanted. The combined value of its contents, were the tricks to be computed at their original marketed price, was in the thousands of dollars. Now you can have it for a few bucks.

Hugard added a number of items over what...

This book is actually two books: Ted Annemann's Full Deck of Impromptu Card Tricks and Annemann's Miracles of Card Magic. Annemann, perhaps more famous for his mental magic, was an extraordinary card man, a master of subtleties and misdirection. That is why most of the tricks in this collection do not require difficult moves, which does not mean that they are all easy to perform. His tricks have often the impromptu quality and can thus be performed without any prior preparation. You will also find contributions from such famous masters of card magic as Dai Vernon, Dr. Daley, Jean Hugard, Al Baker, Audley Walsh, Stewart Judah, and many others. ...

This book is a collection of five little booklets. Each booklet typically has a section with sleights and a section with tricks using these sleights. The name Hugard guarantees for first rate material and so it is no surprise that Card Manipulations and the follow up More Card Manipulations includes some of the very best tricks and routines one can do with cards.

1st edition, 1934-1936, Max Holden, New York; reprint, 1973, Dover Publications, New York; 163 pages.

• CARD MANIPULATIONS - No. 1
  • The one Hand Top Card Palm
  • The Hindu Shuffle or Running Cut
  • The Hindu Shuffle as a Substitute for the Pass
  • And yet...

This is the sequel to Card Manipulations. It is a collection of four booklets. Emphasis is put on practical methods without any apparatus.

1st edition, 1938-1941, Max Holden, New York; reprint, 1974, Dover Publications, New York; 205 pages.

• No. 1.
  • Part I. - TRICKS
    7. The Three Musketeers and D'Artagnan
    8. The Sheep and the Goats
    11. Snap - A Quick Trick
    13. Crime Club Detection - Dr. H. Walter Grote
    15. Infallible Prediction - Audley V. Walsh and Hal Haber
    16. The Continuous Spelling Trick - Jack McMillen
    17. The Burglars - Orville W. Meyer
    18. The Magic Thrust - Orville W. Meyer
    19. The Two Jokers - P. W. Miller
    20. The Ladies'...

This is quite an interesting booklet with very nice ideas for patter, as well as some card effects. Particularly noteworthy is a hilarious burlesque mind reading act. You have to check this one out!

1st edition, 1919, F. G. Thayer, Los Angeles; 45 pages.

5. A Few Remarks
6. Opening Patter
10. Some Card Effects and Accompanying Patter:
10. Four Ace Combination
13. The Wrapped Cards Divided by a Knife
16. Transposition
20. Miscellaneous Patter:
20. Kling Klang
20. Solid Through Solid
22. Straight Jacket Escape
23. The Rabbit Pan
25. The Spirit Hand
28. The Egg Bag
32. The Twentieth Century Handkerchief Trick
33. Cards from the Pocket ...

Card College is a modern classic. It is without a doubt the most important work on sleight of hand with cards. This is the first volume in a series of five. The speciality of this electronic book are its 89 video clips, which show how Giobbi executes each and every technique described. (If you are looking for the 8 hour video course please go here Card College 1 & 2: Personal Instruction.)

This ebook has also been nominated as a finalist in the prestigious EPPIE 2004 ebook award in the category non-fiction/how-to. This is the first magic book to be nominated for a non-magic book prize.

Please note that there are significant...

This is the second volume of the famous Card College series. Volume 1 and volume 2 can be considered a unit, covering most important moves as well as most if not all crucial theoretical points. Each section describes a move or a group of sleights in minute detail, using carefully chosen words, beautiful illustrations and clear video clips. There are a total of 108 video clips in this volume. At the end of each section you will find some of the best and most amazing effects. (If you are looking for the 8 hour video course please go here Card College 1 & 2: Personal Instruction.)

The many video clips, some in slow motion, some from different...

This is a very well done PDF. Here is what Michael writes about his ebook:

This ebook offers unparalleled instruction by allowing text, photographs, and video clips to do what they do best and can be printed out to produce a spectacular 8.5 x 11, 179-page book. Each routine is described in complete detail in Michael Close’s clear, easy-to-read style. It’s almost like having private lessons with Michael Close. BONUS: Three Essays on Magic Theory and Michael’s Presentation & Handling of: Dean Dill’s Box & Gary Plants Magnetized Cards.

The 179 pages of Closely Guarded Secrets contain...

Virtual Miracles is a collection of card tricks by some of the best close-up magicians. The contributors are: Jason Alford, Steve Hamilton, Robert Neale, Steve Beam, Pit Hartling, Jon Racherbaumer, David Britland, J. K. Hartman, Dave Robertson, Dave Campbell, Richard James, Robin Robertson, Aldo Colombini, Marty Kane, Fred Robinson, Paul W. Cummins, Peter Lamont, Gavin Ross, Daryl, Walt Lees, Allan Slaight, Peter Duffie, Val Le-Val, Roy Walton, Iain Girdwood, Gene Maze, Gary Ward, Phil Goldstein, George McBride, R. Paul Wilson, Paul Hallas, Peter McLanachan and Andrew Wimhurst.

first edition 2004; 107 pages

• Sandwich Spread, Jason Alford
• Remember & Forget, Steve Beam
• AT003, David Britland
• Sweet Little Lies, David Britland
• The last Game, David Britland ...

Max Maven writes in the introduction to Spirited Pasteboards:

The collaboration of T. Nelson Downs and John Northern Hilliard produced this wonderful book. Downs was the first to introduce an act with small objects onto the vaudeville stage. He was most famous for his coin manipulation, and in particular for his version of the "Miser's Dream". The Art of Magic covers sleights with cards, coins, and balls, and teaches many tricks and routines with detailed explanations from the master.

The card section in this book was epoch making. It features the first appearance in print of the side steal. Based on the number of pages dealing with card magic this is more a card book than...

This is a reprint of the sections dealing with card magic from Professor Hoffmann's Modern Magic. There are however six new pages (four in the front and two in the back) which are entitled "Canfield's Expose". These six pages expose scams such as 'short changing', the 'soap game', the 'spindle game', ...

Reprint is too kind a word, rip-off is more appropriate since this was an unauthorized republication of Hoffmann's material. Also interesting to note is that the correct spelling of Herrmann is with two r's and two n's, the book title however only shows one n. Probably a deliberate error to avoid legal troubles. (Information...

A little booklet with 12 great card tricks. And the price - a steal!

1st edition, 1934, Max Holden; 12 pages.

2. Sleight of Foot
3. The Voice Betrays
4. The Puzzler Card Trick
4. Card in Pocket
5. The Obliging Card
6. The Joker Tells
7. Cards Behind Back
8. Mind Control
9. A Clever Spelling Trick
9. Another Spelling Trick
10. The Reversed Card
10. Mental Forecast
11. Advertisement

This is number one of Jordan's Ten New Tricks Series. It assumes you are familiar with some basic sleights like the Pass and the Palm.

1st edition, 1920, Charles T. Jordan; 24 pages.

1. Preface
2. 1. Satan's Prophecy
5. 2. The Spirit Mathematician
7. 3. Co-incidentally
10. 4. The Pinochle Ace Trick
12. 5. The Vanishing Card
14. 6. The Reversed Court Card
15. 7. The New Pack Detection
17. 8. The Life Saver
20. 9. The Impromptu Arranged Pack
23. 10. The Five Guesses

This is number four of Jordan's Ten New Tricks Series. At one time Jordan prepared and sold faked cards and routines that went along with them. When he stopped doing this he decided to select the ten best faked card tricks and collect them in this booklet. You get the description of how to prepare the faked cards yourself as well as the routines.

1st edition, 1920, Penngrove, California; 24 pages.

2. Preface.
3. The Spirit Aces.
6. The Spook Card.
7. The Demon Color Change.
10. A Unique Reverse.
11. Divino.
13. Joker Monte.
14. Pedro Monte.
16. Speaking of Pink Elephants.
19. The Contrary Clock.
22. Transcendental Vision. ...

This is number two of Jordan's Ten New Tricks Series. It has contributions by T. Nelson Downs and Louis C. Haley.

1st edition, 1920, Penngrove, California; 23 pages.

1. Preface
2. The Amazing Aces.
5. Transposition Extraordinary. T. Nelson Downs.
8. The Straight-Jacket Reversed Card. Louis C. Haley.
10. The Triple Escape.
12. Reverse English on the X-Ray.
14. The Stabbed Pair.
15. The Brain Twister.
17. The Winged Cards.
19. The Spelling Fool!
21. The Suits Unscrambled.

This booklet is actually two booklets in one: Four Full Hands of Card Tricks and Four Full Hands of Down to the Minute Magical Effects. These were originally printed in 1921 and 1922 on large sheets 25 x 19 inches. Later in 1947 LLoyd E. Jones reprinted this material.

1st edition, 1921, Charles T. Jordan; reprint, 1947, Lloyd E. Jones, Oakland; 40 pages.

5. Foreword
7. Hand No. 1
7. Impromptu Card Tricks
7. 1. The Master Stop Trick
8. 2. Improved Satan's Phrophecy
10. 3. The Vanishing Pair
10. 4. The Four-To-One Detection
11. 5. The Assistance Card Trick
13. Hand No. 2
13. An Impromptu Routine
13. 1. The Inseparable...

Thirty Card Mysteries is the most important work Charles T. Jordan published. Several card moves and ideas are credited to Charles T. Jordan. The most well known one is the Jordan Count. In this book he details moves like a single card reverse or half pack reverse. He describes spelling tricks and the effect Coluria is probably the first magical use of a bracelet code (much more on this binary code can be found in Leo Boudreau’s work).

1st edition, 1919, California; 48 pages.

1. Preface
2. Introduction
3. Trailing the Dovetail Shuffle to its Lair.
6. 1. Close-Range Mind Reading
7. 2. Long-Distance Mind Reading ...

Florian Laplantif developed a card spelling system for all 53 cards (Joker included). If you like spelling tricks, check this one out.

This is not a book for beginners. But it is a book that will lift up the devoted student by two or three levels of proviciency in card handling. Buckley, born in Australia, was one of the masters and innovators of card magic. He studied the card gamblers as well as the top magic performers. This book with over 300 photos, of which most have been enhanced by drawing lines over them to increase contrast, and 40 outstanding routines, is a gold mine and challenge for any card worker.

Paul Fleming wrote:

Arthur Buckley, one of the great sleight-of-hand artists with cards and coins, has written a series of twelve problems. This booklet is number one. It is illustrated by Harlan Tarbell and edited by Gus Moford. Dariel Fitzkee later reprinted these twelve problems in The Card Expert Entertains but used different inferior illustrations. If you have ever heard something about the 'Buckley card problems' this is one of them.

1st edition, August 1921, Magic Products Company, Chicago; 10 pages.

Number One - A Triple Climax

3. Effect, Brief Presentation and Patter.
4. Sleights Necessary to Performing the Triple Climax.
4. The...

Elliott was a very popular magician. Particularly some of his card effects were considered best of its kind. Nobody knew the secrets to some of Elliott's tricks. People waited impatiently for the release of this book. But it was met with some disappointment that not all of Elliott's tricks were described. We do not know which tricks these critics mean. The reason might well be that Elliott died before he could finish his book. Burgess and Houdini had to collect Elliott's notes and fill in some of the missing explanations. However, Elliott and Houdini believed that all the material in this book was...

Mike gave this lecture already twice in the US with great success. He is one of the gambling and cheating-at-gambling authorities in Germany. I liked particularly his 10 card poker deal for the stage, an entertaining piece of card magic for a large audience.

1st edition, 1999, Mike Porstmann, München

1. Welcome To The Golden Nugget
2. The Great Joker Game
3. New York Credit Card
4. Jokers Always Win
5. 10 Card Poker Deal
6. Derby Days
7. Switchgame

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.

1. CHAPTER I. A Few Incidents in the Life of Howard Thurston, Premier Card Manipulator of the World
10. CHAPTER II. Indispensable Sleights
19. CHAPTER...

Here is a historical ad from the Charles T. Powner Co. in Chicago: "This book gives, with careful and easy instructions, the newest card tricks and sleight-of-hand yet offered to professionals and amateurs. Not only does this book contain all of the new tricks, but nearly every one known is fully explained and exposed by explicit directions and carefully prepared illustrations. 160 pages, 80 fine illustrations. Price Postpaid $0.50"

I cannot offer this book at $0.50 as originally sold in 1902, but our prices are almost as good as 100 years ago prices. This book is the small version of Roterberg's famous...

New Era Card Tricks is the masterpiece of Roterberg's publishing efforts. Scholars are pretty sure that the elusive Erdnase must have known and read this book. It is still today an extremely good and important work on cards. It is a book any serious card man should read. This is to a large part the foundation on which a lot of the later card work has been built. A good part of this book is essentially a translation of the German work Der Moderne Kartenkünstler by Friedrich W. Conradi. Richard Hatch wrote a wonderful introduction that by itself is worth reading. He starts:

A treatise on the science and art of the stock, cull, odd-number, and cull-stock shuffles. Presenting the Braue system, bringing these useful stratagems within the reach of every performer, together with a full description of a number of brilliant card feats made possible by this amazingly simple system.

Paul Fleming wrote:

A collection of feats of conjuring with cards, employing artificed cards and simple accessories. Embracing over 30 brilliant feats of card conjuring made possible by the use of prepared cards and simple accessories together with a complete exposition of Jean Hugard's superbly routined presentation of the famed card classic, The Aerial Cards.

Paul Fleming wrote:

Twenty-one original and impressive card effects plus eleven new, practical, useful, simple sleights by these two masters of the art of card magic.

Paul Fleming wrote:

Peter Duffie is an extremely clever and skilled card man from the UK, a scotsman to be precise. In this ebook he will teach you 13 easy to do card effects with a normal deck of cards. Enjoy!

1st edition, 2000.

ACECRAFT: Two selections - four Aces - and an unexpected outcome. All in a day's work.

SUDDEN IMPACT: The audience believe you are going to cut to the Aces - they get a bigger surprise when you don't!

POPULACE: This very easy way of doing Roy Walton's Collectors has been my working repertoire for a while.

IMPOSSIBLE OPENER: Two spectators select cards in the fairest of manners. Your back...

Peter Duffie is a master in taking a published effect, refining it, combining it with new and other old ideas and/or reducing its necessary technical difficulty. Several of the 12 effects in this ebook are improved variations on existing themes. This also shows that Peter knows the literature of card magic well and consistently credits what has come befor him.

1st edition, 1992.

THE BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS: A different approach to the Vernon Triumph effect which originally appeared in Stars of Magic.

CARTER'S FOOLER: This is included as a tribute to Arthur Carter who died recently. The...

This is the latest release from the prolific Peter Duffie. Card magic that is easy to do and very effective.

1st edition, 2005

CRYSTAL CLEAR TRANSPO: The classic transposition between two cards placed on the top and bottom of a glass. No duplicate cards are used.

A ROYAL ENIGMA: Based on "The Vernon Card Puzzle" in Early Vernon (1962). It was inspired by Peter Kane's "Royal Families" in A Further Card Session (1975) and by Roy Walton's "Split Up" in The Complete Walton Vol. 2 (1986).

MORE ROYAL ENIGMATICS: Can be used as a Follow-up routine to the previous effect, or a stand-alone trick....

This is the latest in a long line of excellent ebooks of Peter Duffie. It features many photos for a much clearer description of the sixteen routines. Beside his excellent ideas I just love his play with words in his trick titles. For example "Cannibalector" or "Witch Way?"

1st edition, 2001.

BLACK SHEEP: Two spectators each select cards from a packet, then you select one, but you leave your selection face up as proof of your actions. You spread the packet and remove your card along with the two cards on ether side. These prove to be the other two selections. As an afterthought, you point...

This book has nothing to do with the "21 Card Trick". However it features twenty-one of the best card tricks Peter Duffie has to offer. Three other individuals significantly contributed to this book. They are Roy Walton, Gene Maze and Marty Kane. It can get hardly any better when it comes to cards.

1st edition, 2000

BETWEEN THE ACES: Very slowly you deal cards onto the table and a spectator stops you anywhere. He notes the card stopped at - it is placed on top of the deck and the dealt cards dropped on top with absolutely no moves. Despite the fairness of the procedure, the selected card is now...

Fourteen wonderful card routines by one of Scottland's card experts, Peter Duffie. One routine, 'Blendid', particularly caught my eye. The effect is as follows. You give two spectators each a packet of four cards and you have a similar packet. Each packet contains two black cards and two red cards. The idea is simple - you place one card face down on the table, and both spectators place one of their cards on top. The idea is get three cards all of the same color. The only problem is that neither of you are allowed to look at the faces of your cards. However, a 100-percent color match is guaranteed....

Twentyone fantastic tricks with cards. Comes with several photos for a better and clearer description. If I had to get one book by Peter Duffie, this would be it.

1st edition, 2000.

KICK-START ACES: A spectator locates the four Aces in your deck (without looking!).

SWEET SIXTEEN: You show the four Fours which you point out total 16. You turn one face up. The face up four splits into two Twos. This leaves two face down cards. Question: "If the cards total 16, what should the remaining two face down cards total?" The audience reply, "Twelve?" "That's right," you say. "Well, actually it's...

Seventeen excellent card routines from an innovative card man.

1st edition, 2000.

FREE AS A BIRD: This effect is a two card discovery that I find quite effective. It uses the Hamilton/Finnell Free Cut Principle - a visual deception of the highest order.

WEDLUCK: The trick that follows is a simple, yet effective, royal marriages effect using the Rusduck Stay Stack principle. A Stay Stack is a mirror stack that retains its properties after certain shuffling.

THE PARANORMAN: A chosen card is found using three unknown numbers. This uses the Norman Gilbreath Principle. Before commencing set...

Peter Duffie selected self-working as well as skill-required card tricks with a mix of interesting effects.

1st edition, 1993

DEEP THOUGHTS: The following effect uses the Ed Balducci Cut Deeper Force and adds some logic to the procedure by making each stage of the cutting process important.

DOUBLE DECKER: The following trick Is a direct variation of an intriguing sandwich effect entitled 'Predict Wich', published by Jerry Sadowitz in the July 1992 issue of Magic.

MAGICIAN: Among the many brilliant concepts in 'The Collected Works of Alex Elmsley' is an item called, 'Australian Self-Help'. What follows...

Twenty-one card tricks by one of the most creative card man alive.

1st edition, 1994.

AUTO - SPLIT: A mysterious double card revelation, where a spectator manages to separate the colours of the cards with the exception of two selections. Interestingly, you never touch the cards!

THE SUABIAN TWIST: There have been several combinations of Dai Vernon's 'Twisting the Aces' and 'The Hofzinser Ace Problem' over the years. If the following version has any merit, it is the simple means by which the one at a time reversal is accomplished.

AURA BEST: This is a fairly puzzling routine based on...

Twenty-two card tricks by one of the most creative card man alive. This ebook in particular shows Peter's fondness of Johann Nepomuk Hofzinser and his ace problem.

1st edition, 2000.

PSYCHIC MATH: This is a card discovery that appears impossible for two reasons: first, it doesn't seem possible for you to know where the card is in the pack, and second, the card is found using the values of two random cards that were selected before the trick began. The only requirement is a full pack of fifty-two cards.

THE ANTI-GRAVITY SHUFFLE: A sort of mathematically induced multiple sandwich!

ANTI-GRAVITY + THOT: This is...

Fifteen more of Peter Duffie's card creations. He comes back with more and more and even more great material. Where does he take all his ideas from? Two tricks can be done over the phone. As Peter writes 'knock your friends sensless' with them.

1st edition, 2000.

CENTRIFUGAL DIARY: The classic diary prediction as popularised by Ted Danson. However, hopefully, the method will be new to the readers.

THE CHOSEN Few: A card randomly created by a spectator matches a card selected by another spectator. However, you do not touch the deck throughout the trick!

Alien Encounter: From a blue backed...