Magic & Mentalism

Making Magic is fifty years in the making—a lifetime of invention distilled into 60 of Martin Lewis' favorite effects.

Within these pages lies a remarkable journey through the creative life of a magician. Ideas first captured in notebooks, shaped in lectures, shared through magazine pages and videos, and even brought to life as marketed effects—including the beloved "Close-Up Cardiographic"—have been gathered together and given new life. Each routine bears the marks of the years: performed, pondered, refined, and rewritten as Martin's understanding of the magic deepened.

These...

The Secret Weapons at the Card Table: A Real Look at Marked Cards

Hand the same deck to a magician and a cheat, and they will see two completely different opportunities. A magician sees a tool to create wonder; a cheat sees a weapon to make money. This ebook explores the real world of "paper"—not the movie version, but the actual techniques that survive under fire.

If you want to elevate your card work, you need to understand how to actually mark playing cards and use them under fire.

Magicians vs. Card Cheats: The Real Difference

Most magicians think they know marked cards, but...

Excerpt from the introduction:

Table of Contents

• Ian Adair M.I.M.C.
• Welcome...
• Catching Colours
• Gift Box Rabbit Production
• Tip-Top-Wand
• Noses Are Red
• 101 Birthday Card
• Transpo Wands
• Die-Go Routine
• Tissle - Tassel
• Nosey Book
• Peek-A-Boo Magic...

A value and a suit are combined to form a playing card, which the performer has accurately predicted.

The performer introduces a packet of ten cards numbered 0 through 9. One spectator freely shuffles them. The other spectator takes as many cards as he wishes and gives the rest to the first spectator. They each add up the digits on their cards to arrive at two different totals.

Next, each spectator deals cards from a regular deck, turning them face up as they are dealt, and remembers the card at the position corresponding to their number. The value of one card is then combined with the...

Title tells all! Make room for an astonishing card mystery that will jolt them. Author Ian Baxter has been using this stunner for many years and is still using it today. It is an absolute gem and never fails to impress onlookers.

Cards are thoroughly shuffled by a spectator, a card chosen then lost. Deck is now cut exactly where spectator instructs then the performer starts a slow deal of cards to the table, face down and one at a time.

On impulse, the performer suddenly stops at one. Turning the card face up, it is the selection! Nothing new here? Well, not exactly. The very stringent...

This intro price will go up to $30 from September 24, 2026.

A surprise free gift worth $18 is included inside.

Just print these on a few double blank business cards, pop one or two in your pocket or wallet and you will always be ready with a stunning mind reading routine which is quick, easy, interesting and impactful as your everyday carry which you can do anytime, anywhere to anyone.

And as soon as you read this manuscript you will be ready to perform these stunning effects. They are all easy and self working. You can print these on any size cards - double blank business cards,...

A simple but very direct Collector routine.

The magician displays four Aces and has the spectator freely select a card and shuffle it into the deck. The selection is then transferred to the middle of the four Aces. Remove the selection, and three additional cards matching its value appear between the four Aces.

Performance transcript:

• For the next effect, we'll need the four Aces.
• Next, have a spectator freely select a card.
• The spectator selects the Nine of Hearts.
• Place the selected card into the center of the deck.
• Imagine that at this moment the selection travels to the center...

Four 5s change color multiple times. First, they magically turn around one by one. Then they become double-faced cards. And then their faces and their backs change into completely new designs.

1st edition 2026, video 4:01.

Amusing experiments, transmutations, sleights and subtleties, legerdemain, etc. For the instruction and amusement of the youth. Fifth edition, enlarged with the addition of some of the most noted tricks of modern professors.

Preface to the 5th edition:

Aus dem Vorwort:

Inhaltsverzeichnis

• Vorwort und Einleitung ...

Or the art of conjuring unveiled.

As performed by the wonderful magicians Houdin, Heller, Herr Alexander, Maskelyne & Cooke, Bautier and others. Comprising all of their best stage tricks, giving full explanations for performing them successfully in the Parlor or on the Stage.

Table of Contents

• Preface
• Conjuring And Magic
• Making The Pass
• Forcing A Card (Saut A La Coupe)
• The "Long Card"
• Guessing A Card Thought Of
• To Tell A Card By Smelling
• To Make A Card Vanish From The Pack, And Be Found In A Person's Pocket
• To Place The Four Kings In Different Parts Of The Pack, And To...

What if we told you that you could use luck to perform real miracles? Would you believe us?

• Borrow a shuffled deck of cards, and be ready for any impromptu situation
• A 100% reliable method
• Endless possibilities with this unique method

Contents:

• Introduction
• It all starts with a mixed deck: The predicted card
• A value rather than a card
• Let's tweak this a bit
• Conclusion

1st edition 2025, PDF 27 pages.

This book focuses specifically on the topic of cyclic mathematical stacks, presenting six different types, for each of which it provides a detailed description of the creation process and accompanies each with a whole series of miraculous automatic (self-working) effects made possible by these secret prearrangements.

In conclusion, the book presents several striking effects, each of which requires only a simple preparation of the deck of cards. In total, you'll find 25 different effects described here, divided into 7 different categories of stacks:

• Stebbins 4
• Snibbets 4
• Stebbins 5 ...

Did you enjoy Russian roulette with a revolver? What if you tried it with grenades?

4 defused grenades, 1 armed. 4 red spot cards, 1 Queen of Spades.

The objective is simple: pull the pins on 4 grenades without blowing yourself up.

A spectator shuffles the cards and hands them to you at random, one at a time. You delicately take each card between two fingers and gently shake it, turning your head to the side as if listening carefully. You are able to determine by sound whether the grenade is armed or not. If the grenade is armed, you place the card face down on the table. Otherwise,...

A completely impromptu card routine.

The magician takes out the Ace of Spades, framing it as a bullet, then assembles the deck into the shape of a gun. The spectator freely inserts the Ace of Spades anywhere in the "gun," representing the bullet being loaded into the chamber.

The magician then has the spectator freely cut the deck and remember a card. Finally, the deck is reassembled into the gun and bullet. The spectator's selection shoots out of the deck like a fired bullet.

Performance transcript:

• This trick requires a little imagination
• Here I have the Ace of Spades —...

Paul's Number Deck - The one that got away! A few decades ago, when still dealing, Paul planned on printing up his own number decks that would be blank-backed, numbered from 1 - 50, and have a few special cards. The deck would have come with eight ideas. These are those ideas. Obtain yourself a double blank deck and a Sharpie and create your own number deck to do these routines.

• All Squared
• Medalystic
• Your Lucky Number
• Multi Numbers Gag Card
• Multi Number Card Mark Two
• Dual Outcome
• Some Unlucky Soul: A spirit writes the total of two selections on another card.
• Number Coincidence:...

No tricks, just a bit of fun.

It's amazing, it's magical and that's not even on stage! If you love rabbits (or just humor) you'll love this photorealistic look at magicians' rabbits that will make you laugh, will make you cry (well, we hope not) and reveal things you never expected, like rabbits water skiing, line dancing, annoying snakes, and dealing with mad scientists. It's all here, and more. You'll never look at rabbits the same way again. If you have young kids, read it to them and show them the pictures because they can enjoy it too!

1st edition 2024, PDF 51 pages.

An ace of spades transforms with the help of two cards with a hole to paper money.

1st edition 2026, video 2:02

Chess savant effect

Ultimate Magic Tour allows the performer to complete the classic Knight's Tour Chess Challenge with no memory work or calculation and kicker predictions. Two effects are possible:

Basic (Non-magic) Tour
The spectator freely chooses one of the 64 squares on the 8x8 chessboard. The performer immediately writes a secret prediction and proceeds to make moves, numbering each square "1", "2", "3", etc., starting at the spectator's square, until all squares have been visited exactly once. Incredibly, the final square exactly matches the prediction.

Magic Tour
After completing...

The first book in the Subtle Secrets series, which details a completely new concept in magic: the disappearance of evidence...

• A completely innovative and original principle
• Numerous avenues to explore
• A totally crazy concept

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Getting rid of compromising evidence for good
• Effect #1: The Reconstituted Torn Card
• Effect #2: The "truly" Bitten Card
• Effect #3: Origami
• Last sweet trail

1st edition 2025, PDF 21 pages.

The year is 1584. The printing press is barely a century old. And a Frenchman named Jean Prevost is about to publish the oldest printed magic book in the world. Four centuries later, you can read it in English.

In 1584, while the rest of Europe was burning women at the stake for witchcraft, Jean Prevost did something far better: he told the truth about many of the magic tricks of his era. Subtle and Pleasant Inventions is the first book ever printed that pulls back the curtain on the conjurer's trade — not in vague riddles, but in exacting, hands-on detail. Rigged books. Gimmicked blades....

The performer predicts the color matches among randomly assembled pairs and the identity of the spectator's remaining card.

A prediction envelope has been placed in full view on the table.

The spectator cuts into a regular deck and deals a small packet of cards to the performer. After a genuine riffle shuffle and a couple of cuts, he deals a small packet of cards to himself as well.

Without looking at the faces, the performer removes two cards from different positions in his packet and tables them face down. The spectator takes the top two cards from his own packet and freely places...

This intro price will go up to $30 from September 7, 2026.

A special surprise gift worth $18 is included inside.

One Billet Act is a unique piece of mentalism. With just one single billet and a pen you can perform an up to 15 minutes close up act which can involve up to 5 participants.

So with just a single billet in your pocket or wallet and a pen, you are always ready to stun and entertain any group of people anytime and anywhere. The billet could be a double blank card or one of your business cards which has a blank back. The size of the billet is your choice as per your comfort....

A borrowed deck. The spectator shuffles and cuts. An impossible outcome. And absolutely zero sleight of hand.

Imagine handing a normal, borrowed deck of cards to your spectator. They give it a genuine table riffle shuffle, cut the deck, and deal five random, face-down cards to themselves. You have had a single face-down prediction card sitting on the table from the very beginning.

• The Prediction Miracle: If they place the target card face up on the table as an "insignificant" card, there is no elimination process. They turn over your prediction card to find a perfect match: "You placed...

Absolutely a card technique you've never seen before.

This is an original card technique I developed that lets the spectator decide where two packets are interlaced, followed by a push-through handling to complete the cut. It can be used to cut to all four Aces or other target cards. Here are two routines using this technique:

Forklift Match: The spectator freely selects two cards. The magician splits the deck in two and lets the spectator decide where the two packets are interlaced. The magician then cuts the deck into three packets, with the top and bottom cards of the three packets...

A bewildering number of color changes. You first show four five-of-diamonds. They suddenly have large crosses drawn on their faces. The crosses also appear on the backs. Then they change to the four aces, and on top of that, each ace has a different back design.

1st edition 2026, video 2:59.

Two books that seem to know things they have no way of knowing.

From the creator of Tube and The Method Impossible series comes a brand new kind of book test, one that talks to the spectator and tells them what they are thinking!

Instead of using a book to select a word, these two book tests are active participants in a mysterious experience.

Hand someone a book. The book asks the spectator a few questions. Then it tells them their star sign — or the exact card they were thinking of. The questions have nothing to do with their birthdate or selected card. They are just silly questions...

The last volume in the series.

Table of Contents

• Et Cetera
  • By Way Of Introduction / Eric C. Lewis
  • Pyramid Power / Eric C. Lewis
  • Those Ridiculous Roman Numerals / Eric C. Lewis
  • Conventional Conjuring / De Vega
  • 50 Workshop Ideas / Thayer
  • Modern Levitations / U. F. Grant
  • Artagraphs / Joe Ovette
  • These Card Tricks / Will De Seive
  • Linking Ring Routine / L.L. Ireland
  • Master Mysteries of 1933 / H. Adrian Smith
  • An Amazing Rope Release
  • Original Escape Ideas / Charles Ruben
  • The Crystal Clear Coin Vanish / Blake Maxam
  • Gambler's Quartet / Jack Yates
  • The Lucky Key / Gerald Kosky
  • 20th...

Are you ready to stop collecting theoretical magic and start performing routines that actually build your reputation? Five Star Routines is a masterclass in high-impact parlor and stage magic, packed with battle-tested material designed for real-world performers. Created by a master with decades of stage experience, this collection strips away unnecessary complexity and delivers five complete, commercially proven routines that command attention, generate roaring applause, and leave your audiences absolutely spellbound.

Inside this book, you won't find table-bound pipe dreams; you get practical,...

One of the finest examples of pure sleight of hand ever created. Period. Learn this and have something unique.

1st edition 2026, video 2:09.

A system for psychic entertainers.

Out of print for years, this masterpiece of psychic entertainment was offered to professional mentalists as the author's improved system for providing a world-class individual fortune-telling reading using a deck of unprepared playing cards.

The system itself is explained, as honed and perfected by the author in thousands of performances, along with additional ideas and suggestions for expanding the reading to make it even more memorable and convincing for the client.

This type of reading makes an ideal sideline business to double or even triple your...