Excerpt from the Foreword:
This is a book about the close-up magic of Bobby Bernard ... There have not been too many books in the past on close-up as opposed to those devoted purely to sleights. Hugard brought out a great little book on the subject in the Thirties, and two decades later Bert Allerton's book was splendid. But now we have another book, which we feel sure will become a classic of its kind. The book which you hold contains a wealth of moves, tricks and routines, from which any discerning reader could select a repertoire likely to gain him a reputation.
Of particular interest is section 3 with several short essays and opinions on...
Triplets is a new series by Gregg Webb with three items each - tricks and essays. This first ebook in this series features "Cleverness", a two-card transpo, a coin routine that was inspired by Milt Kort's famous shot glass coin routine, and "Behold the Invisible Knife", a routine most suitable for a kids show.
"Gregg Webb is one of the most creative minds in Magic. For over 40 years he has been inspiring me with his contributions to our art." - Jeff McBride
1st edition 2022, PDF 7 pages.
Excerpt from the Introduction:
I have always believed that any close-up card rise, wherein the chosen card is "brought up" from the rear of the pack, loses so much of its effect because it must be ended too quickly, before the spectators see that the card did not really rise out of the middle. The effect of the trick is considerably strengthened by the appearance of the chosen card projecting from somewhere in the middle of the pack at the conclusion of the rise.
Jack McMillen's "PLUNGER" rising card trick was, to the best of my knowledge, the first method in which the chosen card rose from the middle...
The magician holds a card in front of his body and with a wave of the hand, the center vanishes only leaving the border.
This is an improvement to the older version because it does not require a black background. You will need the usual supplies and arts and crafts for gaffing cards.
1st edition 2022, video 19:20
This work is sort of a condensed history of magic. The story of some notable tricks. For example, what was the oldest conjuring trick in the world? What was the newest? Were the Piddingtons really telepathic? How does a magician saw a girl in half? Do conjurers use marked cards? How do they do the Indian Rope Trick?
A super visual partial vanish of a playing card.
Performer holds an empty card frame in one hand and a playing card in the other. By moving the playing card behind the frame the back of the playing card partially vanishes only leaving its frame visible. This looks incredible since the cards can be moved around and everything looks as it should. One could suspect CGI, but everything is achieved with gaffed cards and sleight of hand.
This requires the usual supplies and arts and crafts for gaffing cards, plus a black background like a black T-shirt.
1st edition 2022, video 33:40
A visual partial vanish of a playing card.
Performer holds a playing card in front of his body. Suddenly most of the card vanishes leaving only the border behind.
This requires the usual supplies and arts and crafts for gaffing cards, plus a black background like a black T-shirt.
1st edition 2022, video 27:24
ACAAN is a genre of card magic and mentalism effect that has now become a classic since it was first proposed by the great David Berglas, who was the first to call it "Any card At Any Number".
This version of mine is very easy to perform but, if well presented, will be likely to arouse great amazement among both magicians and lay audiences, and can be performed as well in Close-Up as on Stage. It simply requires an ordinary deck of 52 cards and possibly a pair of very ordinary six-sided dice (but it can also be just imaginary dice for each of which the spectators will decide the score), and you will...
L’A.C.A.A.N., in Italia noto anche come “Carta al Numero” è un genere di effetto di Cartomagia e Mentalismo oramai divenuto un classico da quando è stato proposto dal grandissimo David Berglas che appunto per primo l’ha definito “Any card At Any Number”
Questa mia versione è molto semplice da performare ma, se ben presentata, potrà riscuotere grande stupore sia tra un pubblico di maghi che di profani, e può essere eseguita tanto in Close-Up quanto in Scena, su un palco teatrale….
Necessita semplicemente di un comune mazzo di 52 carte ed eventualmente di un paio di...
1st edition 1919; PDF 36 pages.
An exceedingly clever use of Max Maven's Bonsai Force. Predict the free and random arrangement of four colored blocks.
Excerpt from the introduction by Max Maven:
But there is yet another benefit which is perhaps the rarest of all, when another creative spirit decides to explore something you've devised, and comes up with a new and different approach which expands your idea in ways you had not considered.
Sam Dalal, I'm delighted to say, has once again provided me with just such a situation. He has taken a principle I devised several years ago, and adapted it in an ingenious way which...
Containing over one hundred highly amusing and instructive tricks with chemicals.
A collection of innovative coin sleights and moves based on the PalmerClip palming technique, inspired by Bill Palmer's gaffless Scotch'n Soda routine. (with permission)
Originally used as an alternative to classic palm for crippled hands, several new sleights and applications evolved that allow for astonishment not possible by standard methods. You will learn: PalmerClip, PCSlip, PCLay, PCPIck, PCDrop and PCSteal plus suggested applications and an effect called Bangle.
Imagine being able to show both hands completely empty after a coin transfer, or between phases of a coins across routine. Photos...
What is Color Isolation? It's a complete card act where the two colors of the deck — red and black — continually separate, each time under quite different and more mysterious conditions. The deck is handled and shuffled by the spectator throughout, yet the colors seem to instantly obey the magician's every whim.
From the performer's standpoint, Color Isolation is an interlocking series of effects, each building on the next. You can borrow a deck, have it thoroughly shuffled by the spectator and proceed. After shuffling the deck, the spectator simply cuts off a portion and counts them...
Totally Impossible is a really strong effect with a very intriguing and fascinating method. The magician is able to cut with a knife to the card selected by a spectator. Simply and totally unbelievable. Obviously a magician fooler, as in the style of Joseph B. One of the most impossible divinations, one of the most dramatic localizations to add to your repertoire. You can do this with a borrowed shuffled deck. The Deck does not have to be complete.
A very visual and sudden spectator card rising to the top effect.
Spectator chooses a card (no force). The card can optionally be signed. It is inserted face-up in the middle of the deck. The performer places the top card by 90 degrees rotated on the top of the deck. He then removes that top card and suddenly the spectator's card rises to the top and is seen face-up on the top of the deck.
The gimmick is easy to make. It requires arts and crafts and some of the usual supplies for card gaffing.
1st edition 2022, video 13:30.
Excerpt from the foreword:
This little manuscript of choice effects I fondly dedicate to my dear friend, Louis Lam of Holland, a magician, gentleman, and writer. I am indebted to him for many of the fine effects contained herein. Effects which magicians will find choice magical morsels for immediate introduction into their programs.
Being a collection of easily built tricks and small illusions.
1st edition 1944, 30 pages; PDF 30 pages.
Containing complete instructions for performing over sixty ingenious mechanical tricks.
This is a very visual effect. Magically transfer writing from a card to your hand. Have a card selected (not forced), have it signed on the face, and then make a mark on the back. Wave your hand over the card and suddenly the mark has vanished from the card. It has transferred to the palm of your hand. Hand out the signed card as a souvenir.
The gimmick is easy to make and only requires a bit of arts and crafts with the usual supply for card gaffing.
1st edition 2022, video 15 min.