Reviews: Read What Others Are Saying: page 22
220 ★★★★★ reviews
151 ★★★★★ reviews
97 ★★★★★ reviews
141 ★★★★★ reviews
Card Sharping Exposed
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Gregg Webb (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 21 January, 2024)
Because of my interest in Erdnase, I read the earlier books on card sharping that I could find. I found one in German, Mysterien des Kartenspiel, and feel it is a blueprint for other works, but then I read Maskelyne's book Sharps and Flats, which I felt was very well written. Next, I read this one, by Houdin and translated by Prof. Hoffman, which I now feel came before the Maskelyne book, and which is even more well written. It starts with some storytelling about the world of the crooked gamblers and swindlers, and then tells some info I never read before about details on thimble rigging.
But then, it segues into the telling of the life story of the man who served as Houdin's source of information about cheating at cards. The entire subculture of the gangs of crooked gamblers is explored in great detail. A whole event is set up with crooks acting out the roles of other players, police, foreign dignitaries, ladies who watch and kibitz on the games and people who mingle and give signals, all to wipe out one sitting duck by what would be seen as a play put on in real life. This is very interestingly written about. Many examples of variations on the theme of setting up a patsy are described. This could be considered what is probably the best explanation of what happens long before the actual game begins that I have read. Again, a whole crew with costumes and roles to play are involved.
Then, the second main part of the book goes into technical details of cheating techniques and "moves" as well as marked cards, and crimps and trimmed cards such as strippers are described. Various shuffles and palming methods and passes are described.
A comparison could be made that Erdnase is better technically at describing cheating methods. Houdin's is better at the storytelling nature of the cheater subculture of that time in France. If you believe that Erdnase also wrote Jack Pots under a different pseudonym, that book could be compared to the first part of the Houdin book and is made up of stories about and the life of traveling gamblers in America.
It should be pointed out that poker was not played in France at the time of Houdin.
All in all this book goes deeper into how all the people at a gambling venue may be involved in the scam, and how they coordinate. Remember the line, "If you don't know who is the patsy in a poker game, YOU are the patsy" but applied to whist, piquet, Baccarat, etc. I enjoyed the read.
Artifact
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Abhinav Bothra (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 21 January, 2024)
I kind of knew what I was getting into. Not disappointed!! The method here is simpler than the one in my head. Took me just 5 minutes to build. For best visuals use borderless cards like the BEE cards. If you can install it on some kind of rotating base (I've a battery-operated base from a broken showpiece). It'll be incredible. Most suspensions are non-inspectable, the same in this case. Since this is small and meant to be kept on a table or cupboard, people will come closer, touch it, and inspect it. They will appreciate the procedure employed but the wonder part will be gone.
Suit Order Systems 1
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by David Burmeister (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 20 January, 2024)
Buy all the Suit Order Systems along with the Unknown Mentalist's stacked decks. They serve me well. I give them a five-star rating.
Stunners! Plus! Two Decades of Mental Magic
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by David Burmeister (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 20 January, 2024)
What can I say? Larry Becker's material speaks for itself. I bought most of his books during the 80's and a LOT of material from Larry and Lee Earle not to mention SYZYGY Manuscript which I still have copies of the original manuscripts. All I can say is anything from them is easy to do and well worth the money. I even bought all of Larry Becker's ebooks. I give ALL their material a FIVE STAR rating.
Magic with an ESP Deck
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by David Burmeister (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 20 January, 2024)
I have this from the 80's. It is well worth your money. Some of the effects in it like ONE in 14,400 will make a spectator appear extremely psychic. It has my highest rating.
David's ESP Routine
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by David Burmeister (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 20 January, 2024)
I have used this effect quite a few times close-up. It shocks lay people to death. You can use this effect as it says in the ebook but I prefer using regular ESP cards in a Himber Wallet so nothing appears gimmicked with the ESP cards. This has my highest rating.
Bernstein on Number Predictions
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by David Burmeister (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 20 January, 2024)
I bought this from Magic Inc. I believe in the 80's. It is the perfect ebook to have along with the credit card ebooks from THE UNKNOWN MENTALIST. It has my highest rating.
Amazers with Karma Deck
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by David Burmeister (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 20 January, 2024)
This is a beautiful stacked deck which if you don't know by now, works great with the karma deck and other stacks, and is simple to use. I recommend it highly.
Children's Showtime
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Michael Lyth
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 20 January, 2024)
I have a physical copy and I must say its contents helped me greatly when I started full-time children's and adult entertainer. So to now see in PDF it is going to help so many readers in the art of performing for many young adults a must for the working magician bookshelf/computer.
Tricks and Treats
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Peter Bernard (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 20 January, 2024)
$10 for 10 tricks taught by the late great Aldo Colombini - such a fantastic deal.
Artifact
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Peter Vattimo (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 19 January, 2024)
NOT useful in real life. On video is the only way this is at all interesting. Substantial effort for a non-effect. In real life, all is clearly visible.
Disappointing.
ESP Card Magic Vol. 20
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Francesco Nicolo (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 19 January, 2024)
Probably one of the best DVDs of this series. I liked it a lot. Highly recommended.
Famous Magic Secrets
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Amado Narvaez (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 18 January, 2024)
I first read this book in the 1960's when I found it at my local public library under the title "Everybody's Book of Magic". It whet my appetite for more magic books that focused on the history of magic as a performing art rather than teaching magic tricks. I read and re-read it and was very happy to find this pdf version.
Ideas with the Invisible Deck
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Christian Mach (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 17 January, 2024)
Very good thoughts and great ideas.
Shadow Sequeira Stack
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Larry Finley (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 14 January, 2024)
Easiest to learn of the tetradistic stacks that are better looking than a Si Stebbins. The stack is both a positional calculator stack and a cyclical "next card" calculation stack (cyclical sequential stack). Highly recommended.
Clockwork Magician
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by hal barlow (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Saturday 13 January, 2024)
I really like this! It uses an old principle that you already know, in a very commercial way. I have to say I didn't recognize it at first, due to the presentation. I think this is a real worker!
The Real Work of Cold Reading
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Gregg Webb (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Thursday 11 January, 2024)
Bob Cassidy, who stands for no malarky, writes exactly what he thinks in a field where some are trying to be deceptive and some just don't know what they are talking about. And, yet, in real life, when he was alive, he was very pleasant to talk to. He has read everything on the subjects he writes about. When he explains something, I "get it" when with others I don't, often. He even goes so far as to print what some known authority has said about a particular issue and then goes on to correct or clarify about what they got wrong or were off by "a miss is as good as a mile". In this field of cold reading, and you get the impression that he did readings a lot, besides his shows and demonstrations, he ties in how this can augment Tarot reading or palm readings, or astrology.
He mentions his friend Herb Dewey who gave us so much info that we use today, and what he thought about certain aspects of this field. After mastering this, you'll not need trickery, although he does go into ways to use it to show something more spectacular yet near the end of a reading. Finally he gives some valuable info in the Appendix. I feel this is the best book I have ever read on a field which always left me somewhat confused.
52 Standard American Card Faces
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Bill Palmer (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 10 January, 2024)
An excellent source for clean card face designs to use for constructing gaffed cards. I've been a full-time pro for several decades. I have a lot of experience in close-up/corporate magic and have often constructed gaffed cards using a scanner and a printer. These prepared card faces take a lot of the hard work out of the process for you.
The images are in .eps (encapsulated postscript) form and .svg (scalable vector graphics) form.
Bill Palmer, M.I.M.C.
How To Supercharge Your Entertainment Business With Facebook
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Cliff Gerstman (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 10 January, 2024)
This is an excellent book written by someone who clearly has experience in the field. The only downside could be the book's age. It is ten years old and I don't know how much the subject matter may have changed in all that time. Otherwise, it is a great book with easy-to-apply instructions and easy-to-track results.
The Untouchables
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Jesse Hittle (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Wednesday 10 January, 2024)
Disappeared in this effect. This is my first review here and all I can say is I was fooled into buying this effect. The writing on the effect is misleading.
27 Illusions
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by Simon Unwin (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Sunday 07 January, 2024)
This book is fascinating! It provides a completely original approach to the multi-dimensional and ever-engaging challenge of designing architecture. Many think architecture is just about the appearance of buildings, but this book presents the surprising idea that it can also be (is) a forum for magic! Magic in the dramatic sense, but also, by extension, magic in more subtle senses too. The magic possibilities of architecture inescapably involve the emotional and imaginative as well as the narrative and aesthetic factors in human experience. I would have enjoyed being a member of Howard's class for this project!!!
Simon Unwin, Emeritus Professor of Architecture and author of 'Analysing Architecture: the Universal Language of Architecture'.
In Your Hands 2 (Italian)
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by CARLO ALBERTO MENONCIN (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 05 January, 2024)
Molto interessante e vario questo bel libro sugli effetti con le carte da gioco!
Il Secondo Libro Dei Book Test
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by CARLO ALBERTO MENONCIN (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 05 January, 2024)
Interessante libro: da studiare con attenzione!
Ken Brooke's Okito Box Routine
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by CARLO ALBERTO MENONCIN (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 05 January, 2024)
Stupenda routine con la scatola Okito!
Enciclopedia Cartomagica
Overall customer rating: ★★★★★reviewed by CARLO ALBERTO MENONCIN (confirmed purchase)
Rating: ★★★★★ (Date Added: Friday 05 January, 2024)
Il libro più completo e vasto sulla Cartomagia!