Skill Level: Intermediate
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Sleightly out of Order
SYNOPSIS: Sleightly Out of Order is the second volume in Patrick G. Redford’s Out of Order series, expanding his work with memorized decks, stacked-deck systems, and the Redford Stack. Although it follows Temporarily Out of Order, the book is designed to stand alone and includes enough background for readers to begin without owning the first volume. Only a small…
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Openers
SYNOPSIS: Openers is an anthology of more than forty performance-tested routines contributed by professional magicians, each chosen because the contributor uses it to begin a show, close-up set, or walk-around encounter. Rather than concentrating on one magician’s style, the book presents many approaches to establishing attention quickly, introducing the performer’s personality, involving spectators, and creating a…
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One Degree
SYNOPSIS: One Degree is John Guastaferro’s collection of twenty polished card routines built around a simple creative principle: small, thoughtful improvements can produce a major difference in clarity, impact, and audience response. Rather than reinventing every effect completely, Guastaferro examines how subtle changes in handling, structure, presentation, timing, and spectator involvement can elevate familiar plots into…
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Offbeat
SYNOPSIS: Offbeat is a collection of sixteen audience-tested routines and nine essays drawn from Nick Diffatte’s working repertoire as a professional comedy magician. Rather than presenting a large assortment of undeveloped ideas, the book focuses on practical pieces that Diffatte has refined through repeated performances for real audiences. Each routine includes the necessary handling, preparation, scripting,…
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Now you see it, Now you Don’t!
SYNOPSIS: The Second Now You See It, Now You Don’t!: More Lessons in Sleight of Hand continues Bill Tarr’s illustrated course with more advanced techniques for cards, coins, billiard balls, silks, cigarettes, and other small objects. Like the first volume, it relies heavily on Barry Ross’s sequential drawings, with concise text explaining each grip, movement, concealment,…
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My Favorite Card Tricks
SYNOPSIS: My Favorite Card Tricks collects fifteen of Harry Lorayne’s favored effects and routines using ordinary playing cards. The material was selected for practicality: the routines can generally be performed with a borrowed or shuffled deck, under informal conditions, and without relying heavily on specialized props. Only a small portion uses the conventional “select a card”…
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My Best
SYNOPSIS: My Best: The Best Tricks from the Best Brains in Magic is a large anthology edited by J. G. Thompson Jr., bringing together 193 tricks and routines contributed by 115 professional and amateur magicians. Contributors include Theodore Annemann, J. B. Bobo, John Booth, Paul Curry, Dariel Fitzkee, Martin Gardner, Walter Gibson, Jean Hugard, George Kaplan,…
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More Magic
SYNOPSIS: More Magic is Professor Hoffmann’s sequel to Modern Magic, expanding his course in Victorian conjuring with newer sleights, methods, apparatus, and complete routines. The book begins with additional advice on the magician’s wand, table, costume, servantes, and mechanical accessories before moving into a particularly extensive study of card magic. Its card chapters cover improved passes, forces,…
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Modern Magic
SYNOPSIS: Modern Magic: A Practical Treatise on the Art of Conjuring is Professor Hoffmann’s foundational instructional work on nineteenth-century magic. Designed as a progressive course, it begins with the magician’s wand, table, costume, secret pockets, and basic principles of deception before teaching sleight of hand and complete routines with cards, coins, watches, rings, handkerchiefs, dice, cups…
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Latest Magic
SYNOPSIS: Latest Magic: Being Original Conjuring Tricks is Professor Hoffmann’s final major collection of practical magic. Unlike his earlier books, which often documented established material, Hoffmann presents this volume as a collection of effects and apparatus largely of his own invention. The book emphasizes ingenious mechanical principles, handmade props, concealed devices, and carefully arranged routines suited…
