In short: if you do card magic then buy this book


An absolute must for all those more advanced in card magic   October 3, 2000
 10 out of 10 found this review helpful

After you have read & practiced the items in "The Royal Road to Card Magic", this is the next logical step for all enthusiastic card magicians. It is a harder book to comprehend but nevertheless the information it contains is most valuable. It teaches you a variety of sleights, flourishes & guides you in performing the ever so hard (well it is for me! ) Faro Shuffle (if anyone has any tips on how to do this perfectly each time please let me know via my email....much appreciated ! ). It also contains a whole section on various card tricks, from the infamous 'card in the shoe' to some lovely mentalism stuff. Even better you get a lot of Dai Vernon tricks in there! Definately worth the price & a must for all magicians & wannabe magicians.


A great book but somewhat dated   May 28, 1999
 4 out of 4 found this review helpful

Jean Hugard and Frederic Braues book on this wonderful art which I am a practitioner of is a valuable purchase to any magician, but it would probably prove frustrating to beginners. The methods of card handling in this book are taught with wordy and complicated explanations, the illustrations are small and sometimes hard to follow but if effort is applied, it is an amazing book. However, I have noticed that many of the effects in this book are dated and have been modified and improved for easier handling, but it still remains one of magics best books on the subject


Expert Card Technique - The Bible on the Subject   December 12, 1998
 8 out of 8 found this review helpful

I'm a beginner at sleight of hand and this book had been referred to be many times by magicians more advanced than I. I decided to purchase it one day and was amazed at how complete it was. It covered everything from flourishes, palming, false shuffles and cuts, glimpses, reverses, crimping, jogging, even had entire chapters on the Faro Shuffle, Mentalism, and another on Presentation and Misdirection. This book is still referred to as the 'bible' on card magic by my teacher. And I find myself flipping through it's pages constantly, always learning something new. And with 318 Illustrations, it was easy to follow. The book covers beginner to advanced moves. So it'll stand against the test of time. And for the price... Well worth it's contents.


Great for the more experienced magician.   August 11, 1998
 4 out of 4 found this review helpful

If you're a begginer, go for something else. This book would probably be to frustrating If you have a bit of experience, and are looking for a challenge, this is the book! You'll come out of this book 3 times better than you used to be. But be carefull, many techniques are hard to grasp from words, but if you focus and actually get it, it'll be extremely rewarding.