What do you think?
Rate this book
Card Tricks a Practical Treatise on Conjuring With Cards
Excerpt from Card Tricks a Practical Treatise on Conjuring With Cards
Much that is interesting might be 'told of the history of Playing Cards, and the various games of skill they provide, but it is questionable whether this would interest the conjuring fraternity, who, I have no doubt, would rather get on at once to the subject immediately under consideration. It may seem strange, but it is nevertheless true, that many really clever card conjurers never indulge in any game of skill with the cards and, from what has come under my notice, they are in many cases, ignorant of the laws governing the best known games. Perhaps it is well that this is so. Of all branches of sleight of hand, the manipula tion of cards is the one that deserves the most atten tion. The prestidigitateur who can perform a number Of tricks with an ordinary pack Of cards will be a welcome guest anywhere; and, as far as he is concerned, he has the satisfaction of knowing that the cards, and other small accessories required in the production of the various tricks are generally to hand in every household.
Much that is interesting might be 'told of the history of Playing Cards, and the various games of skill they provide, but it is questionable whether this would interest the conjuring fraternity, who, I have no doubt, would rather get on at once to the subject immediately under consideration. It may seem strange, but it is nevertheless true, that many really clever card conjurers never indulge in any game of skill with the cards and, from what has come under my notice, they are in many cases, ignorant of the laws governing the best known games. Perhaps it is well that this is so. Of all branches of sleight of hand, the manipula tion of cards is the one that deserves the most atten tion. The prestidigitateur who can perform a number Of tricks with an ordinary pack Of cards will be a welcome guest anywhere; and, as far as he is concerned, he has the satisfaction of knowing that the cards, and other small accessories required in the production of the various tricks are generally to hand in every household.
146 pages, Paperback
First published December 23, 1998
1 person want to read
About the author
Ellis Stanyon
43 books3 followersWilliam Ellis Stanyon (1870-1951) was a professional magician and magic dealer in London.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 24, 2021
Given that this book is based on Ellis Stanyon's writings from his "Magic" magazine from 1912 to 1920 the card magic described is surprisingly advanced. Karl Fulves's supplementary notes from 1999 add a great deal to the text as well. Some items are only described very briefly, which is not the contemporary style with technical magic books (particularly on the subject of card magic), but I was amazed by how much is presented in this volume. Having read the book it needs now to be studied in more detail with cards in hand. This book is definitely up there with Erdnase, Expert Card Technique and the Encyclopedia of Card Tricks (and others) which are listed in the bibliography. What a good find!
Displaying 1 of 1 review