Encyclopedia of Card Tricks (Paperback)

~ (Author), John J. Crimmins Jr. (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

How to perform over 600 card tricks, devised by the world's greatest magicians. 66 illustrations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 402 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (June 1, 1974)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486212521
• ISBN-13: 978-0486212524
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #182,687 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic manual of card effects!, October 9, 1998

By	[e-mail] "ordovicn" (Milwaukee, WI) - See all my reviews

Jean Hugard's "Encyclopedia of Card Tricks" remains one of the most comprehensive and exhaustive texts on card effects even after 60 years of being in publication. A brief summary of the table of contents shows the variety of effects covered: impromptu card tricks, spelling effects, "you do as I do", special cards, special decks (Svengali, Mene-Tekel, Stripper), calculation effects, and miscellaneous card tricks. Hugard describes the effects clearly and accurately, attributes the originator of the effect (if known), and occasionally offers an editorial comment or suggestion. The book is quite literally a gold mine of information, awaiting an interested and motivated magician to mine its contents. I continue to amaze audiences with Stewart James' original handling of "Miraskill" (p. 330). And Kli Ban's "The Spectator Finds Your Card" (p. 348), in which the spectator finds the card I chose, has been in my routine for years. Virtually all effects require no difficult sleight-of-hand. However, Hugard does devote a chapter describing important card sleights. This Dover reprint is one of the best values in magic. With this volume, and possibly the addition of John Scarne's "Scarne on Card Tricks", any magician can develop an entertaining card routine that audiences will enjoy. "Encyclopedia of Card Tricks" belongs in every magician's library.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good instruction book in field of magic., December 21, 1999

By	"xadmin" (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This is a great book in magic. If you ever wanted to learn about magic from the beginer level to advance, then you got to buy this. However, beware; it is hard to understand because the book LACKS picture! Yes, instead of using that time to learn new tricks, you have to spend it trying to figure out what the author means. That is why I gave it 4 stars. If you are a beginner in magic, I recommend you to read "Now You See It, Now You Don't". Afterwhich, the material in this book will be easier to understand

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not for beginners..., June 30, 2000

By	Christopher Cooper (Carrollton, Texas United States) - See all my reviews

This book is an excellent source of card tricks. Many new and old tricks are explained. But what is not explained are some of the "normal" hand momements and techniques that are required for new magicians. This book is made for the medium and expert skilled magicians.