Along with the classics of card magic, Mr. Giobbi includes original ideas and refinements from his own repertoire, guaranteeing every reader, no matter how experienced, fresh techniques and insights into the performance of professional caliber card magic! Some of the topics covered in Volume One include: The Tools of Card Magic Fundamental Techniques The Overhand Shuffle The Riffle Shuffle False Cuts Transfer Cuts Card Controls Card Forces The Glide The Double Lift The Hindu Shuffle Flourishes The Spread Cull The Top Change The Key Card Auxiliary Sleights

    Ask for a coin, and perform some of the tricks in this book. Because you will not have been aided by special stage apparatus, the results will be all the more astonishing. As tricks with coins are so readily improvised, they are among the most impressive forms of legerdemain.This book is the most complete treatise ever written on sleight-of-hand coin conjuring. Celebrated magician J. B. Bobo has gathered here the best and most useful of all coin tricks — not only his own, but those of some four dozen notable prestidigitators, including such greats as Robert-Houdin, Professer Hoffman, and — the greatest of all coin conjurers — T. Nelson Downs.All the tested, traditional methods of coin magic are here. Bobo has added to these the best of the modern innovations, while eliminating all of the out-of-date and impractical sleights of his sources. You will learn all about palms, holds, flips, switches, change-over, steals, cuffing, sleeving, and other sleight-of-hand techniques; coin tricks requiring special devices are also included. The author guides how systematically from basic techniques, concealments, and vanishes, through integrated tricks, to complete routine acts (18 in all). His clear explanations are splendidly complemented by 510 of Nelson C. Hahne's crisp illustrations.Sleight-of-hand magic has consistently earned the respect of professional magicians. If you are yet an amateur, this easy-to-follow manual — together with regular practice — is the surest route to professional-level competence. For professionals, this volume is a convenient encyclopedic reference that gathers in one place all the best coin magic from antiquity to modern times.

    With the help of this book, anyone can develop a versatile repertoire of first-rate card tricks. In fact, mastery of just the first chapter will enable you to perform a half-dozen astounding and entertaining sleights of hand. The authors, both noted authorities on magic, present complete, easy-to-understand explanations of shuffles, flourishes, the glide, the glimpse, false shuffles and cuts, the pass, the classic force, and many other techniques. These will enable card handlers to perform over 100 mind-boggling feats of card magic, including Thought Stealer, Gray's Spelling Trick, Do as I Do, Now You See It, Obliging Aces, Rapid Transit, Kangaroo Card, A Tipsy Trick, and dozens of others. Illustrated with more than 120 clear line cuts that make the explanations easy to follow, this exciting introduction to card conjuring will enable even beginners to develop professional-level skill and the ability to perform tricks guaranteed to astound family and friends.

    

    Their power to amaze and dumbfound an audience is unparalleled in the domain of stage magic. In this volume, one of the greatest of all mental magicians reveals the secrets behind nearly 200 astonishing feats of mental magic.The routines encompass 12 major categories: Effects with Billets and Pellets; Envelope Necromancy; Publicity Effects; Miracle Slate Routines; Dead or Alive; Money Mentalism; Book Tests; Blindfold Reading; Thought Foretold; Mentalism with Cards; Miscellaneous Mental Masterpieces; and Psychic Codes.Theodore Annemann, through his own performances and editorship of Jinx magazine, probably did more than anyone else to popularize this branch of entertainment. Now, his extensive knowledge, experience, and know-how are at your fingertips in this comprehensive collection. Here are the closely guarded tricks of the trade behind such astonishing effects as Pseudo-Psychometry, one of the greatest one-man psychic effects ever achieved; Who Killed Mr. X? — a classic routine that combines both magic and mind reading with a triple mystery and a novel presentation; and The Swami Test, a demonstration of prophecy first popularized around 1920. Annemann himself came up with some 16 variations on this popular and much-practiced effect. My Own Swami Test is one of his best.These and scores of other crowd-pleasers are here, each thoroughly explained and diagrammed, with insiders' tips on techniques, staging, patter, plants and confederates, diversions — everything you need to make any trick a foolproof success. No special equipment is required; just traditional magic props and a willingness to learn from one of magic's legendary figures. Although written for professional magicians, the step-by-step detail, clarity and inclusiveness of this collection, along with the author's intimate knowledge of the stage performer's needs, make this a volume that will benefit magicians at every level of expertise.

    Like no other author, Jim Steinmeyer gives us insight into the timeless appeal of magic. His human subjects include such characters as Steele MacKaye, Maskelyne, David Devant, P.T. Selbit, Horace Goldin, and Charles Morritt. Illusions he discusses include: The Mascot Moth, Sawing a Lady in Halves, and Morritt's Disappearing Donkey.

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    Deciding on exactly the right strategy in any particular situation can be very difficult. Perhaps this is why very few authors have attempted to analyze this game even though it is widely played. In 1989, the first edition of this text appeared. Many ideas, which were only known to a small, select group of players, were now made available to anyone who was striving to become an expert, and a major gap in the poker literature was closed. It is now a new century, and the authors have again moved the state of the art forward by adding over 100 pages of new material, including an extensive section on "loose games." Anyone who studies this text, is well disciplined, and gets the proper experience should become a significant winner. Some of the other ideas discussed in this 21st century edition include the cards that are out, the number of players in the pot, ante stealing, playing big pairs, playing little and medium pairs, playing three-flushes, playing three-straights, randomizing your play, fourth street, pairing your door card on fourth street, proper play on fifth, sixth, and seventh streets, defending against a possible ante steal, playing against a paired door card, scare card strategy, and buying a free card.

     PRINT LENGTH 350 Pages YA Fantasy Fiction With the overwhelming forces of Belaria pushing forward, the capital city of Surmont is once more under threat. Outnumbered and without allies, can the Caldronians and its much revered guild, survive another onslaught? With defeat looming, the country’s future is entrusted to one special young sorcerer, as Leo once more finds himself at the centre of the troubles, and with the help of a few of his friends is left to restore the nation’s sovereignty. Language : UK

    Did you ever wonder why some people are afraid of commitment and others always put work before love? Is the woman you met last night right for you? Why does your spouse put household chores before sex? Why is your best friend an incurable romantic? The newly discovered fortune telling system in Love Cards offers explanations for why we are the way we are and reveals the secret truths about our love life. First, use your birthdate to find your birth card. Discover everything from karma you might be carrying from a past life to which celebrities share your card. Then check out your lovers', family's and friends' cards. Your compatibility chart will tell you who is destined to be your soulmate and who will break your heart. --Find out exactly who you are compatible with in love, sex, romance & marriage.--Learn quickly how to do a complete relationship reading between any two people.--Find out how your Karma and Past Life cards affect your present relationships.--Discover why you have chosen past partners and learn to make better decisions.--Explore the real reasons for your attractions--it's really card chemistry!

    He also happens to be the man she’s loved forever, so the stakes couldn’t be higher to clear his name.Simon Blane is royally screwed. Framed as an international kingpin to hide the activities of the actual criminal ring, he faces life imprisonment. Worse still, he’s fallen for the brilliant, determined Evelyn Thorne, a powerful witch with a not-so-law-abiding family, and he’s unwittingly dragged her into the center of a maelstrom. Now they both have a massive target on their backs. Simon and Evelyn will have to throw away the FBI rule book and tap into the Thorne Witches’ power if they have any chance of survival—because the real culprit is determined to keep the truth hidden by any means possible. And as Simon and Evelyn hunt for the evidence to save them, maybe, just maybe, they can find a little Valentine’s Day magic of their own.

    While Allen is still young civil war breaks out, powerful mages have slain the king and the only remaining heir is put into his care. As Allen grows the kingdom he knew as Atropia has transformed itself into a republic, there is no more king or even nobles. This is not enough for some of the mages in the republic, they will not rest until every last member of the royal family is dead, Allen is the only thing standing in their way. Join Allen as he grows into his magic and proves his magic is the strongest of all.

    Yet she quickly discovers that this family is far from ‘perfect.’ Old sins and secrets have driven them apart. ‘Healing hearts’ becomes her most important task. When he hires her, Ariel is just an employee to Owen Jackson. A skilled nanny who can bring his unruly children to heel. Quickly, though, her beauty, strength, and kindness win his heart. This lifelong playboy begins to wonder if he can devote himself to one woman. There’s only one problem: he has to marry another woman. Every Dragon has a Mate, a woman destined to be his true love. And the Rite of Claiming proves, beyond a doubt, that Ariel isn’t that woman. Ordered to discover his soulmate, Owen instead finds himself drawn irresistibly to Ariel. Passion grows, a burning need they cannot deny. As their forbidden desire pits the Dragon against his own Flight, the lovers face an impossible choice. Love or Fate? Which is stronger? This is a 30k word novella which contains No Cheating, No Cliffhangers and of course an HEA ; ). It also includes a brief preview of ARLO, the first novella in the LOST CREEK series by Samantha Leal... Warning: This ebook contains mature themes and language and is meant for 18+ readers only.

    Here, set against the backdrop of America struggling through the Depression, is the world of magic, a realm of stars, sleight of hand, and sin where dreams could be realized-or stolen away. Following the Crash of '29, Dai Vernon, known by magicians as "the man who fooled Houdini," is tramping down Midwestern backroads, barely making ends meet. While swapping secrets with a Mexican gambler, he hears of a guy he doesn't quite believe is real-a legendary mystery man who deals perfectly from the center of the deck and who locals call the greatest cardsharp of all time. Determined to find the reclusive genius, Vernon sets out on a journey through America's shady, slick, and sinful side-from mob-run Kansas City through railroad towns that looked sleepy only in the daytime. Does he find the sharp? Well, Karl Johnson did-after years of research into Vernon's colorful quest, research that led him to places he never knew existed. Johnson takes us to the cardsharp's doorstep and shows us how he bestowed on Vernon the greatest secret in magic. The Magician and the Cardsharp is a unique and endlessly entertaining piece of history that reveals the artistry and obsession of a special breed of American showmen.