Scarne On Card Tricks (Hardcover)

Description

This came from an old magician’s estate purchase. Stamped on the first blank page under the front cover: “From the Private Library of Lawrence E. Jones”.

This is a second printing, May 1952, Crown Publishers, New York. A few light pencil notations on some of the pages but overall in good condition. The previous owner covered the book in a protective plastic wrap. No dust jacket.

An authority on gaming and card tricks, John Scarne is renown for teaching professional gamblers how to sharpen their skills to avoid being fleeced. For this collection of mystifying and effective maneuvers, he assembled an exciting series of original effects and classic card tricks, reworked to eliminate the need for sleight-of-hand.

Simple instructions and clear diagrams illustrate Houdini’s “Card on the Ceiling,” Blackstone’s “Card Trick Without Cards,” Carlyle’s “Piano Card Trick,” Milton Berle’s “Quickie Card Deal,” and dozens more. Also included are Scarne’s “Drunken Poker Deal,” “Knockout Card Trick,” and others from his repertoire — tricks that have fooled some of the world’s leading magicians.

Scarne presents all tricks with advice on accompanying patter, offering helpful suggestions about the kinds of words and gestures that give performances a professional gloss. Anyone can learn these tricks, and this single volume contains everything a would-be master of card magic needs to know.

Hard covers, 5 1/2″ by 8 1/4″, 308 pages.