Jean Hugard, besides being a master performer, was also one of the twentieth century's most gifted writers on magic. Through his writing he brought the literature on magic up to a new professional level. This book, continuing the carefully worked out descriptions begun in Card Manipulations, adds another 120 flourishes, sleights, tricks, and manipulations to the magician's repertory. Among the many manipulations and sleights are forces, passes, glides, color changes, top and bottom changes, the Herrmann pass, the "Cottone" snap production, the Grote instantaneous palm, theCarlyle false count, double lifts, false cuts, controls, shuffles, andmuch more. Tricks using these manipulations include story tricks, spelling and counting tricks, tricks for small audiences, tricks, used inthe professional acts of such magicians as Frederick Braue, R. M.Jamison, Paul Curry, Walsh and Haber, and Joseph Cottone, and tricksperfected or first described by Hugard.
For each manipulation, sleight or trick, the author first describes theeffect to be produced. Then, in a combination of clear, detaileddescriptions and drawings, he tells the exact method needed toachieve the desired effect. Cross-references to manipulations andother advanced methods make them available even to beginners.Alternate methods, tips, histories, and a careful analysis of possibletrouble spots make it easy to develop the tricks for a perfect performance.The keys to these tricks and manipulations are not well known outsideprofessional magicians' groups. But to the advanced beginner orsemi-professional who has some degree of card skill, the manipulationsand tricks, expertly described here by Hugard, will add to thedexterity of the performance, give hours of rigorous skill-developingpractice, and help build a professional well-rounded repertoire withcards.
