talkmagic.co.uk

I'm surprised there is no review of this one already
The Art of Magic by T. Nelson Downs

The Effect:
This book is brimming with many effects so I'll just put the chapter labels so that you get an idea

Flourishes and Fancy Sleights With Cards
Card Tricks with Unprepared Cards and Not Requiring Sleight of Hand
Card Tricks Involving Sleight of Hand (this is chapters 3-5)
Card Tricks Based on a New and Original System of Locating a Chosen Card
Clairvoyance with Cards
A Series of Card Tricks Based on a New and Original System
The Rising Cards
The Four Ace Trick
Card Tricks with Apparatus and in Combination with Other Objects
Fancy Flourishes with Coins, Useful Sleights and Additions to the Miser's Dream
Coin Tricks with and Without Apparatus
A Coin Act and a Coin Ladder
Tricks of the Trade
Tricks with Eggs
Tricks with Balls
Miscellaneous Tricks


Cost:
$7-15

Difficulty
(1=easy to do, 2=No sleights, but not so easy, 3=Some sleights used,
4=Advanced sleights used, 5=Suitable for experienced magicians only)
2-5
Using newer techniques you can take some of the harder effects down to 3, but doing some of these things as described can be very difficult


Review
Cons:
1: This material is dated, there are easier methods to doing some of the effects described and the patter would seem more than out of place nowadays
2: You may find that you don't like the way the material is organized. The author tends to go off subject at times. To me this was not really a negative, but you may become frustrated with it.
3: I suggest you know at least one good pass, control, force, and palm with cards as the Card tricks involving sleights section will be much easier to study if you do.
4: Lacks illustration, also writer sometimes says "This is very difficult to describe"

Pros:
1: Many, many different effects usually presented with the amount of time the effect can fill and either the writer's suggested patter or the patter of the originator of the effect.
2: VERY well written and easy to follow throughout most of the text, to me he could usually describe a method well enough that the lack of illustration was non-issue.
3: An enjoyable read the effects are often given a back story and the patter was unfailingly entertaining though I wouldn't recommend its use these days.
4: After reading and studying it several times I still come back to this book for new ideas.

Overall
9/10 It would be 10/10 if it wasn't so dated and if it came with more illustrations.
WARNING: I may be somewhat biased towards this book as it is the one that got me started in magic. It was the third book on magic that I ever picked up for serious study and the first that actually helped me learn and appreciate magic.

This is a great book for the beginer to the intermidiate.
Not only are all the effects explained in great detail, but, most of the effects have more than one method included.
I only have 2 reservations about the book:
1. A large portion of the book (about half) is dedicated to card magic
2. There are not many illustrations
Other than that though the book is invaluable. My favorite section is last chapter on miscellaneous tricks that has many classic effects listed.